Necrotic Stomatitis. 
15 
responsible for a large number of conditions in the different ani¬ 
mals, it seems only fair to suppose that it readily passes from one to 
another. The history of outbreaks that have occurred in the state 
hardly bear out this contention as, while not unknown, it is rather 
rare to find the disease affecting more than one species of animal at 
one time and on the same place. When the disease affects calves 
it is usually only the calves that are affected. When the hogs are 
affected the calves do not often show signs of disease, and so we 
might go throughout the list. 
The disease should not be confused with the diphtheria of man, 
as it is not caused by the same organism and has no relation to it. 
It seems, however, that men do occasionally contract the disease, 
although no cases of death have been reported. A few cases of se¬ 
vere sore throat have been attributed to contact with both diseased 
calves and pigs. Care should, therefore, be used in disinfecting the 
hands after treatment of infected animals. 
Treatment. 
The matter of treatment, while requiring some trouble, is rel¬ 
atively simple when we consider the fatality of the disease. For¬ 
tunately in calves the ulcers do not usually extend beyond the mouth 
and they are, therefore, quite accessible. The two essentials to re¬ 
member are that the germ does not thrive when exposed to air and 
that treatment must be provided before the disease is too far ad¬ 
vanced. 
Good results have been obtained by forcing open the mouth, 
scraping off the cheesy layer with a blunt instrument and swabing 
the denuded surface with any good antiseptic. Special attention 
must be given to scraping away the cheesy membrane, as this ex¬ 
poses the organisms to the air, in which they soon die. This scrap¬ 
ing can be done with the handle, or even the point of a tablespoon. 
A swab can be readily made by wrapping the end of a small stick 
with a piece of absorbent cotton. The antiseptic to be used rests 
somewhat with the individual. Excellent results have been ob¬ 
tained with a 5 per cent solution of carbolic acid (a tablespoon and 
a half of acid to a pint of water), although some report even better 
results with stronger solutions. Direct application of the antiseptic 
to the ulcer is preferable to a general irrigation of the mouth, as a 
stronger antiseptic can be used and the* germicide is brought into 
direct contact with the organisms. 
Care should be used that the animal does not swallow any con¬ 
siderable percentage of the solution. Creolin in the same strength, 
