370 DISEASES LOCALIZED IN CERTAIN ORGANS 



or caseous foci develop. Occasionally there may be pleuritis. 

 In some instances the small intestines are catarrhally inflamed 

 and dotted here and there with small, pea-sized, grayish- 

 yellow caseous deposits. The spleen is not enlarged, though 

 the lymph glands are swollen. 



Symptoms. — The period of incubation is from three to five 

 days. As noted, very young calves are most often attacked. 

 The first symptoms observed are languor, disinclination to 

 suck, and slight increase in temperature. There soon de- 

 velops a drooling from the mouth and slight swelling of the 

 cheeks. The examination of the mouth, which is painful to 

 the patient and therefore resisted, reveals that the mucous 

 membrane of the cheeks, tongue, hard palate, and fauces 

 show areas of redness and erosion. These areas represent 

 patches of yellow or grayish-yellow pseudomembranes or 

 ulcers. The patches are from the size of a five-cent piece 

 up to a silver dollar and quite irregular in form. The necrotic 

 mass is very adherent to the underlying tissue and can be 

 removed only with difficulty. It may be an inch in thickness 

 and involve the muscle or even bone. 



The disease frequently involves the nasal cavities, producing 

 a yellowish or greenish-yellow, sticky discharge which adheres 

 closely to the border of the nostrils. Occasionally the nose is 

 obstructed by accumulations of exudate, causing difficulty 

 in breathing. If the larynx and trachea are involved there 

 will be cough and dyspnea. Besides these local symptoms 

 there are those of general toxemia, such as loss of appetite, 

 extreme languor, weakness and temperature ranging from 

 105° to i07° F. 



Diagnosis. — The diagnosis is not difficult, and depends upon 

 the fact that in this disease well marked, thick, necrotic areas 

 and deep ulcers occur upon the mucous membranes in the 

 regions noted. In no other disease of the calf are these 

 deposits so marked. 



Course. — The disease, if left to itself, in most cases leads to 

 death in five to eight days. Some individuals may live as 

 long as three weeks and then die of pneumonia. Cases which 

 recover do so very gradually, convalescence lasting for weeks, 

 The healing of the ulcers is an extremely slow process. 



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