The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1889-04-20
BI6-HEAD IN CATTLE.
How to Prevent the Spread of This Dis
agreeable and Fatal Disease.

agreeable ana Eatal Disease.
This disease, always fatal when it is
not checked at the beginning, is in
creasing with great rapidity among the
large herds of cattle and has become q
source of anxiety and alarm. 1t pre-
walls, too, to large extent in diaries,
and especially among the most valu-
able pure breeds of cows kept for but
termaking and milk. Itspeculiar nat
ure and its unquestionable contagious
ness give to it an unusual Importance
and call for immediate attention. 1t is
hereditary, and is of a scrofulous char
acter; some veterinarians consider it to
be- variety of cancer, but this is some
what doubtful, considering the facts in
the case. So
The first appearance of the disease
is hard Swelling on the upper jaw or
the bones of the face; it rarely attacks
the lower jaw unless at the same time
the tongue and adjacent parts of the
mouth are diseased. The hard SWELL
ing increases and in time supurates,
discharging a fetid pus mixed with
blood and leaving the peculiar odors Of
decayed bone. This discharge irritates
the skin and causes sores and ulcers,
which eat away the tissues until the
bone is laid bare and the food escapes
through the opening. Finally the jaw
is eaten away and starvation ends the
animals life, if it has not been de-
stroyed by blood poisoning before this.
The cause of the disease has not been
well understood until within few years
back, when it was found to be caused
by a peculiar parasitic growth, which
really eats away and consumes the
feshy and bony tissues, and which is
conveyed from the diseased animal by
heredity or by, contagion to others.
Cases have been known by the writer
in which the progeny of diseased ami
mails have been affected through sew
erai generations, until the young calves
were attacked and the race ceased to
exist. Considering the nature of this
class of diseases, it is clear that this
disorder Is encouraged and made pos
sible by, mal-nutrition, a deficiency
of bone=inaking material weaken
ing the structure in part where
it is most readily attacked by the
waiting organism, already lurking
in the mouth and among the teeth, and
very possibly finding subsistence in the
decaying4organic matter, which is al
ways found there. When the favora-
BILE conditions arise the parasites at
tack the bone or the tongue or the It's
sues OF the cheek and spread their
rayages from one to the other. The
disease Is now known as actino npy-
kosis, but more commonly as "big
head.n and is sometimes still called
osteo-snrcdna. Il attacks horses as
we'll as cattle
The treatment of disease oS this
character should clearly include and
begin with preventive measures
These consist of the exclusion from
breeding herds of every diseased ami
NAL which! because ef1the .scrofuleus
nature of the disease, should be. put
safely under the ground as soon as
possible. Ne diseased COW Should
be- bred; nor should she be kept, as
the milk might and probably would
infect the calf, yor even persons
who might. use it, although so
far this disease has not become
an object of dread among physi-
clans, unless it may be thought
that the fatal cases 81 malignant dis
ease of the tongue Or throat which
have of late been,so conspicuous be-.
cause of5he high, position of the, suffer-
ers, andwhich is becoming more and
mores common; :haE had their origin
in infection through the milk Of dis
eased cows. snfl SITS ~ 4
The disease I'LL durable If treated. in
its early stages This writer knows of
several cases which have been success
fully treated at the beginning Of the
outbreak. The successful. treatnent
has consisted IN the use 81. daily doses
of one ounce Of hyposu1phits Of soda,
continued in some instances for threa.
months before the disease. was finally
and permanently'eured.s One typical
case was that of a heifer pregnant with
her first calf and under two years 3D.,
Her dam, pure-bred Jersey, had per-
isheW Of the disease, and the sire, a.
pure Jersey bull, was slaughtered be-
cause it was hopelessly diseased. The
swelling appeared and discharged
the typical fetid pus in course
OF time, when the above treat
ment was used, and the dis
charge slowly, decreased. and finally
stopped. The opening was maintained
and washed twice daily with warm wa
ter and carbolic soap by injection until
1t healed BEAUTIFULLY and nothing re-
manned but small, hard excrescence,
which is not painful, and is merely a
bleuish. The heifer calved, and the
calf at two years Of age gave no indica-
tions of being affected by the disease.
This heller belonged to anvaluable
strain of Jersey blood, and her escape
was worth large sum TO her owner.
The use of this antiseptic in this
class of diseases has been found ex-
ceedingly effective, and it is advisable