MAKING A POST MORTEM EXAMINATION 65 



In the South, where Texas fever is so prevalent, 

 you should look for ticks, as these bring death to 

 thousands of animals each year. Look for the wee 

 tiny ones — they cause the trouble. When cattle 

 are fairly covered with the large ticks death does 

 not ordinarily follow, since the animal has prac- 

 tically become immune to the poison caused by the 

 tick. These large ticks, however, are filled with 

 blood and nutriment, both obtained from the animal, 

 and hence they may rob the animal of blood and 

 nutriment that it ought to have itself. 



After Removing the Skin. — The skin is now to be 

 removed, so that the color of the tissues and the 

 nature of the blood may be noted. If the blood be 

 thin or black, with a disagreeable odor, you can 

 expect some germ trouble like blood poisoning or 

 an infectious and contagious disease. If the white 

 tissues are yellow you may be reasonably certain 

 that the liver has not done its work as it would 

 have done had it been in a thoroughly healthy 

 condition. 



In removing the skin and making other observa- 

 tions be cautious that you do not prick your fingers 

 with the knife, since you may convey in this way 

 disease to yourself. If by accident a cut or prick 

 is made, cauterize the wound at once, so as to 

 destroy any germs transmitted in this way to you. 



EXAMINING THE INTERNAL ORGANS 



The next step is to examine the internal organs. 

 To do this, place the animal on its side, remove the 

 upper front leg and the ribs over the chest region. 

 The ribs should be removed as near as possible to 

 the backbone so as to give an unobstructed open- 

 ing over the important organs. This large opening 



