ON MURRAIN, OR THE VESICULAR EPIZOOTIC. 691 
shorter and more easy course, mitigates the sufferings of the ani- 
mals, and lessens the loss of the stock proprietor. In these cases, 
the advantages of inoculation are greater than its disadvantages, 
and in such cases alone is it to be recommended. 
Symptoms . — The symptoms of the vesicular epizootic are toler- 
ably uniform, but vary much in degree. In some cases the attack 
is so slight as scarcely to attract attention, and does not interfere 
with the feeding, or affect the condition of the animal. But in 
others, the disease assumes a serious character ; the animal is un- 
able to stand, and cannot eat ; he groans and grunts with pain ; his 
strength is reduced by the typhoid fever ; he becomes a perfect 
skeleton; and weeks, and even months, elapse before recovery takes 
place. 
The premonitory symptoms of the disease are such as usually 
attend an ordinary febrile attack. The animal is dull and dejected; 
the appetite is capricious, and the rumination impaired. The coat 
stares, and is harsh and dry. If in the field, the animal separates 
itself from its fellows; it seems uneasy and itchy; it rubs and licks 
itself more frequently than usual. The muzzle, skin, horns, and 
ears, are alternately hot and cold. Frequent shiverings take place, 
resulting from the irregular distribution of blood, which leaves the 
capillaries of the skin and accumulates round the internal organs. 
These rigors are occasioned by some sudden depressing agent 
acting on the system at large, and generally through the medium 
of the skin. They show the tendency to inflammation, but not the 
presence of it. They differ from the coldness which ensues when 
inflammation is established. 
If the animal be a milk-cow, the lacteal secretion is diminished, 
and in some cases it becomes yellow, and thicker than in its natural 
state. The udder is swollen, hot, and tender. There is generally 
a harsh and frequent cough; but this is not an invariable symptom, 
for in many cases it is not observable at all. The back is arched. 
The animal shifts from one limb to another, and frequently shakes 
its feet as if to rid them of some adhering substance. The animal 
is stiff and sore, and very unwilling to move, and, when moved, 
evinces great lameness. The feet are hot and tender, the fetlocks 
and coronet are swollen, and there is an ichorous discharge from 
between the heels. The eyes are dull, sunken, and weeping; and 
the conjunctiva (the mucous membrane of the eye) and other vi- 
sible mucous membranes are reddened and inflamed, and sometimes 
ecchymosed (shew extravasation of blood). The mouth is hot and 
dry, and saliva drops from its corners. The tongue is rolled back- 
wards and forwards. The mouth is frequently opened, and the 
motion of the tongue and lips produces a sucking, crackling sound. 
The animal champs with and grates its teeth. The buccal mem- 
