296 Report on an Inquiry into the Nature, Causes, and 
from the herd, lies down, shivers, refuses its food, appears dull 
and listless, and there may or may not be symptoms of fever. 
The pulse is irregular, feeble, and rapid, 80 to 120 per minute ; 
if fever is present, the mouth is hot and dry, the conjunctiva 
reddened, and sometimes spotted with petechiae. Some small 
swellings appear, either on the loins, back, neck, head, brisket, 
or on one or more of the limbs (usually on the shoulder or 
quarter). These swellings are at first hot and painful ; they 
rapidly increase in size, and then become cold and painless, and 
form diffused emphysematous swellings, occupying an extensive 
surface, which, when tapped with the fingers, produce a peculiar 
crepitating sound, and if cut into, dark frothy bloody fluid 
exudes. Large surfaces are frequently found in this mortified 
state without being preceded by smaller carbuncular swellings. 
Lameness is of course, in these cases, a prominent symptom. 
The animal usually lies in this condition for from six to eight 
hours, then becomes stupid and unconscious, and finally dies in 
a comatose state. 
The course and duration of the disease vary ; cases have been 
known to live from three to seven days, and it is stated by Roll 
that the swellings sometimes break at one or more points, dis- 
charging a gangrenous, ichorous, or tenacious bloody fluid ; and 
it is said that the animal may recover, but Mr. Eanham says 
that these cases are rare, if they ever occur, in England. Most 
commonly the disease runs a quick course, and kills the animal 
in from twelve to fifteen hours. 
The usual post-mortem appearances are : Rigor mortis only 
slightly developed, the carcass greatly swollen, owing to the 
subcutaneous emphysema, and also, in some cases, to tympa- 
nitis. The blood extravasations are usually confined to one 
quarter, but they may be found in any part of the body. The 
blood is usually dark-coloured, fluid, and imperfectly coagulated, 
and, according to some authors, it has a peculiar odour. Decom- 
position sets in very rapidly, and the blood soon swarms with 
bacteria. 
The lungs are said to be congested, the bronchi often filled 
with frothy mucus. The spleen is usually of norm.al size and 
consistence, the liver of healthy appearance, the intestines some- 
times containing ecchymosed spots, but usually healthy. 
But the most striking changes are found in the affected limb 
or quarter. The integuments are distended by the swelling of 
the subcutaneous tissue. On cutting through the skin, a large 
quantity of blackish, almost tarry, frothy fluid, filled with 
bubbles of gas, is found in this position. The swelling and 
gangrenous condition are not limited to the subcutaneous tissue^ 
but extend deeply through the intermuscular planes separating 
