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Ergotism
82
THE VETERI NARY JOURNAL
three cows, one was on her feet staggering about the pen, the hocks extended and with the peculiar stiff gait observed in milk fever. The remaining two cows were on the ground, but on our entry into the pen , they struggled with difficulty on to their feet and blundering about, were soon down again. A marked improvement resulted from the inflation of the udders-sufficient to get the patients to the slaughter pen. The mob of cattle had been trucked from a considerable distance, had fasted long, and being" station " cows, had lived entirely at pasture. Each had borne several calves brought up as running suckers, the dams never being milked. The patients were all in good condition; the udders , however, were small (all were dry), and dilated but little on inflation . 0 gross lesions wer observed post·mortem. It is generally asserted that tuberculosis is almost unknown among New Zealand cattle. This, howeve r, is far from being the case. Dairy cows sent for slaughter to th e abattoirs and to the freezing works quite frequently display tuberculous lesions. For the past 30 years a procedure very similar to the operation of our Tuberculosis Order has been in action. Suspected cases have been seized and compensation pairl. Very large sums of mon ey have been expended with little or no effec t on the incidence of bovine tubercle. Pigs, too , are not infrequently found to be the suhj ect of the malady; very frequently the submaxill ary lymphatic gland alone being affected.
Ergotism. By H. P. HAM ILTON, B.V.Sc., Toronto, Canada.
ERGOTISM is defined by Dorland as being a "chronic poisoning from excessive or misdirected use of ergo t as a medicille or from eating ergotised grain." Claviceps pltrpurea, or the essential element of ergot, possesses the ability to contract the arterioles and unstriped muscle fibres, and it is a powerful ecbolic and hcemostatic. Barger and Carr* in I907, isolatecl an alkaloid, ergotoxine, from the fungus and it is thought that this alkaloid does not form more than o· I per cent. of the drug. It would therefore appear that an appreciable quanti ty of ergot must be ingested before disturbing clinical symptoms manifest themselves. The report of W. Watson , in Veterinarian of I859, page 574, states that it is a " popular belief that cows, grazing in a field containing ergotised grasses, aborted their calves," but according to Sir Frederick Smith's article in Hygien e, I905, page I70, sheep and cows have been fed on quantities of ergot without dangerous effects.
* Transactions
of the Chemical Society, 1907. p. 337.
ERGOTISM
83
The researches of Kaufman show that although very great doses would be re(luired to induce acute poisoning, prolonged administration of small doses causes chronic ergotism , when besides gas tro-intestinal irritation, coldness, a n ~s thesia, and dry gangrene of the feet, ears and tail, or comb tongue a nd beak in bi rds, ensue. The parts drop off without pain, and th e disease closely resembles ergotism in man , death resulting from as thenia . He goes on to refer to the post-mortem appearances\Yhich he desc ribes as being inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, flaccid a nd soft viscera, gelatinous muscles, dark blood, and inj ected mucons membranes of the organs. Some a uthorities state that the t oxic ex traction of ergot acts on the nervous system, depressing the heart action a nd thereby restricting the blood circulation . In adva nced cases the ears, tail and lower parts of the limbs of the affer.ted animals lose warmth a nd sensibility, dry gangrene sets in , and the diseased pa rts finally slough away. (Henry and Morrison's" Feeds and Feedin g, " 1921, paragraph 396.) The re may be necrosis of the sk in followin g the continuons eating of ergot where the extremities, ears, tail , combs and wattles of fowls as well as the tips of their tongues. a nd th e bills of ducks, because of th e insufficient supply of blood through the constricted arteries , become gang renous and a rc sloughed off. (Hutyra and Marek, 1926, V()l. III , p:1ge 622.) The authoritirs quoted above appear to insist that the effects on the animal body through prolonged ingestion of ergot are (I) dry gangrene prori uced by the contraction of the arterial hlood vessels and (2) gastm-in testin al irritation and inA ammation. The fact tha t the ta il , the hind fee t a nd conchal cartilages of the cars become gangrenous shows that the
84
THE VETERI NARY JOURNAL
probability, have been born normally had the cow been allowed to live. There appeared to be no red uction in _th e size of the middle uterine artery or the placental coteledons. The fretus was in the sixth month of pregnancy and so was well ad vanced, which fact shows tha t ergo tism may only have a fatal effect on fre tallife if it has been ingested either before pregnancy occurred , or during very early fretal existence, i.e. befo re an in creased blood supply to the fre tus had been demanded. In the case under consideration there were no post-mortem symptoms of gastro-intestinal irritation or inflammation which are usually seen in cases of ergotism according to Continental authorities such as Kaufman. It must be remembered th at th ere a re no cases which manifest all the symptoms of the condition at one and the same time, and it is therefore necessary to formulate one's diagnosis on the most prominent symptoms present. Having before us the dry gangrene of the distal extremities of th e hind limbs, t ogether with tha t of both the conchal cartilages and of the caudal ext remity, an:.emic muco us membranes , quick pulse and hurried respirations which are indicative of the ingestion of to;.;ic substances, we would be justified in attributing th e cause of the symptoms presented to ergotism.
Pseudo-Leucremia in the Dog. By H. R. HEWETSON, M.R. e V.S., Southport. CASES of leuc:.emia and pseud o-Ieucremia appear, so far as I have been able to ascertain, to be of very rare occurrence in this country. Whether this is a real state of affairs or whether it is because few are recorded or many escape observation, I am unable to state. Two cases which I have regarded as pseudo-Ieucremia have come under my treatment within the last 18 months and have caused me no little dissa tisfaction . Two factors stand out which are not likely to enhance the practitioner's reputation in cases of this nature: (1) the difficulty of es tablishing a positive diagnosis, and (2) his apparent helplessness to combat wha t at first appears only a simple affection , but which over an extended period becomes progressively worse . The first case which came under my attention was a Scotch terrier bitch, aged two years and nin e months , and when I first saw her she had a slight cold and both sub-maxillary glands were a little enla rged . I took these to be associated with the cold and treated them as such, but when, in about a fortnight's time , they were rather
THE VETERI NARY JOURNAL
three cows, one was on her feet staggering about the pen, the hocks extended and with the peculiar stiff gait observed in milk fever. The remaining two cows were on the ground, but on our entry into the pen , they struggled with difficulty on to their feet and blundering about, were soon down again. A marked improvement resulted from the inflation of the udders-sufficient to get the patients to the slaughter pen. The mob of cattle had been trucked from a considerable distance, had fasted long, and being" station " cows, had lived entirely at pasture. Each had borne several calves brought up as running suckers, the dams never being milked. The patients were all in good condition; the udders , however, were small (all were dry), and dilated but little on inflation . 0 gross lesions wer observed post·mortem. It is generally asserted that tuberculosis is almost unknown among New Zealand cattle. This, howeve r, is far from being the case. Dairy cows sent for slaughter to th e abattoirs and to the freezing works quite frequently display tuberculous lesions. For the past 30 years a procedure very similar to the operation of our Tuberculosis Order has been in action. Suspected cases have been seized and compensation pairl. Very large sums of mon ey have been expended with little or no effec t on the incidence of bovine tubercle. Pigs, too , are not infrequently found to be the suhj ect of the malady; very frequently the submaxill ary lymphatic gland alone being affected.
Ergotism. By H. P. HAM ILTON, B.V.Sc., Toronto, Canada.
ERGOTISM is defined by Dorland as being a "chronic poisoning from excessive or misdirected use of ergo t as a medicille or from eating ergotised grain." Claviceps pltrpurea, or the essential element of ergot, possesses the ability to contract the arterioles and unstriped muscle fibres, and it is a powerful ecbolic and hcemostatic. Barger and Carr* in I907, isolatecl an alkaloid, ergotoxine, from the fungus and it is thought that this alkaloid does not form more than o· I per cent. of the drug. It would therefore appear that an appreciable quanti ty of ergot must be ingested before disturbing clinical symptoms manifest themselves. The report of W. Watson , in Veterinarian of I859, page 574, states that it is a " popular belief that cows, grazing in a field containing ergotised grasses, aborted their calves," but according to Sir Frederick Smith's article in Hygien e, I905, page I70, sheep and cows have been fed on quantities of ergot without dangerous effects.
* Transactions
of the Chemical Society, 1907. p. 337.
ERGOTISM
83
The researches of Kaufman show that although very great doses would be re(luired to induce acute poisoning, prolonged administration of small doses causes chronic ergotism , when besides gas tro-intestinal irritation, coldness, a n ~s thesia, and dry gangrene of the feet, ears and tail, or comb tongue a nd beak in bi rds, ensue. The parts drop off without pain, and th e disease closely resembles ergotism in man , death resulting from as thenia . He goes on to refer to the post-mortem appearances\Yhich he desc ribes as being inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, flaccid a nd soft viscera, gelatinous muscles, dark blood, and inj ected mucons membranes of the organs. Some a uthorities state that the t oxic ex traction of ergot acts on the nervous system, depressing the heart action a nd thereby restricting the blood circulation . In adva nced cases the ears, tail and lower parts of the limbs of the affer.ted animals lose warmth a nd sensibility, dry gangrene sets in , and the diseased pa rts finally slough away. (Henry and Morrison's" Feeds and Feedin g, " 1921, paragraph 396.) The re may be necrosis of the sk in followin g the continuons eating of ergot where the extremities, ears, tail , combs and wattles of fowls as well as the tips of their tongues. a nd th e bills of ducks, because of th e insufficient supply of blood through the constricted arteries , become gang renous and a rc sloughed off. (Hutyra and Marek, 1926, V()l. III , p:1ge 622.) The authoritirs quoted above appear to insist that the effects on the animal body through prolonged ingestion of ergot are (I) dry gangrene prori uced by the contraction of the arterial hlood vessels and (2) gastm-in testin al irritation and inA ammation. The fact tha t the ta il , the hind fee t a nd conchal cartilages of the cars become gangrenous shows that the
84
THE VETERI NARY JOURNAL
probability, have been born normally had the cow been allowed to live. There appeared to be no red uction in _th e size of the middle uterine artery or the placental coteledons. The fretus was in the sixth month of pregnancy and so was well ad vanced, which fact shows tha t ergo tism may only have a fatal effect on fre tallife if it has been ingested either before pregnancy occurred , or during very early fretal existence, i.e. befo re an in creased blood supply to the fre tus had been demanded. In the case under consideration there were no post-mortem symptoms of gastro-intestinal irritation or inflammation which are usually seen in cases of ergotism according to Continental authorities such as Kaufman. It must be remembered th at th ere a re no cases which manifest all the symptoms of the condition at one and the same time, and it is therefore necessary to formulate one's diagnosis on the most prominent symptoms present. Having before us the dry gangrene of the distal extremities of th e hind limbs, t ogether with tha t of both the conchal cartilages and of the caudal ext remity, an:.emic muco us membranes , quick pulse and hurried respirations which are indicative of the ingestion of to;.;ic substances, we would be justified in attributing th e cause of the symptoms presented to ergotism.
Pseudo-Leucremia in the Dog. By H. R. HEWETSON, M.R. e V.S., Southport. CASES of leuc:.emia and pseud o-Ieucremia appear, so far as I have been able to ascertain, to be of very rare occurrence in this country. Whether this is a real state of affairs or whether it is because few are recorded or many escape observation, I am unable to state. Two cases which I have regarded as pseudo-Ieucremia have come under my treatment within the last 18 months and have caused me no little dissa tisfaction . Two factors stand out which are not likely to enhance the practitioner's reputation in cases of this nature: (1) the difficulty of es tablishing a positive diagnosis, and (2) his apparent helplessness to combat wha t at first appears only a simple affection , but which over an extended period becomes progressively worse . The first case which came under my attention was a Scotch terrier bitch, aged two years and nin e months , and when I first saw her she had a slight cold and both sub-maxillary glands were a little enla rged . I took these to be associated with the cold and treated them as such, but when, in about a fortnight's time , they were rather