134 ON THE EPIZOOTIC DISEASES OF CATTLE &C. 
but there are well-authenticated facts of the attendants on dis- 
eased animals becoming similarly affected. 
The symptoms of the disease are very characteristic, and can 
scarcely be mistaken at the very commencement. The animal is 
dull — the coat roughened — a great disinclination to move — a con- 
siderable flow of saliva, of a ropy consistence, from the mouth — 
large bladders or vesicles appear on the dorsum of the tongue, 
and on the membranes of the upper lips and gums, which vesicles 
soon burst, and leave unhealthy sores or ulcers. The feet be- 
come affected with similar eruptions. In some neglected cases 
the claws slough off, and from irritation and pain the animal be- 
comes seriously emaciated. The udder is often seriously affected; 
the teats are covered with similar eruptions, and the act of milk- 
ing produces considerable pain. The pulse is seldom much ac- 
celerated, and the respiration is rarely much above the usual 
standard of health. These symptoms will often continue from 
four to six days, according to the state of the animal and the mode 
of treatment adopted. Two or three days previous to the attack 
the animal will sometimes be heard to cough or hoose. 
The treatment should vary according to the symptoms and 
course of the disease. Some aperient medicine will, generally 
speaking, be required, but it must not be sufficiently strong to 
produce dysentery. Sufficient care has not always been paid to 
this. Twelve cows were, a little while ago, drenched with a so- 
lution of nitre instead of Epsom or Glauber’s salts, and every 
one of them perished. 
Bleeding will be required when the inflammatory symptoms 
are urgent ; but this should never be carried to any considerable 
extent, for the character of the disease that supervenes is often of 
a low typhoid nature. If there are marked indications of sympto- 
matic fever, the greatest attention should be paid to the feet. 
More depends upon this than is generally imagined. 
The best application to the feet, after the diseased parts have 
been as much as possible removed, is melted tar with an eighth 
part of pulverized sulphate of copper. In protracted cases, and 
when the animal is labouring under considerable emaciation and 
debility, good gruel, with gentian and ginger, will be exceed- 
ingly useful. When the udder is much diseased, mercurial oint- 
ment, iodine, and camphorated oil, will generally be found very 
useful. 
Mr. Carlisle relates some singular cases of calves, newly 
dropped, having had confirmed murrain at the time; clearly prov- 
ing that they must have imbibed the disease from the parent 
during utero-gestation. 
He says that cattle in his part of the country did very badly 
