416 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
the nostrils, which has many of the characters of ordinary 
mucus, but, when carefully examined, will be found to con- 
tain flocculi of lymph. A slight cough is also present in 
some cases, but it cannot be heard except when one is near 
to the patient, when it imparts a singular and almost inde- 
scribable sound to the ear. Some idea may be formed of 
this by calling to mind the kind of cough which would exist 
if a broken-winded horse were suffering from soreness of 
throat. 
The expression of the countenance does not denote acute 
suffering, and the eyes are without any dull appearance 
except in the advanced stages of the malady, when the lids 
are found to be drooping as in sleep, and the ears to be 
a little lopped. The vessels of the conjunctival membrane 
are almost without turgescence, but a discharge in most 
cases come from the eyes, which accumulates in a yellow 
jelly-like mass at the inner angle, and when examined is like- 
wise found to be composed principally of lymph. The bowels 
are but little disturbed at the very beginning, but soon the 
feculent matter, almost unaltered in consistency, is passed in 
increased quantity, and in the course of the second day 
diarrhoea has set in. This diarrhoea is presently followed by 
dysentery, which continues to the end. The evacuations 
are not particularly offensive, but they are remarkably fluid, 
of a dirty-yellow colour, and mixed with numerous small 
flocculi of lymph. Occasionally a little blood stains the 
evacuations, and tenesmus is also present in some cases. 
The abdomen becomes much pinched in, and the animal’s 
strength quickly fails him. He now keeps mostly recumbent, 
and rises very reluctantly. If made to move he staggers, 
and often falls for want of strength. The spasmodic twitch- 
ings, however, begin to diminish, and for some hours before 
death they have passed off entirely. A sickly smell attends 
the patient, but there are no disengagements of gaseous 
compounds into the areolar tissue, nor other indications of 
the decomposition of the tissues which have been spoken of. 
In short the animal dies, apparently, and that, almost without 
convulsions, from pure prostration of the vital powers. He 
