DISTEMPER AND CONTAGIOUS OATABBHAL FEVEB. 233 



anaemia, parenchymatous or fatty degeneration of the heart, 

 liver, kidneys, and an abnormal swelling of the lymphatic 

 glands 



Therapeutics. No special therapeutic treatment can be given 

 for distemper — that is, no agent has been found up to this time 

 which has the property of destroying or rendering harmless the 

 specific micro-organisms present in this disease. Certain antiseptic 

 and antibacterial remedies, like quinine, salicylic acid, antipyrine, 

 etc., may generally reduce the fever, but they produce no influence 

 on the general course of the disease. The use of agents for reducing 

 the temperature is objectionable, as they deprive us of the symp- 

 tom of temperature, which is of greatest importance during the 

 course of the disease. According to Frohner's experiments, calo- 

 mel is supposed to have a slight claim as a universal agent, on the 

 same order as black coffee, which was formerly advocated by Tras- 

 bot. Common salt has been recommended by Zippelius, and 

 ergotin was highly recommended and frequently used a few years 

 ago. All of these remedies, while they prove beneficial in some 

 cases, are not to be laid down as a specific for the treatment of the 

 disease, therefore we must continue to treat it in a purely symp- 

 tomatic manner until it is possible to discover some specific which 

 may be ultimately found in the altered products of the bacilli. 

 Antipyrine, which has lately been advocated as an absolute specific, 

 does not in the least deserve this recommendation. The diet must 

 be easily digested food, as nutritious as possible. Milk, bouillon, 

 soup, and scraped raw meat have much to commend them. In grave 

 cases where there is entire loss of appetite, we must use concen- 

 trated food, such as peptonized meat, extract of beef, and clear 

 broth. This may be given with some mild alcoholic stimulant, 

 wine, etc. Some forms of extract of beef are not recommended on 

 account of their slight nutritive value, and containing a large pro- 

 portion of sodium salts. When the temperature rises above 40°, 

 try to reduce it by means of cold compresses and mild antiseptics. 

 Do not try to reduce a normal increase of temperature, as this is 

 necessary, as a rule, to restrict the growth of bacilli, or even 

 impair their vitality, and so lessen or destroy their virulence. The 

 nutritive medium upon which the bacteria have developed may 

 possibly undergo some alteration, so that it can no longer multiply. 

 The "antipyretic" treatment can only be used in rare instances 



