9
The disease is a peritonitis in the course of which there is productive
inflammation in the part of the mesentery which envelopes the spirals of the
colon ; strangulation of the colon follows, inflammation and gangrene of the
intestine anterior to the strangulation, and the camel usually dies from rupture
of the colon.
37. Occurrence of the disease.—The disease appeared in the rainy season
during the rest period ; the greater number of cases immediately after the
heavy rain which fell in the first few days of September. All the affected
camels were grazing on the Bar lying between the old banks of Beas and Ravi
and between Montgomery and Chichawatni and which is at present one of the
healthiest parts of the district. After heavy rains, this part of the Bar is
flooded almost all over fetlock deep, but this drains away in less than 3 days and
does not allow of Tabanus breeding out. For the rest of the year the ground is
dry and as hard as a city pavement.
No other animal besides the camel is known to have been infected.
Altogether between 10 and 20 cases of the disease are known to have occurred
within a month in the 56th Camel Corps, but they were all of different owners
and from different parts of this portion of the Bar. Private camels were also
reported to have died of this disease. Affected camels were, more often than
not, in good condition and so the loss was serious. No two camels of one parchi
(string of three) were affected ; and the total number of known cases was only
about 2 or 3 per cent, of the camels grazing on this portion of the Bar.
It is one of the diseases included under the name Sat or Sùli.
38. Symptoms.—The first symptom is some refusal to graze or ruminate
together with some colicky pain and constipation ; the fæces being passed in
small quantity only, sometimes blood stained and as a rule covered with
brownish mucous ; some fever is present.
In a day or two, there is marked depression and the colicky pain increases
and becomes continuous, and the temperature rises.
From this stage onwards, dung ceases to be passed, but the passing of a
small quantity of bad-smelling mucoid discharge of the colour and consistency
of either vaseline or treacle is an almost constant symptom.
The abdominal pain is shown by the sitting animal constantly shifting
from one side to the other and lying with the belly on the ground and the hind-
feet tucked to one side ; in acute pain, the animal is continually raising and
lowering the neck and the eyes become prominent ; when pain is less acute, the
neck is stiffly erect and the ears are pricked backward; respirations are
frequent and shallow and the pulse is quick and hard. The animal sighs
constantly, grants occasionally, especially when the belly is pressed upon with
the fist, and sometimes tears run down the face. When made to rise, he does
it slowly and carefully.
The belly is now swollen and rather tympanitic, but the tympanitis is
intestinal and not of the rumen ; abdominal rumbling is often heard.
Sometimes at this stage the camel appears to take a turn for the better,
returning to his grazing and chewing the cud a little, but this apparent
improvement only lasts a few hours.
The temperature from day to day runs from 99° to 102.5° F. in morning ;
and from 102° to 105° P., or more in evening.
During the last few days the camel is in a pitiful state and in continual
acute pain ; there is a dribbling of saliva from the drooping lower lip, the eyes
are sunken, he sways in his gait, there is discharge from eyes and nose, high
coloured urine and the pulse is imperceptible. The end is often preceded by a
short period of great agony, with tenesmus, and death occurs in about 10 or 12
days from the first onset of symptoms.
The symptoms differ greatly from those of ordinary gastro-enteritis of
which I have seen a good deal ; in the latter, the abdomen is not swollen, but
is " tucked up" in a very marked degree ; and there is always diarrhoea at
some stage in its course, but diarrhoea is not seen in " specific peritonitis."
In "specific peritonitis" the absence of diarrhoea, cutaneous swellings,
and petechiæ on mucous membranes, was especially noted. In a minority of
B