166 ON THE INFLAMMATORY FEVER OF CATTLE. 
Blood, Blane in the Tongue, and many other strange but expres¬ 
sive appellations, are given to this disorder, so frequently occur¬ 
ring, and so fatal. 
Symptoms. —Without any, or very slight indication of pre¬ 
vious indisposition, the animal is found with his neck extended, 
the head brought as much as it can be into a horizontal position, 
the eyes protruding and red, the muzzle dry, the nostrils expan¬ 
ded, the breath hot, the mouth partly open, with an appearance 
of enlargement of the tongue; the pulse accelerated and hard, 
from 65 to 70 (the natural pulse varies from 36 to 40); the respi¬ 
ration laborious, with violent heaving at the flanks; a low and 
peculiar moaning; the senses sometimes unaffected, but gene¬ 
rally a greater or less degree of coma; rumination ceases; the 
beast stands for an hour or more without the slightest change of 
posture; can scarcely be induced to move, or when compelled to 
move, staggers, and that staggering referable, principally, to the 
hind quarters. After a while he becomes more uneasy, slightly 
paws, but it is oftener a change of posture to ease his tired limbs, 
than a pawing. At length he lies down, or rather drops; gets up 
almost immediately; is soon down again, and, debility rapidly 
increasing, he continues prostrate, sometimes in a comatose state, 
at others with occasional but fruitless efforts to rise. 
The faeces are slimy, and have more than their usual consistence. 
The urine is small in quantity, and high coloured. Sometimes 
the fever rapidly increases: it has no periods of intermission, and 
in twelve or twenty-four hours the animal dies : but oftener other 
symptoms appear, and from which the common names of the dis¬ 
ease derive their origin.—The heat of the mouth, the laborious 
breathing, are considerably lessened. If the animal has fallen, 
he is, in a few cases, able again to rise, at least, for a short time; 
or if he has not fallen, considerable lameness in the hind-quarters, 
or in one leg (in some rare instances one of the fore legs) is seen. 
If this apparent return of strength continues, we augurAvell as to 
the issue of the disease; but it is too frequently temporary and 
deceptive. The beast is very tender on different parts of the 
body; can scarcely bear the slightest pressure on the loins. 
There is considerable swelling about the shoulder, back, or loins; 
and the part, when pressed on, either indicates serous effusion, 
or gives a peculiar crackling emphysematous noise, as if some 
gas were extricated in the cellular membrane. Large scurfy 
spots, and even sores, frequently and rapidly succeed, with ill- 
conditioned ulcers about the muzzle, belly, or teats. The mouth 
and tongue are blistered or ulcerated; and a discharge of offen¬ 
sive, sanious, or bloody fluid takes place ; or there is considerable 
hemorrhage from the nose or mouth. The breath smells horribly; 
