73
cavities. On examination a congested and arborescent condition of the vessels
is found, particularly well-marked on the upper part of the nasal septum.
Epistaxis.—Bleeding from the nose has been observed once out of some 72
cases of Surra. It occurred towards the termination of the disease. No great
amount of blood was lost at one time, but was characterized by recurrent attacks,
which principally occurred during the early morning.
Discharge from the nostrils.—During the second week after invasion, there
is often a slight discharge of clear fluid from one or both nostrils. This is the
result of excessive lachrymation, which appears to a greater or less extent in all
'Surra' animals ; the fluid passes down the lachrymal duct into the nostrils,
and at a later date a clear albuminous fluid is noticed running from one or both
of the latter. This comes from the nasal passages proper, and is the result of an
inflammatory condition of the membrane covering the turbinated bones. This
fluid after a time becomes muco-purulent in character, and another symptom is
to be noticed, viz., snuffling-breathing, which points to the situation and cause of
the discharge. If one could examine the mucous membrane covering the turbi-
nated bones at this stage, it would be found to present a deep red or purple
colour, from the highly congested condition of the capillary vessels, and to be
considerably increased in thickness.
SECTION VIII.
STAGES AND DURATION OF SURRA.
A. Stages.—The fever of Surra as before mentioned varies to such an
extent in different cases, that it is impossible to group any number of
them, under any one system of description as regards the stages of the disease.
The insidious nature of the onset in the naturally contracted disease, devoid
of symptoms during a considerable period, renders it impossible to recognize it,
until such time as the organism appears in the blood. Consequently little is
known concerning the latent period and stage of invasion, and in such cases,
when untreated, the fever is of a continued type, followed by one or more inter-
missions at long but irregular intervals.
In this disease, when artificially produced, the majority follow the type
before mentioned, but a number present a peculiar series of symptoms, reminding
one of relapsing fever in man. But here again certain variations are observed.
Such cases as Nos. XX, XXXVIII, L, LIV, however, lend themselves to descrip-
tion, which will be made clear on reference to the charts, and may be described
as presenting well marked stages, viz.:—
I.—The period of incubation, or latent period.
II.—The primary paroxysm.
III.—The intermission.
IV.—The relapse.
V.—Death.
The paroxysms ' as in relapsing fever in man, are again sub-divisible into the
accession, the pyrexial stage, and the crisis. But in all cases of Surra, we find
periods during which the hæmatozoon is present, and others during which it is
absent.
The only system therefore under which all cases can be grouped, is that
having for its basis the presence and absence of the organism, the former we
term the paroxysm, and the latter the period of intermission.
In the following tables will be found a complete analysis of the whole of the
cases :—
B 1086—19