THE PRESENT EPIDEMIC AMONG CATTLE. 
85 
soft food. Vesicles appear on the teats of those animals only 
which are giving milk, or very near their period of gestation ; 
and, in consequence of the extreme irritation kept up by the hand 
of the milker, very painful and troublesome ulcers are produced, 
particularly at the puncture, where the consequent inflamation and 
thickening entirely excludes the possibility of getting away the 
milk, and mammitis — garget — is the result, with the final loss of 
one or more quarters of the mamma, and, in some instances, the 
loss of the cow. Fortunately, the latter is not a very common 
termination. 
No 11. In the spring of the year I usually abstracted blood, 
particular if I saw the case in its primary stage. As the summer 
advanced, and cases becoming more numerous, affording me op- 
portunities of watching its progress, I bled less frequently. The 
inflammatory stage being of so short a duration, combined with 
comparative starvation, I very much question if we are warranted 
in bleeding in ordinary cases. 
I commenced by giving aperients conjoined with carminatives. 
I still continue to do so, and I find no reason why I should 
relinquish it. In bad cases 1 am particular in following the case 
up with vegetable tonics, aromatics, and, occasionally, opiates, as 
the state of the animals may require. 
No 12. I find if the mouth is extremely affected the feet suffer 
much less, and the animal recovers more quickly, every untoward 
appearance passing off in about twelve or fourteen days. If the 
mouth is slightly affected, the feet are generally much worse, and, 
in numerous instances, the whole of the horny sole separates, con- 
sequently the lameness continues a very considerable time, until a 
new sole forms, when the use of the drawing-knife is required 
for the purpose of removing any remains of the sole. 
In other more unfavourable cases, inflammation extends to the 
deeper-seated cellular tissue, and considerable sloughing takes 
place between and in front of the hoofs, and, occasionally, the 
ligaments are not exempt. When this is the case, a fever of 
a typhoid character, and to an alarming extent, commences, and 
numerous abscesses — purulent abscesses — form about the joints, 
particularly the knees, stifle, and hip-joints, and, finally, death 
closes the scene. 
No. 13. I have attended nine hundred patients, out of which 
fourteen have been lost. One was ordered to be killed on my first 
visiting the yard, in consequence of its inability to rise, from 
inflammation, &c., in the feet, which had been attacked five days 
previous. It was in condition for the butcher. I likewise ordered 
three others to be killed, having bronchitis, pneumonia, and their 
consequences, produced by the improper administration of medi- 
VOL. XIV. M 
