93 
REPORT ON THE CATTLE PLAGUE, STEPPE MURRAIN, 
OR RINDERPEST. 
By James Beart Simonds, Professor of Cattle Pathology 
in the Royal Veterinary College, London. 
(Continued from No. XXXI, p. 693.) 
The chief ravages of the disease, as we have met with 
them, are in the large intestines. The blind end of the colon 
—the caecum—w r as, in one case in particular, ulcerated over 
several inches of its inner surface, that is , numerous small 
and distinct ulcers existed, which had evidently had their 
origin in the follicles of the mucous coat. Thin deposits of 
lymph, varying in size from that of a pea to the end of the 
finger—scabs, as they have been designated—usually stud 
the large intestines almost throughout their whole extent. 
They are of a dirty yellow colour, and adhere with tolerable 
firmness to the mucous membrane. In some places ulcera¬ 
tion is found to be going on in the membrane; in others 
this destructive process has ceased, and the healing one 
commenced, and in most no change of structure can be 
observed. The terminal portion of the rectum is generally 
implicated to a far less extent. 
The substance of the liver is healthy; the gall-ducts, 
however, contain layers of effused lymph; and sometimes to 
an amount sufficient to block up the passages. The gall¬ 
bladder is filled with bile possessing its ordinary characters, 
but the inner surface of the bladder is not unfrequently in 
precisely the same state as the mucous membrane of the 
large intestines. 
The kidneys are healthy, and the urinary and generative 
systems apparently unaffected. 
The larynx is occasionally slightly ulcerated, particularly 
on the edge of the arytaenoid cartilages. No ulceration, 
however, has been seen by us throughout the whole extent 
of the windpipe and bronchial tubes; but thin layers of 
effused lymph lying in close contact with the mucous 
membrane are almost invariably present. The lungs are 
healthy, of a normal colour, and often remarkably free from 
congestion. Their serous membrane is also unaffected. 
The heart is healthy, occasionally rather flaccid, and 
without blood in its cavities. The blood in all the vessels is 
fluid , evidently from loss of its fibrine. It is also darker in 
colour than ordinary venous blood. The brain and spinal 
marrow give no evidence of structural change; but an 
increased quantity of fluid is often found in the ventricles of 
xxxn. 13 
