Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 4 (of 5)Law, James
Science
Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 4 (of 5)
Law, James
Veterinary medicine
_Infection-Atria._ Infection may occur by a variety of channels as: 1st,
by _ingestion_, giving rise most commonly to anthrax of the mouth,
throat or intestines; 2d, by _inhalation_, giving rise to pulmonary
anthrax (wool-sorter’s disease): 3d, by _inoculation_ through contact of
abrasions, wounds, etc., with infecting bodies, including surgical
instruments: 4th, by flies and other insects: and 5th, by transmission
to the fœtus in utero. This last form is very rare in the larger
animals, but has been repeatedly seen in Guinea pigs, rabbits, goats and
even in one case (Pangalli) in man.
_Forms of Anthrax in Domestic Animals._ In the lower animals anthrax
manifests itself differently according to the seat of invasion and the
amount of the virus. The worst forms, seen especially in cattle and
sheep, are so sudden that they have been called _apoplectic_ or
_fulminant_. Without premonitory symptoms there is sudden loss of
appetite, trembling, haggard expression of face, uneasy shifting of the
feet, irregular movements backward or to one side, dyspnœa, cyanosis,
plaintive cries, convulsions, ejection of blood by the nose or with
urine or fæces, and death in a time varying from a few minutes to four
hours. The second type is the _anthrax fever_, known also as _splenic
fever_, _splenic apoplexy_, or _internal anthrax_. In this form there
may be prodromata, especially in sheep, excitability, restlessness, and
above all, a rise of temperature of often 3° or 4°. There may be
distillation of drops of blood from the nose, eyes or ears, the mucosæ
become congested, and in sheep this may show on the finer parts of the
skin, as inside the forearm or thigh. Tremors, erection of the hairs,
dulness, prostration, lagging behind the flock or herd, insensibility of
the loins to pinching, inappetence, ardent thirst, grinding of the
teeth, colics, tympany, mucus coated, bloody or liquid fæces, bloody
urine, tumultuous heart beats, dyspnœa, dark, congested mucosæ,
amounting to cyanosis, and spasmodic contractions of the muscles of the
back, neck or eyes. If blood is drawn it may appear abnormally dark in
color and very slow to brighten under the action of the air, it may have
a thick, tarry appearance, and form a very loose clot. Death, (usually
in coma or convulsions) will supervene, in sheep under 24 hours, in
cattle in 2 to 5 days, and in horses in 1 to 6 days. The third type is
the _local_ or _external anthrax_, assuming in cattle the special forms
of _gloss-anthrax_, _pharyngeal anthrax_, _hœmorrhoidal anthrax_,
_cutaneous_ and _subcutaneous anthrax_. In horses most of the same forms
appear, in the tongue, throat, neck, shoulders, withers, flank or thigh.
These swellings have a firm or doughy feeling, are comparatively and
sometimes wholly insensible and show a marked tendency to necrotic
changes. When incised they show extensive blood extravasation, or a
pale, straw-colored exudate mixed with sanguineous lines or patches, and
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