604 Some Observations on Parturition Fever in Ruminants. 
cliately fatal, become so through complications. In addition to 
the ordinary symptoms of fever already spoken of, the ewe is 
found resting apart from others, no attention is paid to the 
lamb, for which she has no milk. When raised, and caused to 
move, we find much listlessness, hanging of the head, the ears 
dropped, with a little frothy saliva collected around the angles 
of the mouth. The back is archetl, and the limbs, particularly 
the hind ones, are moved with difficulty, this latter symptom 
being most marked when the fever is associated with inflam- 
mation of the udder. Very shortly following the appearance of 
these symptoms we may observe the discharge, with straining, 
of a coffee-coloured fluid from the vagina, the lips of which 
are coloured and swollen, this straining being attended with 
grinding of the teeth, and other evidences of abdominal pain. 
Severe pulmonary and cerebral disturbances exhibits themselves 
in laboured breathing and impairment of consciousness, or want 
of control over the organs of locomotion. When the udder is 
much affected, inflammatory action of an erysipelatous character 
extends along the abdominal walls. Should the animal not 
immediately succumb to the complicated disturbance, portions 
of the gland-structure and fibrous membranes may detach 
themselves by sloughing. A fatal termination is frequently 
preceded by irritability of the bowels, passing on to severe 
diarrhoea. 
Rarely in the ewe have we other termination to this fever 
than a rapid recovery or death. When a favourable termination 
is being reached, the first indications of the subsidence of the 
diseased action are the decrease of the hitherto high temperature, 
and a return to a somewhat natural state of the bowels. The 
discharge from the genital passages, which, if existing, may 
previously have been of a serous character, mingled with a certain 
amount of changed blood elements, is now less watery, and shows 
purulent or muco-purulent characters, while the external parts, 
although swollen, are less tender on being handled. When the 
temperature steadily maintains its unnatural elevation, or seems 
rather disposed to rise, with an extension of the swelling of an 
oedematous character to the hinder parts contiguous to the 
pelvic opening, on the membranes of which, both external and 
internal, are to be observed marks of blood extravasation ; and 
when prostration becomes more marked, and a haggard expres- 
sion is stamped on the countenance, with a discharge from the 
passages of a dirty, thin, ichorous, badly-smelling fluid, no 
appetite being present, and in some cases a certain amount of 
stupor develops, a fatal termination may be expected. 
Treatment. — This may be regarded as resolving itself into 
two sections. 1. The adoption of such measures with partu- 
