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Pneumo-Enteritis Contagiosa (Swine Plague)
Pneumo-Enteritis Contagiosa (Swine Plag-ue).
89
On June 6th I saw the animal again, a nd her condition was much the same. I was told a butcher had bee n communicated \\·ith. On the I 2th I saw her slaughtered, and on examination th e parts affected presented a most unusual appearance. I have forwarded forty inches of the bowel adj oining the anus. You will observe that the whole of it is surrounded by an immense layer of solid fat, and between this and the intestine is a dense grey substance, one-eighth of an inch in thickness, running the entire length. The stricture commences twelve inches from the anus, and for thirty-six inches is continued-in one or two places scarcely ad mitting the little finger; the mucous membrane is in fla med, more so in some parts th an in others. The mass of bowel sent weighs twenty pounds. Whether it is a case of fatty degeneration, fi brous stricture, or cancer, you will be able to determine. I am at present inclined to believe it is the two former combined, but three med ical men lean to the latter. I have since learned that the heifer had been home-fed since she was a calf, and that her age was about three years when she was s l a~.;gh t ered ; she had never been unwell before, but her grandsire died about four years ago from the same m orbid condition. [Dr. Thin made a careful microscopical examination of two small portions of the morbid specimen above alluded to, and reports that the mass between the peritoneal and muscular coats of the bowel is simply fat; the muscular layer, mucosa and epithelium, being healthy. He adds: ." I suppose it is correct to speak of such a mass as a 'tumour,' although it was not encapsulated . It is certainly safe to call it ' g rowth.' "] P:NEUl\10-E~TERITIS
CONTAGIOSA (SWINE PLAGUE).
l:Y \\', Dc\Y, JUNR., :\f.R.C.\·.s., \'ETERINARY I~ S l'E C T O R, \YAR:\!1~ S TEl~, AND ] . R. LEESON, :\I.B., :\LC., ;lf.K C.S., LATE DE:\IONSTR.\TOR OF ANATO:\IY, ST. THO:\IAS' HOS1'1TAL, LONDO=" .
the present time, when the so-called " Pig Typh oid " is so ,·cry prevalent, and mu ch controversy and diversity of opinion exist in reference t o this disease, especially as to its being analogous to human Typhoid (hence the popular, but, t o my thinking, erroneous name), I thought it mi ght be intercstinf: to some of 1\ T
VOL. IX .
H
go
TILe veterinmy 7 ourua!.
the members of the veterinary profession to give an outline of a few of th e cases which have recently come under my supervision in the capacity of veterinary inspector. In these cases I h;tve been aided by Dr. Leeson, who was staying with me at the time, and a t my request accompanied me; and we together made careful post-mortem examinations on each case, from which he has take n the su bj oined notes. Eight pigs were purchased by a farm er, at a neighbouring market, and taken by a dealer of thi s t ow n (\Varmin ster) with some of his own to Frome market, where they were not di sposed of; but instead of returning home direct, they were kept from Thursd ay, the 19th of June, to Saturday, the 21 st, in one of hi s sties, where pigs had been cond emned for thi s disease some few weeks previously. From the farmer's statement, it appears that on Monday the 23rd, they showed sig ns of illness-loss of appetite, etc.- from which they partially recovered, and appeared better until th e end of the week, when the symptoms increased in four of them, and on l\londay, the 7th of July, the other four which appeared to be \\'ell were removed to another sty. On \Vednesday one of the four affected ones di ed, and the case was repo rted to me. On my arrival, the pig that was dead exhibited externally the usual signs of this di sease, viz., the peculiar patchy purple discoloration of the skin on the abdomen, inside the thigh s, under the throat, and back of the ears. The three pigs on b eing disturbed from the litter on which they '''ere lying, showed unmistakable symptoms in their staggering gait, arched backs, cough, laborious breathing, etc. On examination the abdomen and thighs of two of them were spotted, and one ulcerated; but the other did not show these ext ernal symptoms. I certified as to the disease, and they were slaughtered by order of the Executive Committee. The following post-mortem notes will show the ravages of thi s di sease in each case . In one case in which the other animal had been dead twenty-eight hours before the post11l01'tem examination, there was no R igor mortis. The others being examined immediately after they were killed, and then buried whilst warm, there was no opportunity to note the degree or time at which Rigor mortis would have occurred. Skill.- Hair rough, and coat g enerally somewhat "staring." The belly, inner side of thighs, and the ears, presented in three
Pllouno- EII!crilis Contagiosa (S
91
of the cases num e rous hzcmorrhagic patches, mostly about the ,;ize of a spl it pea ; a nd in tw o of them la rge irre6ular blotches, of a purp le colour. In one case the skin covering the h;:e morr11:-tge had ulcerated, and exuded a thin serum. Th ere \\·ere none of the " rose-colou red "spots seen which have been described by other obse rvers: in fact, all the abnormal appearances presented by th e skin were referable to th e cha nges produced, both in co lou r and otherwise, by the extravasated blood . O n opening the abdo minal cavity the same appeara nces were seen, although to a less marked extent. Numerous sub peri toneal h;:emorrhages :~cne rally about the size of a millet seed, b ut frequently much s maller, oft en b ein g only mere specks, were seen on the p osteri or su rface of th e diaphragm, inner surface of the abdominal walls, and on the colon. In t wo cases, a small amount of lymph was found in the peritoneal cav ity, but th ere was very littl e effu sion, a nd no sig ns of general Perito nitis. On open ing the intes ti nal canal, it presented well -marked appearances of Enteritis, com men cing in the lower part of the ileum, being very marked about the ilco-cxcal valve (i n one case the swelling being so g reat ;tS alm ost t o close the open ing-), but having its chi ef situati on throughout the colon, th e mucou s membra ne o f which was h ighly inj ec t ed and swoll en, being sprinkled over with numerous petechim. In t\\·o instances, in the lower half of the colon, several sub-mucous h;:emorrhage were found, varyi ng in size from :1. split bean to that of a filbert. There was an excess of mucus. No ulcerations were seen, but h ad the animals lived, th e mucous membrane covering the large blood patches would probably in th ree or four clays have broken down, leaving ulcerating surfaces. There was no" diphtheri ti c exudation'' seen. The bowels were fi lled with rather firm and consistent f;:eces; but in one case the fceces were fluid, and of a yellowish colour. Th e rectum was less affected, so that the chi ef stress of th e intestinal affection fell :tpon the uppe r part of the colon, and was most marked in its upper three-fourths. Splem.-In a ll cases th e spleen appeared normal, n ot resembli ng, in the slightest degree, the state of that organ so commonly fou nd in huma n Typhoid and other fevers. L £vcr.-In three cases this was quite normal, in the fourth it was congested, and its substance friable.
92
The Veterinary Journal.
I{zdmys.- These were in all cases free from any pathological changes observable by the naked eye, though th ei r cortex was somewhat pale. Supra-1'enal capsules healthy. Pa7tcreas appeared healthy. P ericardium contained in all cases brownish fluid, its serous lining being sprinkled with sub-serous hx morrhages. H eart.- Was pale and flabby, and free from hxmorrhagic spots. The Pleurm contained, in three cases, a small amount of brownish fluid; in one case there were numerous recent adhesions; in two cases the surface of the lu ngs was covered towards their lower parts by recent lymph ; in th e fou rth case the pleura; appeared healthy. In three of the cases the lun gs prese nt ed, in their lower third, well-marked signs of Broncho-Lobular Pneu monia ; the substance of the lung sinking in water, bein g grey and dense ; on sec tion the lun g subs tance ,,·as grey and mottled, but no casts of the tubes could be squeezed out of the inflamed areas. The uppe r parts of the lungs were somewhat emphysematous. The bronchi were fill ed with tenacious mucus. In the fourth case, the lung affection was very slight, but there were indications of commencing Lobular Pneumonia toward their lower margi ns. The muscl es were pale and flabb y, and did not show any patches of h;:cmorrh age. R cmark s.-From th e above it will be see n that the stress of the di sease fell chiefly upon the lungs, the pig \\·hich died cert ainly succumbed to his lun g affection, and not to tha t o f the intestines. And, no d oubt, had the remaind er been alloYved to live, they also would have died from th e sa me cause. Dr. Leeson states that the hze morrhages both in the skin and un de r the mucous membranes, reminded him of H x morrhagic Small Pox and Scarlet F ever; and the p ost-mortem ap pearances in no way resemble those ofhuman Typh oid. I en tirely agree with him in thinkin g the sooner the nam e of'' Typhoid " is dropped in connection with this disease the better, as it is misleading in every way; and that in future it would be desirable to adh ere to that of" Pncumo-Enteritis-Contagiosa," \rhich has been g iven to it by Dr. Klein, and which exactly d escribes the di sease as witnessed in our cas c!:i.
89
On June 6th I saw the animal again, a nd her condition was much the same. I was told a butcher had bee n communicated \\·ith. On the I 2th I saw her slaughtered, and on examination th e parts affected presented a most unusual appearance. I have forwarded forty inches of the bowel adj oining the anus. You will observe that the whole of it is surrounded by an immense layer of solid fat, and between this and the intestine is a dense grey substance, one-eighth of an inch in thickness, running the entire length. The stricture commences twelve inches from the anus, and for thirty-six inches is continued-in one or two places scarcely ad mitting the little finger; the mucous membrane is in fla med, more so in some parts th an in others. The mass of bowel sent weighs twenty pounds. Whether it is a case of fatty degeneration, fi brous stricture, or cancer, you will be able to determine. I am at present inclined to believe it is the two former combined, but three med ical men lean to the latter. I have since learned that the heifer had been home-fed since she was a calf, and that her age was about three years when she was s l a~.;gh t ered ; she had never been unwell before, but her grandsire died about four years ago from the same m orbid condition. [Dr. Thin made a careful microscopical examination of two small portions of the morbid specimen above alluded to, and reports that the mass between the peritoneal and muscular coats of the bowel is simply fat; the muscular layer, mucosa and epithelium, being healthy. He adds: ." I suppose it is correct to speak of such a mass as a 'tumour,' although it was not encapsulated . It is certainly safe to call it ' g rowth.' "] P:NEUl\10-E~TERITIS
CONTAGIOSA (SWINE PLAGUE).
l:Y \\', Dc\Y, JUNR., :\f.R.C.\·.s., \'ETERINARY I~ S l'E C T O R, \YAR:\!1~ S TEl~, AND ] . R. LEESON, :\I.B., :\LC., ;lf.K C.S., LATE DE:\IONSTR.\TOR OF ANATO:\IY, ST. THO:\IAS' HOS1'1TAL, LONDO=" .
the present time, when the so-called " Pig Typh oid " is so ,·cry prevalent, and mu ch controversy and diversity of opinion exist in reference t o this disease, especially as to its being analogous to human Typhoid (hence the popular, but, t o my thinking, erroneous name), I thought it mi ght be intercstinf: to some of 1\ T
VOL. IX .
H
go
TILe veterinmy 7 ourua!.
the members of the veterinary profession to give an outline of a few of th e cases which have recently come under my supervision in the capacity of veterinary inspector. In these cases I h;tve been aided by Dr. Leeson, who was staying with me at the time, and a t my request accompanied me; and we together made careful post-mortem examinations on each case, from which he has take n the su bj oined notes. Eight pigs were purchased by a farm er, at a neighbouring market, and taken by a dealer of thi s t ow n (\Varmin ster) with some of his own to Frome market, where they were not di sposed of; but instead of returning home direct, they were kept from Thursd ay, the 19th of June, to Saturday, the 21 st, in one of hi s sties, where pigs had been cond emned for thi s disease some few weeks previously. From the farmer's statement, it appears that on Monday the 23rd, they showed sig ns of illness-loss of appetite, etc.- from which they partially recovered, and appeared better until th e end of the week, when the symptoms increased in four of them, and on l\londay, the 7th of July, the other four which appeared to be \\'ell were removed to another sty. On \Vednesday one of the four affected ones di ed, and the case was repo rted to me. On my arrival, the pig that was dead exhibited externally the usual signs of this di sease, viz., the peculiar patchy purple discoloration of the skin on the abdomen, inside the thigh s, under the throat, and back of the ears. The three pigs on b eing disturbed from the litter on which they '''ere lying, showed unmistakable symptoms in their staggering gait, arched backs, cough, laborious breathing, etc. On examination the abdomen and thighs of two of them were spotted, and one ulcerated; but the other did not show these ext ernal symptoms. I certified as to the disease, and they were slaughtered by order of the Executive Committee. The following post-mortem notes will show the ravages of thi s di sease in each case . In one case in which the other animal had been dead twenty-eight hours before the post11l01'tem examination, there was no R igor mortis. The others being examined immediately after they were killed, and then buried whilst warm, there was no opportunity to note the degree or time at which Rigor mortis would have occurred. Skill.- Hair rough, and coat g enerally somewhat "staring." The belly, inner side of thighs, and the ears, presented in three
Pllouno- EII!crilis Contagiosa (S
91
of the cases num e rous hzcmorrhagic patches, mostly about the ,;ize of a spl it pea ; a nd in tw o of them la rge irre6ular blotches, of a purp le colour. In one case the skin covering the h;:e morr11:-tge had ulcerated, and exuded a thin serum. Th ere \\·ere none of the " rose-colou red "spots seen which have been described by other obse rvers: in fact, all the abnormal appearances presented by th e skin were referable to th e cha nges produced, both in co lou r and otherwise, by the extravasated blood . O n opening the abdo minal cavity the same appeara nces were seen, although to a less marked extent. Numerous sub peri toneal h;:emorrhages :~cne rally about the size of a millet seed, b ut frequently much s maller, oft en b ein g only mere specks, were seen on the p osteri or su rface of th e diaphragm, inner surface of the abdominal walls, and on the colon. In t wo cases, a small amount of lymph was found in the peritoneal cav ity, but th ere was very littl e effu sion, a nd no sig ns of general Perito nitis. On open ing the intes ti nal canal, it presented well -marked appearances of Enteritis, com men cing in the lower part of the ileum, being very marked about the ilco-cxcal valve (i n one case the swelling being so g reat ;tS alm ost t o close the open ing-), but having its chi ef situati on throughout the colon, th e mucou s membra ne o f which was h ighly inj ec t ed and swoll en, being sprinkled over with numerous petechim. In t\\·o instances, in the lower half of the colon, several sub-mucous h;:emorrhage were found, varyi ng in size from :1. split bean to that of a filbert. There was an excess of mucus. No ulcerations were seen, but h ad the animals lived, th e mucous membrane covering the large blood patches would probably in th ree or four clays have broken down, leaving ulcerating surfaces. There was no" diphtheri ti c exudation'' seen. The bowels were fi lled with rather firm and consistent f;:eces; but in one case the fceces were fluid, and of a yellowish colour. Th e rectum was less affected, so that the chi ef stress of th e intestinal affection fell :tpon the uppe r part of the colon, and was most marked in its upper three-fourths. Splem.-In a ll cases th e spleen appeared normal, n ot resembli ng, in the slightest degree, the state of that organ so commonly fou nd in huma n Typhoid and other fevers. L £vcr.-In three cases this was quite normal, in the fourth it was congested, and its substance friable.
92
The Veterinary Journal.
I{zdmys.- These were in all cases free from any pathological changes observable by the naked eye, though th ei r cortex was somewhat pale. Supra-1'enal capsules healthy. Pa7tcreas appeared healthy. P ericardium contained in all cases brownish fluid, its serous lining being sprinkled with sub-serous hx morrhages. H eart.- Was pale and flabby, and free from hxmorrhagic spots. The Pleurm contained, in three cases, a small amount of brownish fluid; in one case there were numerous recent adhesions; in two cases the surface of the lu ngs was covered towards their lower parts by recent lymph ; in th e fou rth case the pleura; appeared healthy. In three of the cases the lun gs prese nt ed, in their lower third, well-marked signs of Broncho-Lobular Pneu monia ; the substance of the lung sinking in water, bein g grey and dense ; on sec tion the lun g subs tance ,,·as grey and mottled, but no casts of the tubes could be squeezed out of the inflamed areas. The uppe r parts of the lungs were somewhat emphysematous. The bronchi were fill ed with tenacious mucus. In the fourth case, the lung affection was very slight, but there were indications of commencing Lobular Pneumonia toward their lower margi ns. The muscl es were pale and flabb y, and did not show any patches of h;:cmorrh age. R cmark s.-From th e above it will be see n that the stress of the di sease fell chiefly upon the lungs, the pig \\·hich died cert ainly succumbed to his lun g affection, and not to tha t o f the intestines. And, no d oubt, had the remaind er been alloYved to live, they also would have died from th e sa me cause. Dr. Leeson states that the hze morrhages both in the skin and un de r the mucous membranes, reminded him of H x morrhagic Small Pox and Scarlet F ever; and the p ost-mortem ap pearances in no way resemble those ofhuman Typh oid. I en tirely agree with him in thinkin g the sooner the nam e of'' Typhoid " is dropped in connection with this disease the better, as it is misleading in every way; and that in future it would be desirable to adh ere to that of" Pncumo-Enteritis-Contagiosa," \rhich has been g iven to it by Dr. Klein, and which exactly d escribes the di sease as witnessed in our cas c!:i.