426 
UNUSUAL DISEASES OF SWINE. 
The chest had nearly a gallon of water in it; but no part of the 
chest or pleura seemed in the least diseased or inflamed. Some 
of the bronchial tubes contained a great many small worms an 
inch long, and as thin as fine needles. A short time before she 
died her breathing was very laborious, but when she was first 
taken ill there was frequent vomiting. 
I saw in a paper of Bell's Weekly Messenger , of Aug. 10, 
1829, the following statement: u At a recent sitting of the Aca¬ 
demy of Sciences in Paris, a paper was read by M. Roulin on 
the ergot in the Indian corn (maize); in which it was stated, that 
the use of the corn in this state, in South America, produces epi¬ 
demic diseases, and has the singular property of causing the hair 
of the head to fall off. Pigs fed with this corn also lose their hair, 
and shew symptoms of paralysis in the hind quarters.” 
Pigs sometimes “ strike,” similar to the attack of blood or 
inflammatory fever in cattle, and are emphysematous in some part 
of the bodies. 
In 1825, I saw a pig that was taken ill in the following man¬ 
ner : He was a little stupid and dull, and wandered about the stye 
unconsciously for a few minutes, and would then appear to be 
quite well; but in a few days after he became worse: he would 
then move forwards until he came to the wall, and then went 
backwards until he came to another wall, and made a grunting 
and squealing noise all the time he was in the fit, which con¬ 
tinued for a few minutes, and sometimes longer; and he had 
them every quarter of an hour, and even oftener. His fits con¬ 
tinued to increase; and after he had been so for about five days, 
he would, after so backing himself, fall down at full length, 
stretch out his legs and tumble about, and appear as if dying, 
and make a shrieking noise and appear in great pain, and seem 
to be blind. His pulse was very quick and full during the fits, 
but subsided a great deal when they were over. He ate at inter¬ 
vals between the fits when food was put to him. He continued in 
this latter bad state for three or four days, and got well in a few 
days after. I gave him salts and calomel during his illness, bled 
him in the tail and ears and between his claws ; but little blood, 
I fancy, was obtained from all the places: and I kept his head 
wet with cold water. 
About the same time a miller in this neighbourhood lost five 
or six in a similar way, but I had not an opportunity of opening 
any of them. 
