AMONG CATTLE. 675 
This malady in our neighbourhood has assumed a much more 
serious character than described by you of Mr. Rhodes’s cows. 
The earliest symptoms were, loss of appetite, or, perhaps, an 
inability to feed through tenderness of the mouth — staring of the 
coat, and if possible turned the contrary way, particularly about the 
head and neck — drivelling continually from the mouth, followed 
by inflammation and vesication of the membrane lining the mouth 
and tongue, and, in several instances, with sloughing of the gums 
^-the membrane and the papillae of the tongue coming quite off — 
the smell from the mouth being extremely offensive — a consider- 
able discharge from the nose and eyes — catching up and shaking 
one or other of the feet, the fore as well as the hind ones — all the 
feet being at times equally affected with pustules containing a 
serous fluid, and spreading around the coronet and between the 
claws — an indisposition to move, evidently from the soreness of 
the feet. In one instance, upon driving a cow into her house, 
when she trod upon the bricks which paved her doorway, the 
pain was so great, that she fell as though she was shot. They 
are always lying down, if not disturbed. They cease to ruminate, 
and there is a considerable or total suspension of the milk. The 
teats, with few exceptions, were studded with deep-seated pus- 
tules, containing the same kind of fluid that was found in the feet 
and mouth. I have not seen a symptom of garget in any of the 
cases. The respiration was slightly increased, attended with a 
painful grunt. The urine was high-coloured, the faeces dark, but 
of their natural consistence, attended by (when purged) a consi- 
derable quantity of blood. 
Treatment . — I commenced by giving xii oz. of sulphate of magne- 
sia, and vi oz. of sulphur, in each case, which operated freely, but not 
too much in any of them. This was followed by tonics, and we 
were careful to keep the bowels gently open. The only application 
I found necessary for the pustules was a weak solution of the chlo- 
ride of lime and some astringent ointment. 
Remarks . — Could I have known, when the disease had first 
shewn itself, that it would have assumed an epidemic character 
in this neighbourhood, I should have taken notes of the cases as 
they occurred, but now I can only give you a general description. 
As to the cause I can say nothing. The cows have been attacked 
in every situation, — over mown meadows, and meadows not mown 
— upon low meadows and uplands. I have but little faith in at- 
mospheric agency, and yet there is something very singular con- 
nected with these 64 cases, which all occurred within the space 
of three miles. It spares neither age nor sex in its attacks, but the 
heifers and the old cows have been the greatest sufferers. It is, 
in my opinion, highly contagious, being communicated from one 
