76 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS, 



clearly, an acute catarrh of the stomach — develops with intense 

 fever. These rare cases are characterized by the disproportion which 

 exists between the gastric symptoms, properly so-called, and the 

 intense persisting fever (40 to 41° C, with 70 pulsations or more 

 per minute), accompanied with serious disturbances of the general 

 condition (great muscular weakness and considerable depression of 

 the senses). It was difficult to classify them elsewhere than under 

 gastric fever, where most of them could be properly considered. But, 

 even here, this denomination is but significative; at all events, it is 

 superfluous. 



What is the significance of these gastric cases accompanied by 

 intense fever ? They seem to depend upon several causes : 



1. In anemic animals having little resistive power, acute catarrhal 

 fever is more intense, and it leads more easily to debility and ex- 

 haustion. 



2. Catarrhs that are of an infectious nature ordinarily develop 

 with intense fever. They often assume an epizootic form ; the 

 infecting agent is a micro-organism coming from without, or a 

 product of decomposition formed in the stomach at the expense of 

 the ingested nutriments. 



3. The syrnptoms described in a number of cases indicate that 

 they were not gastric catarrh. This has been confounded with 

 other diseases. Thus "gastric catarrh accompanied by an intense 

 febrile condition is often the initial period of an infectious febrile 

 disease, the diagnosis of which only becomes possible later on. In- 

 toxications occurring after alimentation with tainted fodder, or which 

 are caused by resorption of certain abnormal products of digestion, 

 etc., have also been mistaken for gastric catarrh. It is very likely 

 that a large number of cases of the so-called typhoid gastro-enteritis 

 belong to these intoxications. 



2. Symptoms of acute intestinal catarrh. — Contrary to 

 what is observed in acute gastric catarrh, where the appetite is 

 always impaired, we find that in intestinal catarrh the animals 

 always continue to eat as usual, at least during the first period of 

 the disease. When there is any diarrhea, thirst is sometimes ex- 

 cessive. The general condition is satisfactory, and the disease may 

 proceed without fever ; but ordinarily its localization upon the 

 intestine leads to more serious general troubles than when the 

 stomach is the part affected. 



The abdominal pains are more frequent and more intense than 



