60 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 



and argillaceous matters they can seize ; rubbish, remains of mor- 

 tar, pieces of tiles, glass fragments, etc. ; finally they eat one 

 another's hair (Utz). Pool water and stagnant urine are often 

 preferred to clean water. 



With lessening of the appetite, constant licking, refusal of good 

 food, and the ingestion of the greatest variety of substances, an 

 infrequent and short rumination is observed, and the motions of 

 the paunch become weaker, at times being suppressed; the milk 

 loses some of its fat (Lemke), but its quantity often remains for a 

 long time quite as abundant (Leytze). The feces are sometimes 

 dry, hard and coated with a thick mucus ; sometimes they are 

 soft, clammy, liquid, and have a very fetid odor ; they sometimes 

 contain clay, sand, etc., and cause tenesmus (Anacker). The 

 urine is almost always acid, often albuminous. 



Lemke has observed an increase of temperature varying from 

 0.5° to 1.5°. Arterial pulsations number 70 to 80 per minute, 

 the pulse being weak ; respiration is not sensibly changed. 



The animals become more and more debilitated ; cachexia fol- 

 lows emaciation (especially after calving, the affected cows pass 

 very quickly to a skeleton, Lemke) ; the mucous membranes turn 

 pale, the hair becomes dull and dry, the skin is covered with a 

 heavy coat of dirt, it is dry and sticks to the bones ; a wrinkle 

 cannot be made without difficulty, and disappears slowly — a 

 symptom due to reduction of the natural elasticity of the integu- 

 ment, and for this reason it has been called ^' cooked, hard, 

 tanned, and hide-bound. 



Marasmus soon develops ; the patients stand in a gathered posi- 

 tion, the back arched ; they often grind their teeth ; the move- 

 ments, especially those of the posterior parts, are difficult and 

 limited, and while they are being performed, creaking of the 

 articulations is to be heard (some authors, among others Brauer, 

 speak of a rheumatic affection of the posterior members). Finally, 

 the exhausted animals fall to the ground and refuse all nourish- 

 ment ; the abdominal sounds cease, the pupils are dilated (Lemke), 

 and death supervenes from inanition. 



When licking-disease coexists with osteomalacia, it is manifest 

 by certain special symptoms. 



Course. Left to itself, the disease always runs a chronic 

 course. The duration varies from a few months to a year and 

 more ; according to Lemke it lasts from six months to two years. 



