DISTEMPER AND CONTAGIOUS GATABRHAL FEVER. 231 



Prognosis. The prognosis of distemper, as a rule, should be re- 

 garded as unfavorable even in those cases which are apparently mild. 

 Of course, the danger of the disease increases with the intensity of the 

 symptoms, and especially if the symptoms are prolonged and with 

 them a persistent high temperature, and even in cases where we have 

 a subnormal temperature. Another series of cases which must be 

 regarded as unfavorable are those which are in their course com- 

 plicated by serious nervous symptoms, or by symptoms of catarrhal 

 pneumonia. Young dogs which are delicate (especially when not 

 fed on meat), anasmic, or rhachitic, will succumb to the disease 

 sooner, and, as a rule, present severer symptoms than those which 

 have been fed with meat and have had plenty of open-air exercise. 

 A marked decrease of the temperature, without a similar improve- 

 ment in the general condition, is always to be looked upon as an 

 extremely serious symptom. Death may occur in (wo ways: 

 through paralysis of the brain or oedema of ihe lungs, and ocra- 

 sionally from septicaemia or from general exhaustion. From the 

 experience of the author, the death-rate is from 20 to 30 per cent. 

 [The translator's experience does not admit of sucli a favorable 

 percentage; he would say about 50 to 60 per cent.] It depends to 

 a great extent whether there are a number of cases together or 

 solitary cases— in the former the percentage is much higher; but at 

 the same time it is impossible to give any positive statistics, because 

 in cities the death-rate is much higher, and in small towns and in 

 the country, where distemper runs a comparatively mild course, the 

 death-rate is much smaller. The author finds that in a large city 

 the death-rate amounts to 60 to 70 per cent. 



Pathological Anatomy. The most prominent and constant 

 anatomical alterations found on the post-mortem are those in the 

 respiratory and digestive organs. The lesions of the respiratory 

 tract are as follows : The pituitary membrane is injected, infiltiated, 

 and covered with a muco-purulent exudate; numerous ecehymosed 

 spots are found on the membrane. The mucous membrane of the 

 larynx, trachea, and bronchi shows various degrees of inflammatory 

 alterations — the large bronchi are filled with bloody" mucus, the 

 smaller bronchi are filled with a thick, tenacious exudate ; with 

 this condition we frequently have evidence of lobular pneumonia; 

 the tissue is firm, and gangrenous masses are found in the centre 

 of the lobules. The pleura is covered with a rose or citron-colored 



