DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 51 



diagnosed roughly as " distemper," every attack with 

 typhoid symptoms being deemed an instance of the affec- 

 tion. Doubtless variola is sometimes thus confused, and, 

 also, those remarkable malnutritions which are caused in 

 the dog by deficient light and defective feeding, and 

 which manifest themselves as ulcerative degeneration of 

 the cornea and of the bowels are usually considered to 

 be distemper. , 



Symptoms. — The poison after incubating in the system 

 for a period estimated as varying from one to three weeks 

 induces febrile disturbance. As a rule the local mani- 

 festations are those of nasal catarrh ; they begin by a 

 watery discharge from the nostrils, which becomes mucous 

 and subsequently purulent and most tenacious, gluing 

 the nasal alee together, and obstructing the respiratory 

 passages. The eyes simultaneously are involved in the 

 catarrh, and quickly become the seat of a muco-purulent 

 discharge which glues together the eyelids, so that in the 

 morning they cannot be separated without artificial assis- 

 tance. Changes in the blood supply of the Schneiderian 

 and conjunctival membranes lead ultimately to ulceration 

 as a result of defective nutrition ; thus in time the nasal 

 discharge may smell most foul and be occasionally inter- 

 mingled with blood ; the eye-changes consist in the 

 appearance of one or more opaque spots which increase 

 in size and extend inwards, sometimes they produce 

 complete perforation with escape of the aqueous humour. 

 In other instances abscesses form in the substance of the 

 cornea and burst; they are surrounded by a ring of con- 

 gested blood-vessels, but evacuation of their contents is 

 followed by rapid clearing and thorough repair. Ulcera- 

 tive changes are, in bad cases, found affecting the mucous 

 membrane of the mouth, especially the gums against 

 the teeth, the mouth is laden with sordes and smells most 

 foully. This ulceration may extend to the lips, face, and 

 neck in very severe cases (Blaine) . Cleanliness of mouth, 

 eyes, or nostrils materially lessens their liability to ulcer- 

 ation. During the progress of these symptoms the dog 

 .is out of spirits, listless in movements, and falls away 



