Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-09-02
Ep1zo OTTO INFLUENZA OF
SWINE.
a Rrief Treatise on the Nature, the
Morbid Features, tho Causes,
Prevention and Treatment OF
the Disease Now Prevail
ing among the Swine
of Western Mis-
SQuCl.

PfSV0QClOu uIlu 4IChoLASAoS ,
the Disease Now Prevail !
ing among the Swine i
of Western Mis-
souri,.
LEXINGTON, Mo-, September !, loI6.
Eplzu-orlC INFLUKsZA OF SWINE.
This disease which has been prevailing during
tb. last dyr or SIX months, to All alarming ex-
tent. among the swine of Western Missouri. is
known to The tanners by the name of "IfoO
lhoi.ra,' - and Is probably the saine which has
been So destructive 10 the hog-crop VI Missouri.
DIS, Iowa. ani other states during tue last
.our wears. The name of 'IIos-Lholeia," how
ever, Is :, bad one. and should never be used for
it naturally cOn,eys The inea that the disease AS
named must he identical with, or similar to, the
cholera of men, which is by NO means the case.
On the contrary, the morbid process, which ID
essentially the same i'll all the different iorms IN
which the disease Is able 10 make It's appearance.
must he defined rs D catarrhal rheumatic ana
gsstric-rheumatic "intammntio OF q more or less
lyphoid character. The disease, therefore, bears
a striking resemblance, in more than one re-
spec. to the epic .otic influenza Of horses whlcn
swept the country, u few years ago. from Tue
Atlantic 10 the Pacific. Hence, without inteha-
ing to say that 10th diseases are identical Win
each DINER, i nave COhCluieu "
name ..Epizo-otic influenza of Swine'' for gen.
eral adoption. The same is to the point, sno
also broad enough In its meaning to cover all the
variots forms in which the disease Is able to
present itself, as the seat OF the morbid process
is not restricted to certain organs or parts oil the
BODY, but may be found as well in the digestive
organs, and even in the centres oil the nervous
system. as in the respiratory apparatus. II TINS
was Not the case, it might be more appropriate
to select u name derived either from q very con-
spicuous or characteristic symptom, or from a
| prominent or important morbid Change
s1MrroMs AND MORBID CHANGES.
The seat OF the morbid process is. AS l have
| said, not always the same; the disease, there
fore. presents itself in different forms' ana man
ifests its presence by different symptoms. so
that at any rate, three or four distinct ioiniS
have to be discriminated.
/. catarrhal rheumatic farm, appa-
| rently the most frequent. The principal Seat OF
the morbid process is in the respiratory organs.
but especially IN the throat, in the bronchial
tubes, and in the substance OF the lungs II the
| catarrhal, and in the costal and Eulmonal pleura
uhe Serious membranes which line the Internal
surface of the chest and external surface OF
the lungs), or in the pericardium uhe
membranous bag which enclOses the heartj, II
the rheumatic character is the most predomina-
ding. Animals afflicted with this form Indicate
the presence of the disease by y short, more or
less hoarse, hacking cough, by dimcuity oi
breathing, painting OF drawing movements OF the
TANKS. by u dropping head, a dull look OF the
eyes, hoarse squealing. etc. Beside that. un-
mistakable indications of fever, usually attend
ed with costiveness OF the bowels, or, in some
cases, with attempts to vomit, and with more or
less diarrhGa-the latter especially at the be-
A. q tt,,fn thn mi n n
/ SYMPTOMS. If the catarrhal character Is pre-
vailing, but especially If the morbid process de-
velops itself principally in the throat and in the
wind-pIpe, more or less swelling. QUINCY will
make its appearance.
At the most mortem examination, the lungs
are found to be more or less hepatized (have be-
come lmpervious to air by a'deposit of exsuda-
ton in their tissue, which renders the latter
somewhat similar to that OF the liver) AMI con-
tain, in some cases, Il few tubercies, or even
mail abscesscs; the cOstal and puimonal pieurs
the membranes lining the surface OF the lungs
and the interior of the ches) have become par.
> TALLY agglutinated to each other, and more OF
: less water or serum, usually Of u straw-color, ii
found in the chest. II the Rheumatic character
has been predominating, the adhesion between
III. lungs and the sides OF the chest, or even thu
7 diaphragm uhc membranous partition Between
4 | the cneSI anu lie aDuOmiustt ~ . 4utbS ca
tensive; the quantity of serum in the chest il
very considerable, and even the pcricardium, OIL
, bag surrounding the heart, contains frequently
= q large quantity of straw-colored water. Thu
heart itself.is invariably very fabby, and fire.
quently enlarged. On opening the skull, til
substance of the brain il found abnOrmally soft
/ and the various small cavities of that organ ar
filed with serum. The latter is the case cape
cially if the animal has shown. before it died
symptoms OF blindness or slaggers. In all case
5 the blood is rather thin and watery, and coagu
r lates rapidly to d uniform. somewhat pale-cOlo
! ed clOt Of loose texture
., h gastric form. The sam
D does not seem TO occur quite so often. The sea
It Of the disease is p%rinGips iy IN some Of the OF
gans of the abdominal cavity. but especially
the liver. in the spleen or milt, in the kitney
and ureters. In tho intestines or CUTS, and. al
: most invariably, III the peritoneu,n (the serou
# membrane which lines the interior surface q
j.. the abdominal cavity, and the external surfaG
u of all the intestines.)
d The symptoms observed on the living amin,
If differ but little from those presented in the ca
arrhal-rheumati form. The hacking cough
- more or less wanting; the difficulty of breathii
10 and the painting movements of the TANKS are lie
it plain; but the weakness in the headquarters
ii M9rc conspicuous. and The fever is fully as hig
In some cas"s the AFFECTED animals arch the
=, ioins to such An extent AS 10 cause the outline
the back to be somewhat SIMILAR to an ~.
observed this especially in those cases in whit
II the principal seat OF the disease was found to
I'LL in the kidneys. and in which the abdOmin
cavity contained u large quantity of serum
water. Animals affected with the gastric for
show usually more or less costiveness. The e
crements are NOT uHllke shoemakers-wax, a
- o,n ,,.,.llv onotal until, a lupar pt rraviah a
~ discolored mucus. Toward the end OF the iii
~ ease, however, the cOstiyeness very often Civ
ESP way to u prOfuse and very fetid diarrhGa.
he sure forerunner Of approaching death. I
In principal norbIl changes us have iO4Gd the
at numerous port mOrtem examinations, consl
er' In q degeneration of the liver, in the presence
IA q few liver tubercles or OF IL few, small absces!
,as I'm u few cases) in n morbid enlargement Of
. spleen or milt quite Frequently, in inlamn
U ton Of one or both kidneys and urtters Tin 81
Led ersl cases). and, almost invariably, in infa
nation of the peritoneHm, a4d, il. conseiuen
-, In q degeneration of that membrane, and
" hesion Of some Of the in:estines-small int
yer tine anil rectum particularly-to the walls of
, q abdomlnal cavity, aud in an accumulation
nty : 1t 9anna also III ,hrss membrane OF = oor.ior
ave the %j-jupuIn. or small intestine, degenerated
low . high degree, and u whole convolution Of I
a., gut firmly united to an intricate bunch, q
tanning in its interior, in each case, one or I
large, round worms. The passage was ain
tnr perfectly closed.
,rat q. A. representatives of n third form I
be considefed those cases IN whiGh the frat
laP sec ond form have become blended with e
other, and in which the morbid process has
Called itself in both cavities, in the chest
uia- III the abdominal cavity. in which, thereto
q respiratory AID digestive organs are found Il
diseased.
o4e 1. IN some other cases the whole morbid
rteu cess presents, more or less plainly. Il sOmew
the sssc,.s in , cn ""s'i.r;,I Lne Le ,smrn and Ulcers NJ
api- found IN ysri2ns parts Of the body. h but nr esp
Orld look upon such cases rs i: fourth {01ht q a
ent. c,ses. Which would come under this head
IN are blended to such an extent with one oi
two principal forms, the notwithstanding
are the gastric rheumatic, as 10 make II lmposlb
law distinct lines.
"io THE CAUSES.
The ascertain the tyiIe e4nsFs has been
,;..1. principal object OF my Investigation. con
liItio cred il therefore necessary to see, anu TO obs
;om- = larke d humber sr Of Sasss Il, som ",af to m. p' consiu
THAT. at q NJ rate some of the causes, and,
INCLINED To think, tie most important ones
e., standing that the samc are numerous and di
oiH.i Nlthnuuh I ill NOT deny the lnssib