AN INFLAMMATORY DISEASE AMONG PIGS. 
161 
creased or even violent respiration than what there was when I 
saw him 1 or might it have been violent when he returned on the 
Monday, and have subsided when he came to rest 1 or, finally, 
might it not have been ruptured to a greater extent by him lying 
down half an hour or so ere I saw him before he died 1 
AN INFLAMMATORY DISEASE AMONG PIGS. 
By Mr . T. HOLFORD, V.S., Northwich. 
On July 23d, 1838, Mr. Edward Harrison, a wealthy farmer 
of Yale Royal dairy house, requested my attendance to examine a 
store of pigs, about twenty in number, at the same time expressing 
a doubt whether he should not lose the whole herd. I found two 
in the yard that had died during the night, and, according to his 
statement, he had lost four others in the course of the two previous 
days. 
My first object was to make a post-mortem examination of the 
two that had last died ; and there was no doubt that the cause of 
death was suffocation, consequent on an inflammatory attack of the 
trachea and bronchial tubes ; in fact, all the air-passages were filled 
with mucus. There was also a slight inflammatory tint on the 
mucous membrane of the colon, attended with constipation of the 
bowels : in other respects the viscera of the abdomen and thorax 
were healthy. 
On inspecting the living patients, I found the whole suffering 
more or less from the malady. The symptoms were, great pros- 
tration of strength, laborious breathing, constipated bowels, a dis- 
charge from the mouth and nostrils, the animal continually cough- 
ing, and occasionally by its violence throwing flakes of mucus to a 
considerable distance. After the attack the skin, from its increased 
action, became of a scarlet colour ; but owing to the blood not re- 
ceiving its proper proportion of oxygen in its passage through the 
lungs, it gradually changed from an arterial to a venous hue and 
character. These symptoms increased in violence, until death closed 
the scene, which, from the owner’s statement, in the six that died 
was from sixty to eighty hours after the attack. 
Treatment . — For six of them, whose situation was most alarm- 
ing, I ordered tartarized antimony and submuriate of mercury, of 
each three grains, and to be repeated in twelve hours, which pro- 
duced vomition in a short time after its administration. To those 
whose skin was of an arterial colour, and as yet no rattling heard in 
the bronchise, bleeding and laxative medicines were administered, 
VOL. XII. Y 
