480 
TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING 
On the 12th of said month I was requested to inspect the stock in question, 
and if possible ascertain the nature and cause of the disease, and, to facilitate 
matters, make a few post-mortem examinations. 
I found one hundred or more oxen under one roof, all of which, with a few 
exceptions, were in fair condition. The building was on elevated ground, and 
well ventilated. 
The cadavers which I expected to examine had been cremated, as had all 
the others which died before, it having been forgotten to give contra orders. 
The general impression was that the malady was abating, both in numbers 
and force, as there were but three sick animals, two of which were on a fair way 
to recovery; these would not admit of a close examination. They walked about 
in their pens, eating some hay occasionally, and drinking water, but paid no 
attention to mixed food of still-swill and cotton seed cake meal; one even at¬ 
tempted to ruminate several times. The alimentary deposits were soft, and of 
a yellowish-red color. 
The third steer, sick about thirty-six hours, showed symptoms for the worse; 
he wore an anxious look, would not move voluntarily, lifted and shifted his 
feet quite often ; shivered almost continually in the muscular region of the ex¬ 
tremities. Respiration, 100; temperature, 104°; circulation, 80. White foam drib¬ 
bled from nose and mouth incessantly. He drank water greedily, but refused all 
nourishment; had a fit of vertigo, but did not come to a fall. Evacuations from 
the bowels were mushy, thoroughly mixed with blood, and turned black in fif¬ 
teen to twenty minutes. 
The foreman of the stable stated that the majority of the animals which 
died showed about the same symptoms as this one. 
The first signs of their being sick was drowsiness, salivation, refusal of all 
liquid food, desire for clear water, and evacuation of soft, reddish manure. As 
the disease advanced, a dizziness would very often bring them to a fall, and 
when down, a tremor of the extremities was present; they then would get up, 
and move about again; but upon the third attack, generally remained down 
until they expired several hours after The disease lasted from two to three 
days. 
Permission to kill this steer was granted. When walking to the place of 
destruction, a distance of about sixty feet, the animal was attacked with such a 
dyspnoe that he stopped suddenly, stretched his head and neck, protruded the 
tongue, straddled his legs to prevent his falling, and coughed up some foam, 
which seemed to relieve him, so that he was able to finish his trip. 
A single stroke from a broad-headed hammer felled him, after which he was 
depleted in butcher’s manner. 
The blood looked like arterial blood, and coagulated in a very short time ; 
the subcutaneous vessels yielded a darker colored fluid. The muscles had a nat¬ 
ural aspect. Nothing abnormal was visible on the surface of the alimentary 
tract. The rumen contained a considerable quantity of partially liquid food; the 
inner lining was softer than usual; the other three stomachs contained compar¬ 
atively little food. 
The first two and the larger part of the third division of the small intestines 
were normal. The last fourth of the ileum and the whole tract of the large in- 
