Symptoms, 245 



thus causing a rattling of the chain with which they are fastened 

 by the head or neck, by the sound of which affected animals may 

 frequently be recognized in an infected stable. 



In the buccal cavity the mucous membrane is at first red- 

 dened in spots, later assuming a uniform, livid or bright red 

 color, and not infrequently becomes covered with dark red 

 ecchymoses; these changes appear first on the gums, and on 

 the inner surface of the lips, later in the corners of the mouth, 

 on the borders of the tongue, in the vicinity of the phrenum 

 of the tongue, on the upper lips, and on the cheeks. Soon 

 hemp-seed to lentil-sized gray spots appear on the surface, 

 which confluate forming larger, connecting, gray or grayish- 

 yellow, patch-like deposits; after their loosening, wiping off 

 or throwing off, the bright red, bleeding, deeper layer of the 

 mucous membrane becomes visible (so called erosion ulcera- 

 tions; see Fig. 43). 



As a result of the affection of the intestinal tract, there 

 is in the first two days obstipation, later profuse diarrhea. 

 The feces which at first were firm and sometimes mixed with 

 blood, become softer and later very thin ; they are passed under 

 great strain, in which the dark red, or livid, greatly swollen 

 rectal mucous membrane protrudes. The parts surrounding 

 the anus are soiled by the watery, later dirty gray and then 

 dark brown, fetid, sometimes bloody feces, which contain 

 mucous shreds, gray detritus, or even large pieces of pseudo- 

 membranes. Towards the end of the disease, about the fifth day, 

 involuntary passages of the bowels take place at short intervals 

 and in small quantities, from the flabby and open rectum of the 

 animals which lie on the ground at this stage. 



Even in the earliest stages a mucous or muco-purulent dis- 

 charge, which is sometimes mixed with blood flows from the 

 vagina of cows and heifers, the vulva showing a swelling and 

 higher temperature. The mucous membrane of the vagina and 

 the vulva is reddened, and on the surface small gray, or yellow, 

 pseudo-membranes form, which later are thrown off leaving 

 dark red, bleeding, superficial erosions in their places. 



The animals urinate frequently. The urine flows almost 

 continually in drops at short intervals, and is sometimes 

 yellowish-red to coffee brown in color (Eggebrecht). 



As an indication of an affection of the respiratory organs 

 a frequent painful cough is observed as the first symptom, 

 which however disappears after the disease has completely 

 developed (Dieckerhoff). The respiration is accelerated, 40-60 

 per minute, later it is labored to a high degree, and the grunt- 

 ing of the animal is audible for a great distance. Percussion 

 of the thorax reveals nothing abnormal, or only a louder per- 

 cussion sound. Auscultation reveals intensified vesicular breath- 

 ing, later dry and moist rales. In sorae cases a subcutaneous 

 emphysema develops in association with the interstitial lung 

 emphysema, which results from the very difficult respiration. 



