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Ergotism in the United States
. Practical Observations on Tetanus £n India.
407
linseed-tea, eggs and brandy, with one pound of ice by means of Reid's enema pipe, pumped into the mouth. He swallowed all this, and had no paroxysm; repeat the injection per trachea (3ij. of the extract), and inject per rectum three quarts of linseedtea with Extract hyoscya. 3ij. At night, patient no worse, and very quiet; repeat the morning's treatment and nourishment. 22nd.-The patient is very quiet, shows no pain; repeat treatment. The animal remained very easy up till evening, when, after being fed with Reid's pipe, and after bei ng injected per rectum, the first paroxysm I have noticed came on, with profuse sweating; he fell down and died in about three-quarters of an hour. Post-mortem examination, made twelve hours after death, revealed internal organs healthy; spermatic cord internally healthy, externally in a condition to be expected fifteen days after castration. 22nd.-Discharged. Died. ERGOTISM IN THE UNITED STATES. BY
C. H. SWEETAPPLE, VETERINARY SURGEON, SECRETARY AND REGISTRAR, ONTARIO VETERINARY ASSOCIATION.
HAVING returned from investigating the cattle disease in the Western States which has caused such alarm there during the past few months, and meeting Prof. A. Smith of the Ontario Veterinary College, Toronto, he requested me to forward the result of my investigations to the VETERINARY JOURNAL, thinking it might prove interesting. I arrived in Kirksville, Missouri, on the night of March 24th. This is a thriving town, west of the Mississippi River," the father of waters," and about seventy miles north-west of Quincy, Southern Illinois, where I was informed that the disease had appeared in quite as virulent a form as in any part of the West. The next morning early I started on my investigations. About six miles from Kirksville I came to Mr. Bragg's farm. He owned about thirty-five head of cattle-had had four deaths. Ten animals were then in various stages of the disease, which exhibits itself in the following form : some of them with one or
The Veterinary Journal. both legs off a little below the hocks, some off at the fetlock joints, some with the feet off, some with one leg off and the other dangling, and some with the legs, one or both still on, but with a clear mark of division between the living and dead tissues. This is a general description of the appearances in all the herds I visited. On this farm I saw also three more fresh cases, with the hind legs without circulation or sensation; from the hocks downwards, the legs of these also appeared completely dead. The animal temperature of the fresh cases was about 103 o, that of the old cases would range about 102°. The hind legs were usually affected, not often the fore legs. The stumps in some cases were healing, and the animals ruminating, but they were in a very low, weak state. In a few cases I found slight sores in the mouth, but nothing whatever to indicate Foot-and-mouth Disease ( Epizoolt'c Aplztha), which it had been pronounced by some. It was clearly a dry gangrene of the extremities, and on a careful examination of the food, I found ergot in very large quantities in the hay-principally in a small, fine grass called "red-top." A pocket glass of low magnifying power revealed it in great plenty-in fact, I could scarcely find a head of this grass that was not full of it. The next herd I visited I found much the same state of affairs, and many affected. One heifer had just aborted, and there had been four other abortions. Another herd of eighty-six cattle was visited ; fifty-five of these were affected more or less severely with the dry gangrene, and there had been some abortions. I visited all the diseased herds in the neighbourhood, and found the same evidences of disease, with greater or less severity, and in all cases ergot was easily found in the hay, the severity of the symptoms and the number of cases bearing a direct proportion to the quantity of ergot in the hay. It was clearly Gang renous E111otism. Of course, seeing this it was not necessary to prove the well-known medical fact that ergot produces gang rene of the extremities, also abortion; but to satisfy parties in the neighbourhood, I examined the food of healthy herds, of which there were plenty. I could find no ergot in their hay, which was usually composed principally of
Inversion
of the Bladder.
timothy and clover. Last year being an unusually wet, cold season there, would no doubt account for such a large production of ergot. From the symptoms described, I feel confident that the r('!cent different outbreaks of disease in this and neighbouring states are all of a similar character, and have been due to a similar cause.
INVERSION OF THE BLADDER, WITH CYSTIC HERNIA OF TH i-.: INTESTINES IN A MARE DURING PARTURITION -DEFORMITY OF FCETUS. BY
J. WOODROFFE HILL, F.R.C.V. S., WOLVERIIAMPTON.
AT 5. 30 a.m. on the 6th May I received a message to attend a four-year-old cart-mare unable to foal, at the Wolverhampton Corporation Sewage Farm . On my arrival I found the animal in hard labour, the two fore feet of the foal protruding from the vulva, and a hind foot in the vagina, but the head out of reach. I diagnosed the case as one of anterior presentation, with deviation of the near hind leg, and lateral deviation of the head to wards the shoulder. Having secured the fore feet with cords, an attempt was made to push the foal back again into the womb, but owing to the rigid and fi xed position of the hind limb, this could not be accomplished. A crutch was then extemporised, and whilst the manager was examining the position of the foal, the bladder of the mare v,·as suddenly inverted, and became rapidly distended and congested . Owing to the nature of the case, and the value of the mare, I suggested the advisability of a second opinion, naming Mr. E. Meek, of Walsall, as an experienced obstetrist, and this gentleman was at once telegraphed for. In the meantime chloral hydrate was administered to allay the straining, which was very violent, and keep the patient quiet. On arriving again at the farm, we found the entire bladder protruded, of a deep crimson hue, enormously distended and tense. To return the viscus in such a condition being impossible, as also to attempt delivery in the presence of such an obstrucVOL. XVIII.
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407
linseed-tea, eggs and brandy, with one pound of ice by means of Reid's enema pipe, pumped into the mouth. He swallowed all this, and had no paroxysm; repeat the injection per trachea (3ij. of the extract), and inject per rectum three quarts of linseedtea with Extract hyoscya. 3ij. At night, patient no worse, and very quiet; repeat the morning's treatment and nourishment. 22nd.-The patient is very quiet, shows no pain; repeat treatment. The animal remained very easy up till evening, when, after being fed with Reid's pipe, and after bei ng injected per rectum, the first paroxysm I have noticed came on, with profuse sweating; he fell down and died in about three-quarters of an hour. Post-mortem examination, made twelve hours after death, revealed internal organs healthy; spermatic cord internally healthy, externally in a condition to be expected fifteen days after castration. 22nd.-Discharged. Died. ERGOTISM IN THE UNITED STATES. BY
C. H. SWEETAPPLE, VETERINARY SURGEON, SECRETARY AND REGISTRAR, ONTARIO VETERINARY ASSOCIATION.
HAVING returned from investigating the cattle disease in the Western States which has caused such alarm there during the past few months, and meeting Prof. A. Smith of the Ontario Veterinary College, Toronto, he requested me to forward the result of my investigations to the VETERINARY JOURNAL, thinking it might prove interesting. I arrived in Kirksville, Missouri, on the night of March 24th. This is a thriving town, west of the Mississippi River," the father of waters," and about seventy miles north-west of Quincy, Southern Illinois, where I was informed that the disease had appeared in quite as virulent a form as in any part of the West. The next morning early I started on my investigations. About six miles from Kirksville I came to Mr. Bragg's farm. He owned about thirty-five head of cattle-had had four deaths. Ten animals were then in various stages of the disease, which exhibits itself in the following form : some of them with one or
The Veterinary Journal. both legs off a little below the hocks, some off at the fetlock joints, some with the feet off, some with one leg off and the other dangling, and some with the legs, one or both still on, but with a clear mark of division between the living and dead tissues. This is a general description of the appearances in all the herds I visited. On this farm I saw also three more fresh cases, with the hind legs without circulation or sensation; from the hocks downwards, the legs of these also appeared completely dead. The animal temperature of the fresh cases was about 103 o, that of the old cases would range about 102°. The hind legs were usually affected, not often the fore legs. The stumps in some cases were healing, and the animals ruminating, but they were in a very low, weak state. In a few cases I found slight sores in the mouth, but nothing whatever to indicate Foot-and-mouth Disease ( Epizoolt'c Aplztha), which it had been pronounced by some. It was clearly a dry gangrene of the extremities, and on a careful examination of the food, I found ergot in very large quantities in the hay-principally in a small, fine grass called "red-top." A pocket glass of low magnifying power revealed it in great plenty-in fact, I could scarcely find a head of this grass that was not full of it. The next herd I visited I found much the same state of affairs, and many affected. One heifer had just aborted, and there had been four other abortions. Another herd of eighty-six cattle was visited ; fifty-five of these were affected more or less severely with the dry gangrene, and there had been some abortions. I visited all the diseased herds in the neighbourhood, and found the same evidences of disease, with greater or less severity, and in all cases ergot was easily found in the hay, the severity of the symptoms and the number of cases bearing a direct proportion to the quantity of ergot in the hay. It was clearly Gang renous E111otism. Of course, seeing this it was not necessary to prove the well-known medical fact that ergot produces gang rene of the extremities, also abortion; but to satisfy parties in the neighbourhood, I examined the food of healthy herds, of which there were plenty. I could find no ergot in their hay, which was usually composed principally of
Inversion
of the Bladder.
timothy and clover. Last year being an unusually wet, cold season there, would no doubt account for such a large production of ergot. From the symptoms described, I feel confident that the r('!cent different outbreaks of disease in this and neighbouring states are all of a similar character, and have been due to a similar cause.
INVERSION OF THE BLADDER, WITH CYSTIC HERNIA OF TH i-.: INTESTINES IN A MARE DURING PARTURITION -DEFORMITY OF FCETUS. BY
J. WOODROFFE HILL, F.R.C.V. S., WOLVERIIAMPTON.
AT 5. 30 a.m. on the 6th May I received a message to attend a four-year-old cart-mare unable to foal, at the Wolverhampton Corporation Sewage Farm . On my arrival I found the animal in hard labour, the two fore feet of the foal protruding from the vulva, and a hind foot in the vagina, but the head out of reach. I diagnosed the case as one of anterior presentation, with deviation of the near hind leg, and lateral deviation of the head to wards the shoulder. Having secured the fore feet with cords, an attempt was made to push the foal back again into the womb, but owing to the rigid and fi xed position of the hind limb, this could not be accomplished. A crutch was then extemporised, and whilst the manager was examining the position of the foal, the bladder of the mare v,·as suddenly inverted, and became rapidly distended and congested . Owing to the nature of the case, and the value of the mare, I suggested the advisability of a second opinion, naming Mr. E. Meek, of Walsall, as an experienced obstetrist, and this gentleman was at once telegraphed for. In the meantime chloral hydrate was administered to allay the straining, which was very violent, and keep the patient quiet. On arriving again at the farm, we found the entire bladder protruded, of a deep crimson hue, enormously distended and tense. To return the viscus in such a condition being impossible, as also to attempt delivery in the presence of such an obstrucVOL. XVIII.
2 E