The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-04-30
III scellanrnus.
From he ohio Farmer.
PleurO. PneumOnia-the Lung Plague.
ny DIR. JAS. LAW, y. Y.

| Pleuro-pneumOnia is malignant COnta
gious fever to which, rs far as known, cattle
are only liable, and in them is accompanied by
inflammation and other diseased conditions o.
the lungs and their membranes, together witt
great prostration of the entire system.
Itproceeds from a poisoned condition of the
blood How, when, or where this poison was
first generated it is impossible to tell. Nor il
it less difficult to determine its specific nature
So far as reliable information has yet reached
tits never generated spontaneously, but de
ponds entirely on the introduction Ola virus
or contagion into the system of a healthy an.
imal A single animal SO infected infects
the herd; the herd subdivided and scattered
infects other herds until in time large areas
| of country have been visited and devastated by
the fearful scourge.
Beginning, as we have reason to believe, in
the far off East and at remote date, its course
has been westward until, crossing the Atlantic
in the system of stock imported from Euro
pean States, it has at length found Judgment
| here.
The earliest symptoms of the disease
are not always easily detected, there bt
ing no intensity of inflammation at first, and
the period ofincubation varying often from
| eight or nine days to three or four MONTHS
| The knowledge of the existence ofthe disease
in adjoining States or farms, or even in remote
| sections from which cattle have been intro
duced, should serve to put every one on guard
and lead TO frequent thermometric trials even
with cattle apparently in perfect health
| While such trials would not, perhaps, in every
case determine infallibly the existence or non.
existence of disease, yet in very large ma,
jority of cases-possibly in nine out ten, and
particularly if other symptoms were present
they would lead to right conclusion The
trial ia made by inserting the thermometer in
the rectum. Ifa rise oftemperature to 1903 o
| 1869 Fahrenheit is observed we may be rea
sonably sure that the disease exists, at least in
an incipient state.
| Its further development is indicated by fits
of shivering, often so slight and transient as
to escape the notice of all save the practiced
| eye; by a dull staring coat, with Frequently
a rigid skin; by harsh, dry cough, the
more apparent when the animal is made To
move briskly; by irregular chewing of the
cud, constipated bowels, excrement dry, urine
diminished, but with the high color, and, in the
case of cows, by falling off in the quantity
| of milk.
| At an early stage of pleuro. pneumonia there
| is a harsh sound or roar produced by the pass
age of air through the wind pipe and its sub
divisions, which may sometimes be heard some
| distance from the sick animal. Occasionally
| tlt I'LL luSilHS tup'
| lmade rigid by mass of hardened lung) pro
duces very decided whistling noise A soma
what watery discharge from the nose, incrcas
ed IN the act of coughing, is noticed early il
| the disease, and driving sick cattle in the
earliest stage produces much thirst, and there
| Is sometimes a ropy saliva discharged from
| the mouth, while the muzze is hot and dry
As the malady progresses the pulse rises t.
seventy eighty, and even hundred beats pc
minute; the respirations to thirty-five and for
ty per minute, and are labored and audible
while each expiration is accompanied in mos
cases bya short distinctive grunt or groan
the more marked whenever pressure is appli
ed to the ribs over the lungs.
At this stage the cough increases, the gal
becomes more languid, the eyes more promi
ncnt and fixed the countenance assumes al
uneasy, panied expression, and a disposition
is manifested by the sick to separate from tn
well. When the animal stands the elbow
are turned out, the fore limbs extended tn
hind feet drawn forward under the body, tn
head and neck stretched out, and the bacl
arched, while the nostrils are more or less con
yulsiyely expanded at each inspiration. Whel
living, to which there is tendency, the anima
rests, especially in the latter stages of til
disease, on its brisket, or on the affected side
leaving the ribs on the healthy side as muc
freedom ofmotion as possible
With still further advance in the disease
the pulse becomes more frequent (often risin
to 1870 per minute) ard the heart beats, at frs
subdued, are now marked and palpitating tn
tongue becomes foul and covered with flu
| and the breath has a nausGous smell List
lessness, grunting, grinding OF the teeth, dimr
ished secretions and weakness rapidly in
crease the breathings more frequent an
labored, the animal gasps for breath, spasmo6
ic action of the nostrils is more marked, til
groan more audible the temperature is NOR
irregular, the tendency being to GOODNESS {
the horns and extremities These condition
are followed by mattery or watery discharg
from the eyes and nose, rapid loss of flesh, hid
bound, and either obstinate constipation G
else violent watery diarrhea of fotid ma
ter associated often with considerable dit
} charge of clear-colored urine.
Percussion over the lung will in the bt
ginning often reveal the disease when no
otherwise apparent. With some practice an
little care almost any one can distinguis
the sick from healthy cattle by listening
the sides of the chest. In the earlier stage
of the disease percussion gives out clear Q
resonant sound followed as the malady in
creases by dull, heavy one easily distinguish
ed from the sound caused by lungs in healtl
Where one lung only is affected, partia
some times complete, restoration may result
but acute pleuro-pneumonia in which bot
lungs are affected we may safely assert is nevt
, terminated except by death.
' AS stated above, the period of incubation
! this disease varies from eight or nine days
three or four months; the usual average perit
being from twenty-five to forty days I'll
. acute stage Of the disorder varies from seve
b to twenty-one days. COnyalescence extent
over period Of from one to three montl
: during the greater part of which time tt
convalescent animal is often capable Of infec
ng healthy cattle.
As a rule in mild outbreaks, the mortalii
attains twenty-five per cent, and in seve
epidemics sixty, seventy, or even one hundrt
> per cent.
In England the lung disease has moretha
doubled the ordinary mortality ofthe countr
X entailing loss of many millions Of dollars
n While various remedies for this insidiol
disease have from time to time been recon
mended and tried, not one of them nor all
70 them combined have proved n specific again