214 ON THE EPIZOOTIC DISEASES OF CATTLE, Sic. 
the eye a little sunken in the orbit of the head — large blisters 
arising on the base of the tongue, and containing a white kind of 
serous fluid, and the blisters sometimes extending from the base 
to the tip of the tongue — the front teeth of some very loose — a 
great discharge of saliva from the mouth, and, in bad cases, a 
jelly-like fluid instead of saliva — tenderness on the skin and back 
when touched, so much so, that a common observer would say 
that some one had been beating them severely with a stick ; and, 
if compelled to walk, they appeared as walking on stilts. They 
very much resembled a horse labouring under an attack of lami- 
nitis. The pulse from 60 to 70, but weak — a pulse which indi- 
cates a great deal of irritation, but not of inflammation. 
I have never, as yet, seen a case that would warrant me in 
bleeding either fat or lean stock. It does not seem to me that 
one organ alone is attacked, but every organ, more or less. The 
mucous membranes appear to be particularly so. I have some- 
times gone into a field among a number of stock, and have 
pointed out some as the next most likely to be invalided. They 
did not then either evince lameness or shew any discharge from 
the mouth ; yet their apparently starved and chilly looks convinced 
me that they were infected, and the correctness of my judgment 
was not long in doubt, for all the other symptoms shortly after- 
wards rapidly developed themselves. 
Some would be quietly chew'ing the cud in an apparently good 
state of health, and yet, scarcely half an hour afterwards, would 
shew all the peculiar characteristic features of the complaint. 
I believe that lameness generally accompanies the rising of 
the blisters in the mouth, at least my experience has hitherto 
shewn so. 
The precise and exact cause of the disease seems to be wrapped 
in so much speculative doubt and mystery, that I scarcely dare 
venture to hazard an opinion ; yet, after revolving the matter 
over and over again, and then unbiassedly canvassing the senti- 
ments of others, I am inclined to think that it is a constitutional 
derangement of the system, produced, under predisposing cir- 
cumstances, by an atmospheric influence of some (at present un- 
known) gaseous fluid, which seems to have a peculiar effect upon 
the animal system in general. 
A wet and damp state of the atmosphere seems to favour the 
disease, while a clear frost appears to operate reversely. A 
week's continuance of fine frosty weather almost cleared us of 
the nuisance, when a return of moist and warm weather again 
rapidly multiplied new cases. As yet, I have not heard of 
or seen a second attack, neither do I suppose the thing likely 
to happen. 
