368 DISEASES LOCALIZED IN CERTAIN ORGANS 



thrashing about the patient often knocks off the loosened 

 horn. 



The Digestive Tract. — The buccal mucosa is early red- 

 dened. Later in the course of the disease the gums, lips and 

 hard palate become eroded. Croupous membranes are some- 

 times noted on the mucous surface of the lips, cheeks and 

 palate. The animals drool and fetid croupous masses are occa- 

 sionally ejected from the mouth. There may be dysphagia. 

 The appetite is impaired. Water is drunk in small quan- 

 tities. The bowels are constipated during the height of the 

 fever, the feces tar-like. In the latter stages there is diarrhea. 

 The feces are said to contain fibrinous masses and blood in' 

 some instances. 



Skin. — An eczematous eruption (papulovesicular) has been 

 observed. The skin of the head, especially at the nostrils 

 is most apt to be involved, although the coronets may be 

 elected. 



Udder.— In cows the milk secretion stops. Rarely a coin- 

 cidental mastitis occurs. 



If the patient live several days it emaciates and becomes 

 anemic. 



Course. — The course is acute. The initial symptoms usu- 

 ally last one day. In three or four days the disease is fully 

 developed. The patients rapidly emaciate and generally be- 

 come unconscious and die in from four to eight days. In 

 some cases this disease may be prolonged three or four weeks 

 and end in recovery. N 



Prognosis. — Mortality 60 to 90 per cent. Marked nervous 

 symptoms, high fever after the second day (pneumonia) are 

 bad signs. Those animals which do recover are left with 

 such sequelae as blindness, chronic nasal or gastro-intestinal 

 catarrh. 



Treatment. — This is largely symptomatic, (a) Cold appli- 

 cations to head and base of horns; (b) injecting out the nos- 

 trils with antiseptics and removing manually the membran- 

 ous obstructions to breathing; (c) tracheotomy in apnea 

 (do not be in a hurry to remove tube) ; x (d) trephining the. 



1 Of very questionable value in practice. 



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