BOTTOM DISEASE. 
533 
Etiology .—A few veterinarians have stated that the dis¬ 
ease is caused by eating crotalaria sagettalis, but this seems 
hardly possible, as the writer has repeatedly seen the disease 
occur among animals which had no access whatever to that 
plant. The disease seems to show no preference in selecting 
its victims; horses that have either well or poorly ventilated 
stables, horses that have poor feed and those that are well-fed, 
the old crow-bait and the family pet, all alike are seized and 
follow the same downward path to death. If it is any more 
prevalent in any one season, that one is fall, about the time 
grasses are dying, but it is seen at all times of the year. 
Symptoms .—The symptoms in general resemble those of 
cerebro-spinal meningitis. The writer will give them as well 
as he can. About the first sign of sickness will be the loss of 
energy, the animal appearing dull and languid, apparently 
going to sleep while eating ; will wake suddenly, eat for a 
time and gradually fall into somnolence again. If turned out 
into the pasture, as a general thing they walk continually 
with a staggering and rather go-as-you-please gait. The ac¬ 
tion of their hind limbs is peculiar, stepping long and knuck¬ 
ling over in the last stages. Membrane nictitans is slightly 
injected in first stages, increasing as the disease progresses; 
buccal membrane generally dry and hot; membrane of vag¬ 
ina pale; temperature lower than normal, by one, two or 
three degrees. At times they become crazy and crowd 
against the manger, bruising and knocking the skin from their 
head, which becomes swollen; they have a great desire to 
rub their nose, as if trying to remove some very troublesome 
irritant; and lastly, violent stamping of the hind feet, first 
one and then the other. These last symptoms are not always 
present. Faeces are hard and very small ; diarrhoea very sel¬ 
dom accompanies the disease, but when present the animal 
soon succumbs. The duration of the disease is from two 
weeks to two months. 
The following is a description of a case which occurred 
last February. On the sixth of the month the animal was 
dull and drowsy; loss of appetite had been noticed for sev¬ 
eral days; mucous membranes were dull and of a yellowish 
