374 Strangles. 



ture is still markedly perceptible at this time, but the individual 

 lobules are larger, firmer, and painful on pressure. They soon 

 coalesce, forming a uniformly hard growth, which rapidly in- 

 creases in size, fills up the intermaxillary space, later also the 

 throat and parotid regions, and may extend also to the 

 lower border of the cheeks. It is not sharply circumscribed, 

 but is firm, taut, warm and painful, and the animals hold their 

 heads stiffly extended. After the swelling reaches a certain 

 size it remains apparently unchanged for several days; finally 

 however a distinct fluctuation appears in one or more places, 

 while in other parts it remains hard and tense. The hair falls 

 out, over the affected places, and from these hairless surfaces 

 a yellowish sticky fluid oozes out, the skin proper becomes 

 thin, and at certain points a dark brown discoloration, and 

 finally a conical prominence appears, which soon bursts, where- 

 upon from the resulting opening white or slightly yellowish, 

 creamy pus is evacuated in profuse quantities. If the abscess 

 is opened the pus squirts out. If several fluctuating places form 

 on the surface of the swelling ruptures may occur at several 

 places, usually following each other in rapid succession. Ad- 

 joining abscesses may coalesce by the breaking down of the sepa- 

 rating walls, and evacuate their pus from a single opening; or 

 after the bursting of an abscess the contents of the adjacent 

 abscess may break into the first evacuated cavity through the 

 sudden relaxation of pressure. 



After the evacuation of the pus the inflammatory edema 

 of the surrounding parts diminishes rapidly, and the swelling 

 subsides in 1 to 2 days. From the opening however pus and 

 later a lymph-like fluid oozes out for several days, until finally 

 the cavity fills up with granulation tissue, the borders of the 

 opening close, the swelling disappears entirely, and recovery 

 takes place. 



The microscopical examination of the nasal discharge discloses loosened pave- 

 ment and cylindrical epithelial cells, fatty degenerated cells, and leucocytes. The 

 discharge from the abscesses contains pus cells, sometimes intermixed with granular, 

 broken-down tissue elements. Cover glass preparations stained with aqueous aniline 

 dyes or after Gram's method, show long, curved chains of cocci in the pus (see fig. 

 61, p. 367), while in the nasal discharge the chains are shorter, and other forms of 

 bacteria are present. According to Bermbach and Baruohello the nasal discharge 

 and in the early stages also the pus of the glands contain pyogenic staphylococci, 

 which aid the streptococci in the execution of their pathogenic action. The pua 

 of the pharyngeal or mesenteric abscesses may also contain other bacteria, (Cuill§ 

 found in them a Gram-positive, thread-forming anaerobic bacillus), which evidently 

 gained entrance by subsequent migration. 



The respiration is accelerated even in the milder cases, 

 but it is of a normal type if there is no severe pharyngitis 

 and laryngitis present. When the inflammatory process extends 

 to the larynx, a moist, painful and spasmodic cough is observed, 

 which, together with the sensitiveness of the larynx persists 

 for 1 to 2 weeks after the abscesses break. If there is a ;^ro- 

 nounced swelling of the aryteno-epiglottic ligaments the respira- 

 tion becomes rattling, whistling and very labored. 



