ACUTE SUPPURATIVE DISEASE IN A COW. 507 
off shoulder, together with the dew-lap. The latter, which I 
scarified, afterwards became reduced to its natural size. 
The whole of these swellings had been kept fomented with 
hot water. There was some shivering present; the horns 
alternately hot and cold ; the animal in great pain ; scarcely 
any cough. Auscultation found the left lung healthy; but 
the lower portions of the right were fully congested. I 
ordered some febrifuge and sedative medicine, telling Mr. 
Williams that I did not then deem it prudent to bleed; 
though, should the animal evince more pain, and the breath¬ 
ing become quickened, I should abstract some blood. 
August 8.—The animal coming to manifest the symptoms 
I had described, Mr. Williams bled her. She had now, how¬ 
ever, become lame upon the off hind leg , and being unable 
to stand, he had placed her in slings. Abscesses had now 
formed upon the superior and inferior portions of the off 
shoulder, which upon evacuation, discharged purulent matter 
of a most intolerable odour. Upon applying the ear to the 
off side, I now detected fluid in the cavity of the chest. The 
cavernous rale was to be heard very distinctly. I now in¬ 
formed Mr. Williams that the case was hopeless; that I 
feared the same results had occurred internally as had exter¬ 
nally, and desired to be apprised of her death, as I was 
desirous of examining her. On Thursday last I received a 
message to say that the cow was dead; that immediately 
before death took place, she had ejected large quantities of 
“ blood and matter through the nostrils/ 5 The next morning 
I made a post-mortem examination. 
'Autopsy .—Upon the skin being removed, two other ab¬ 
scesses presented themselves in the knee and fetlock joints 
of the same (of!) fore leg; another was situated in the inferior 
portion of the near shoulder; there was a large abscess 
within the capsular ligament of the off hip-joint; the internal 
ligament was destroyed; the articulating surfaces of the 
femur and acetabulum were destroyed, and the bones had 
become carious. Upon removing the skull and dura mater, 
about Jiij of purulent matter escaped. Upon removing the 
sternum, by dividing the ribs low down, a considerable 
quantity of the same kind of matter escaped from between 
the right lung and pleura; and upon further examination, 
the lung was found to have contained a large abscess. 
