Complications. 343 



milk, and acts directly upon the mucous membrane of the digestive 

 apparatus. In sucking animals the changed chemical consistence of 

 the milk of the affected mother comes also into consideration. On the 

 other hand the virus may also enter the gastro-intestinal wall by 

 way of the blood circulation, and this mode of development must be 

 suspected in those cases in which the manifestations of the gastro- 

 intestinal catarrh develop in the early stages of the disease in animals 

 which are not fed on milk, and in which vesicles and erosions develop 

 in the mucous membrane of the stomach. 



Of the other complications abortion, internal inflammation 

 of the eyes, inflammation of the frontal sinuses, which some- 

 times leads to the dropping off of the horns, may be mentioned. 

 Finally the disease may run a course with febrile symptoms 

 only, and without a vesicular exanthema. 



Malignant Foot-and-Mouth Disease. Under this designa- 

 tion all those cases are usually combined which appear occa- 

 sionally, and usually only restricted to certain territories, and 

 in which the disease, without apparent complications, results 

 in the death of the cattle. 



In the cases belonging to this group the disease usually 

 develops in a typical form ; but in the stage of the commencing 

 recovery, on the fifth to sixth day, a sudden change to the worse 

 takes place, without any apparent cause. The affected animals 

 which are already free from fever and commence to eat, sud- 

 denly become very feeble and apathetic; they cease eating and 

 ruminating, tremble, stagger, grind their teeth, respiration is 

 difficult, and they suddenly drop to the ground, when death soon 

 follows. In some animals, constipation, delayed or completely 

 suppressed peristalsis, sensibility of the abdomen, and hemor- 

 rhages from the intestines and vagina may be observed (Faber), 

 while others suddenly die uiider apoplectic conditions without 

 any apparent prodromal symptoms. Those cases should also 

 be included in this group, in which in the course of the foot-and- 

 mouth disease a paresis or complete paralysis of the hind 

 quarters develops, and the symptoms of paralysis extend an- 

 teriorly, the clinical appearance then resembling somewhat par- 

 turient apoplexy; in such instances the animals usually die from 

 paralysis of the pharynx (Wester). 



The cause of this malignant type of foot-and-mouth disease has 

 not been established with certainty ; however th^ manifestations on the 

 live animals, as well as the severe changes found at autopsy, indicate 

 an intoxication. The supposition appears very probable that the 

 unusually strong virus attacks also the mucous membrane of the stomach 

 and intestines, whereby poisonous substances are absorbed into the 

 organism from the ulcerations developed in these places. Whether 

 these products originate from the virus of foot-and-tnouth disease 

 proper, or from other bacteria present in the digestive tract has not 

 yet been determined. Nocard having shown that typical foot-and-mouth 

 disease may be produced by inoculation into cattle of degenerated 



