832 
W. J. MARTIN. 
color. The faeces are small and very hard. Sordes may be 
seen on the teeth, the gnms are more or less excoriated, the lips 
swollen from the animal pushing its head against obstructions. 
The tongue is dry' and covered with a whitish gray coat, its 
dorsal surface is covered at right angles by rugose folds and 
furrows. The breath in the majority of cases is extremely foetid, 
and the animal will grind its teeth in a peculiar manner. 
Nervous twitching of the lips, the caput muscles and patellar 
group, is often seen. In eating the animal will often go to 
sleep with its mouth partly filled with nnmasticated hay or 
grass. In acute cases, tetanic spasms of the muscles of the 
lumbar and cervical region may be seen, although this condition 
is rare in my experience. 
No season of the year is entirely free from the disease, 
though it is most common in the early autumn or winter 
months. At times the disease will appear in certain districts in 
such a severe form as to amount almost to an epidemic. At 
other times the disease will confine its rayages to one particular 
ranch or farm. During the past early autumn such an outbreak 
occurred on a ranch about 20 miles southeast of this city. Dr. 
J. L. Tyler, of Chebanse, Ills., who, as Assistant State Veteri¬ 
narian, investigated this outbreak of the disease, has furnished 
me with such a full and interesting account of his experience 
that I give his letter in full : 
Chebanse, III., Feb. 5, 1898. 
Dr. W. J. Martin : 
Dear. D'ictor :—I will endeavor to answer some of the questions you have pro¬ 
pounded : Membranes of the eyes and nose congested, bodily temperature elevated. 
Out of 30 head that appeared to be affected I picked 8 head from mild to bad cases with 
temperature in order of severity as follows: loi, I02, 102, 103, 103^, 104, 105, 107. 
Pulse rather below normal. Respirations in some cases were exaggerated, in others about 
normal. No post-mortems were held, as none w'ere dead, and the owner would not 
sacrifice any on the altar of science. Some would die in about two days and one had 
lived as long as eleven days. When the animals first were affected they died quicker, 
but when I saw the herd the more acute cases had died to the number of 11 head; 
the balance affected had more of a sub-acute attack, as the disease seemed to be 
losing its virulence, especially as the owner had taken the herd to another pasture 
about ten days before I came. 
As to the cause of the disease, it was this : These horses run in a pasture of about 
150 acres, partly upland and some timber and about half bottom land along Beaver 
