284 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 



up to death. At the autopsy he found the left lobe of the liver 

 thickened, friable, and containing an abscess. 



Treatment. No . matter what means are used, the treatment is 

 almost always useless. We may prescribe absolute rest, and the 

 administration of astringents : ergot of rye and sugar of lead. If 

 weakness is very great, we must use stimulants (camphor, ether, 

 alcohol, etc.). 



PARENCHYMATOUS HEPATITIS. 



Parenchymatous hepatitis, inflammation of the hepatic cells, has 

 been observed in the horse, the ox, the pig, the dog, and the sheep. 

 But few examples of it have been mentioned, undoubtedly because 

 the affection is very hard to diagnosticate intra vitam. 



Etiolog-y. Its causes are the same as those of congestion of the 

 liver (ingestion of tainted food, mechanical lesions, excessive heat, 

 infectious diseases). 



Pathological anatomy. The principal alterations are: the 

 increase in size of the liver, the disappearance of its sharp edges, its 

 soft and friable consistence, its pale yellow color, of a clay-like 

 aspect, perihepatitis, the union of the hepatic lobes one to another, 

 and of the liver to the diaphragm, the augmentation in volume of 

 the lobules, and the granular aspect of the ruptured surface; a 

 turbid tumefaction, granular and fatty degeneration, with pigment- 

 ary infiltration of the hepatic cells, and hyperemia of the inter- 

 lobular connective tissue. In some cases we find numerous small 

 hemorrhagic centres in the hepatic parenchyma, and under the 

 serous membrane ; sometimes we find quite extensive blood collec- 

 tions with threatened rupture of the organ. 



Symptoms. The symptoms of parenchymatous hepatitis are 

 only distinguished from those of congestion of the liver by their 

 intensity. As a rule they are obscure. With icterus and the 

 symptoms of a febrile gastro-intestinal disease, there have been 

 observed, in the horse, pains at the time of defecation (Leisering); 

 these pains are probably due to the compression of the liver by the 

 diaphragm and the abdominal walls. Palpation of the region of 

 the liver, in small animals, produces also more or less marked suf- 

 fering. 



Treatment. We administer antiphlogistics, salts; the regimen 

 should be dietetic. 



