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Rabies.

spasmodic, broken, sometimes resembling the bark or howl of a dog. During the convulsions the patient often wounds or bruises himself. He still inclines to run, and get away from home. These attacks alternate with melancholy and despair. The temperature runs high, and increases the first hour after death, sometimes reaching 43° C. (109° Fah.).

3. Paralysis reaches all the organs; the mind is clouded; intelligence obscured; the patient is exhausted; the centers of respiration and circulation become paralyzed, and death ends the scene.

RABIES IN CATTLE.

Boulay gives the following symptoms as disclosed in twentyseven head of cattle, who had rabies and were all bitten by one dog.

First day. Slight colicy pains, or something very like, as the animal no sooner lies down than he gets up again. The senses are excited, there is very sudden rise in temperature, itching pains at the seat of the bite.

Second day. Less agitation, slight tenesmus; lower temperature of the body and at seat of the bite.

Third day. Commencing paraplegia (paralysis of the lower half of the body); strong tenesmus (straining at stool), the discharge from the bowels covered with mucus of a yellowish brown tint; spinal column not sensitive to pressure. and temperature falling. These symptoms are accompanied by bellowing.

Fourth day. Complete paraplegia; violent straining to stool; excrement covered with frothy mucus; foaming at the mouth; bellowing more frequent. Fifth day. Same symptoms, with considerable fall in temperature; bellowing more rare; sense of taste not impaired. Death by paralysis.

It is not proved that cattle bite each other when rabid. In three-fourths of these cattle, the incubation period was three to six weeks; in the remainder six weeks to three months.

Fleming, the celebrated English veterinarian, says the symptoms in the cow are: loss of, or depraved appetite, prostration, great restlessness, increased excitability, muscular trembling, nearly constant flow of saliva from the mouth, exaltation of sexual desires, difficulty in swallowing, manifestation of disagreeable sensations in the seat of the wound, and hallucination. These are the first signs. Paroxysms soon follow, and during these, the eyes are staring, brilliant, haggard-looking, and dejected, the pupils are dilated, the mouth hot and foamy, and the voice is changed to a dull, hoarse

Rabies.

sound. The animals are greatly excited, bellow frequently, agitate the jaws, paw with the fore feet, throw up behind the earth or their litter; they fall down, roll about, if fastened try to escape; there is trembling and twitching of the muscles; if a cow, the milk is suspended; frequently there is a disposition to attack other animals and people. They strike with the horns (or head if hornless) at obstacles in reach, often with such fury as to fracture the horns. They rarely attempt to bite; they sometimes jump on other cattle; the appetite is generally lost, and rumination ceases, but when the appetite is present it is depraved. The fæces, at first expelled at long intervals, in small quantity, often with such effort the rectum is protracted, later become liquid, and pass involuntarily. Emaciation becomes extreme; then comes paralysis of the hinder extremities; the cattle lie down, can not rise, and die in profound coma.

The disease in the bovine species seldom exceeds four to seven days.

RABIES IN THE HORSE.

There is first restlessness; biting at the seat of injury; frequent change of position; sudden starting as if from fright; unusual excitability; sensitiveness of the eye to light; fixed, staring gaze; dilation of the pupil of the eye; movement of the ears as if strange sounds were heard; there is hallucination; increase of sexual desire, especially in the stallion, who neighs with a harsh tone, while the mare will stand with hind legs wide apart. As the disease progresses, quivering of the skin is observed, soon followed by convulsions; loss of appetite, and difficulty in swallowing is frequently noticed. During the paroxysms, the animal kicks viciously, and bites so furiously at any object in its way that sometimes the teeth and even the jaws are broken. It will even bite its own body. The presence of a dog will induce paroxysms. After the paroxysm, the faculties are more or less regained, the respiration becomes accelerated, and the voice hoarse and unpleasant. Each succeeding paroxysm becomes more intense, and more frequent. Exhaustion follows rapidly, paralysis of the hinder extremities ensues, when the animal lies down, and after the second to the sixth day from the first symptom, life ceases in a convulsive paroxysm.

Rabies.

THE INCUBATION PERIOD.

The incubation period of rabies in dogs is less than two months in eighty per cent of the cases. It rarely passes six months, though cases are recorded of a longer period.

In the cow, or ox, the period is given by Röll at nine days to several months. Haubner says of two hundred and thirty-four cases, ten per cent occurred after three months, and eight per cent, four to nine months.

In the horse the period is, according to Röll, fifteen days to two months. Lafoose records cases of ninety-two days. The general average is probably the same as in the dog.

The incubation period in man, according to Brouardel, of France, who investigated two hundred and sixty-three cases, is oftenest within two months after inoculation; rarely after three months, and with exceeding rarity after six months.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES.

It will be seen by the decision of the Attorney General, in another place in this report, that local boards of health have ample power to require dogs to be muzzled, or restricted from running at large, and for violation of such regulations the dogs may be killed. When a dog is found running at large, acting strangely, and suspected of being mad, he should be caught and secured safely, where he can be fed, and kindly treated for a week or ten days, when, if he is rabid, it will be manifested beyond any question. Bear in mind, the probabilities are as nine to one that he is not rabid. By this method, if any person, or other animal, has been bitten, the fact will be known as to whether or not he was rabid. Never kill a dog suspected of rabies. If a suspected dog has been killed, cut off his head, and (if in warm weather, packed in ice,) send it by express to Prof. M. Stalker, State Veterinary Surgeon, State Agricultural College at Ames, with express charges prepaid, notifying him so far as possible of the circumstances and facts of the case, by mail or with the package.

It is well known that rabies is transmitted by the bites of dogs. There is no assurance when a dog is not affected. The only security from danger, therefore, is to reduce the possibilities of a dog to

Rabies.

bite. This is found in the muzzle, which, if properly made and fitted, causes them no trouble nor inconvenience.

The value of the muzzle in suppressing rabies has been demonstrated in many instances. In Berlin all dogs wear muzzles, and a case of rabies has not been reported there for ten years. In Sweden, where the muzzle is used, rabies is not known. In the Grand Duchy of Baden, since 1889, when the muzzle was rigorously applied, there has been but one case, and that of a dog from Metz, where the muzzle rule is not enforced. In London, in 1885, rabies prevailed to an alarming extent, and there were twentyseven deaths. In 1886 the muzzle rule was rigidly enforced, and there was not a case of rabies for the year.

It should be borne in mind that while the muzzle will protect indirectly against rabies, no muzzle ordinarily put on dogs, will be retained a single moment against the maniacal ferocity of rabies, when even the teeth and jaws are broken in biting.

WHEN BITTEN-WHAT TO DO.

The recommendations of Pasteur, who is now acknowledged authority on rabies, are, that when a person is bitten by a suspected rabid animal, suck the wound instantly and thoroughly; if on an extremity, bind a handkerchief or band quickly as possible, tightly around the limb between the wound and the heart, so as to encourage free bleeding. Cleanse the wound thoroughly with hot water, or a saturated solution in hot water of boracic acid, which will also aid bleeding. Also, dress frequently with the same, or with a saturated solution of boracic acid in glycerine, or with a solution of carbolic acid, five parts to one hundred of water, or by corrosive sublimate solution, one part to five hundred of water. The use of strong caustics, and red-hot irons, is of no benefit, but an injury. When the wound is thoroughly cleansed, it should be allowed to heal.

Actinomycosis.

ACTINOMYCOSIS.

This is comparatively a new parasitic disease, or it may be said, a new name for several old and well known diseases, hitherto considered to be of scrofulous origin, but which within a few years, have been demonstrated to be etiologically identical, having their origin in the same source- -a fungus.

It affects man, cattle, horses and hogs, and is infectious. It may be transmitted from animal to animal, and from animal to

man.

In Germany, when in cattle it affected the bones; the farmers. and dairymen called it "windorn," "ladendruck," "dickerbacken," "knockenwurm," etc., while veterinarians called it

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"osteo

In

sarcoma, "spina ventosa,' spina ventosa," "bone tuberculosis," etc. When the soft tissues of the head were affected, the farmers and dairymen called it "holzzung," "hohlgeschwalste," wurm """schlundbenlen" (throat-boils), etc., while veterinarians called it "tuberculosis," "chronic interstitial glottis," "sarcomatotis, etc. Italy it was called tuberculosis of the tongue. In England it was called scrofula, tuberculosis, tubercular stomatitis, miliary tubercle, schirrus tongue, glossitis, osteosarcoma, osteoporosis, and various other names.

In this country it is commonly known as "lump jaw."

It affects animals mostly between three and six years of age. It occurs at all times of the year, but more commonly in Winter.

In animals, Rosenback, Ponifeck, Israel and Fleming remark on the tendency of the disease to orginate in the teeth, or their sockets, forming tumors or abscesses, displacing the teeth, invading and destroying the healthy tissues, bones, muscles, mucous membrane, and skin. Also appearing on the tongue, in nodules from the size of a hemp seed to that of cherry or walnut, at first white or greyish

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