Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 3 (of 5)Law, James
Science
Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 3 (of 5)
Law, James
Veterinary medicine
_Experimentally._ Harnack found that 2 to 3 mgrms. in frogs and 40
mgrms. in rabbits caused increased intestinal peristalsis, diarrhœa, and
paralysis of the heart. Dogs had choreic symptoms. Gusserno gave 1.2
grm. to rabbits and dogs respectively, and produced emaciation,
shivering and paralysis of the hind extremities. Rosenstein with 0.2 to
0.5 grm. obtained in dogs similar symptoms with epileptiform
convulsions, and Heubel had symptoms of colic in a few cases.
=Casual or Accidental Poisoning.= Metallic lead is slowly dissolved and
therefore large doses of this may be taken in without visible ill
effect. Shot has often been given to relieve the symptoms of broken wind
in horses, and a dog at the Lyons Veterinary School took four ounces
without visible ill effect. When finely divided, however, as in sheet
lead or the spray of bullets it presents a much more extended surface to
oxygen and acids, and in the acid stomach of monogastric animals, or
even in the organic acids of the rumen it is dissolved in quantity
sufficient to prove poisonous.
_Symptoms in Horses._ Shenton thus describes his cases. “There was a
rough, staring coat, a tucked up appearance of the abdomen, and a
slightly accelerated pulse; in fact, symptoms of febrile excitement
which usually, however, passed away in about a week. About this time
large quantities of gray colored matter were discharged from the
nostrils, and saliva from the mouth, but at no time was there any
enlargement of the submaxillary, lymphatic, or salivary glands. Nor was
there constipation of the bowels, which appears to be nearly always
present in cases of lead poisoning in man. Fits and partial paralysis
came on at intervals; and when the animals got down they often
struggled, for a long time ineffectually, to get up again. The breathing
up to this time was pretty tranquil, but now became so difficult and
labored that the patient appeared in danger of suffocation. The pulse
was in no case above 60 or 70, and I ascribe the difficulty of
respiration to a paralyzed state of the respiratory apparatus. The
animals did not live more than two or three days after these symptoms
appeared. The _post mortem_ appearance varied but little. The lungs and
trachea were inflamed; the lungs engorged with large quantities of black
blood; the trachea and bronchia filled with frothy spume. In all cases
but two the villous part of the stomach presented isolated patches of
increased vascular action, and in all cases the intestines, and
especially the large ones, were inflamed. The blind pouch of the cæcum
was nearly gangrenous. There was nothing remarkable about the liver,
spleen or kidneys, except that they were of a singularly blue
appearance.”
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