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HEALTH OFFICER

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December 1st, 1868.

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ST. LOUIS BOARD OF HEALTH,

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December Ist, 1868.

ST. LOUIS:
MISSOURI DEMOCRAT BOOK:AND JOB PRINTING HOUSE.

1868.

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St. Louis, December 1, 1868.

To THE HonoraBLE THE Boarp oF HEALTH:

Gentlemen — Although my resignation as Health Officer to the
City of St. Louis has been tendered, and accepted by your honorable
body (September 17), I feel that I still owe a duty in presenting to
the Board some general report on that most important question,
‘“the cattle disease,” the investigation of which came within my
province while acting in the above capacity. I accordingly have
the honor to transmit to you the following, embracing all points of
interest found by me in said examination.

On August 13th I was directed by your honorable Board to
proceed to an investigation of a disease affecting cattle within and
around the city. In furtherance of the object of the Board, power
was delegated me to employ whatever professional aid was needed.
[ accordingly engaged the assistance of Dr. T. F. Prewitt in hold-
ing post-mortem examinations, and of Dr. Gust. Baumgarten as
microscopist. Their reports are appended, marked A. and B.

The first appearance of a markedly fatal disease was in a large
dairy, a few miles beyond the city limits, about the second week in
June. It was confined to some forty or fifty head of stock, just
then purchased from Hlinois, and nearly the whole number perished
in a few days. By segregation of the sick, and the free use of
carbolic acid, after some two weeks the disease disappeared. From
information given to me, the malady did not attack any cows except
the stock from Illinois, although for some days after its advent no
means were taken to guard against contagion. ‘The symptoms, as
detailed to me, were unsatisfactory. The cows were apparently
well in the morning and dead at night. No regular noting of
symptoms seems to have been carried out, but all the employees
united in saying that it was a fearfully rapid and fatal disease.

4 ; REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER

About July 1st it was noticed that a fatal disease was making its
appearance among the milch cows within and immediately around
the city. A gradual increase was observed, until, at the time the
investigation was ordered, some sixty cows were dying weekly. No
connection, however, could be traced between it and that which had
prevailed at the dairy above mentioned. The dairy was so far from
the city limits that no contact between the cows could have taken
place; and it was reasonable to conclude that, if the diseases were
the same, they were due to the same general causes, and not to
contagion.

At the time this investigation was ordered, considerable excite-
ment existed in both the East and West in regard to a disease
among cattle; and consequently, the first point aimed at in the
examination was the past as well as present condition of our stock-
yards. These were found in a good and healthy condition, and,
from the best information I could gain, no disease prevailed among
the stock arriving and departing sufficient to warrant notice. Some
animals had died and had been removed from the yards, but there
had been nothing simulating an epidemic. Some died from injuries
received in shipping, others from a surfeit of food after a long
abstinence, while a few had died from a disease whose nature was
unknown; but the latter were very few. During the whole of the
summer no disease existed at any of our stock-yards similar in
virulence or in extensiveness to that which prevailed at the New
York yards, or other Hastern and some Western yards. I can state
positively that after the 15th of August no disease appeared, as
from that date to the 15th of September the yards were directly
under the supervision of the Chief of Meat Inspectors and myself.
Previous to that time the Chief or his deputies had visited each
of the yards daily, and their reports indicated the usual healthy
condition.

Our disease, whatever was its nature, was found to be confined
exclusively to milch cows, of which from forty to sixty dead were
reported per week, and the men and wagons of the contractors for
their removal were busy night and day. Although many dairies,
large and small, were scattered over the city, there was no extensive
prevalence of the disease in any one. ‘he dead were reported at
various places —on streets and alleys, on the open prairies, and
occasionally in stables and dairies. In some instances three or four

ON THE CATTLE DISEASE. 5

cows were removed, in the course of ten days or three weeks, from
a few dairies, yet the vast majority of the dead were found isolated.
The whole city was not equally affected; the extreme north and south
were unaffected, the whole number of cows dying being confined to
the central portion, from Highth or Tenth streets, running west and
beyond the city limits about a half mile. This was the second point
gained in the investigation: the disease was confined to a certain
district, beyond which it did not extend; that within this district
animals were affected either singly or in small groups.

Desiring to have as much material as possible upon which to
operate during the investigation, and material in the best possible
form for experiments, I took occasion to issue numerous copies of
the resolutions passed by your honorable Board regarding sick cattle.
These resolutions, in substance, requested all owners of sick cows to
report the fact at the office of the Board of Health as soon as dis-
covered. They were printed both in English and German, and
distributed by handbills everywhere throughout the city. I expected
the most ample material from this course, but I am sorry to report
that my efforts were misinterpreted and misunderstood, and in con-
sequence but few cases of sick were reported. Those engaged
in selling milk were fearful that if any sick were reported among
their stock their whole supply of milk would be confiscated and a
prohibition passed against a continuance of their business. The
owners also of private cows showed no disposition to have the
disease investigated by reporting cases as they occurred, and thus
seconding the efforts of the Health Officer. By the efforts of the
Sanitary Ward Police—who were directed to visit daily all dairies
or cow-stables within their respective districts, and report sick
animals at this office—a sufficient number was obtained to study
the disease in the living, although not to the extent that I wished.
The communicability of the disease from the sick to the well was
not so thoroughly studied as to lead me to form authoritative opin-
ions on the subject, as no experiments were employed to prove or
disprove this point. Consequently, whatever opinions I may enter-
tain and report to you on this point were formed not from direct
experiment, but from general observation.

From a history of the progress of the disease, as it was gained
by careful investigation, the first evidence of the epidemic was
shown in the vicinity of the Pacific stock-yards. From this point

6 REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER

it seemed to have gradually extended itself until it embraced the
locality above mentioned; and even when the disease prevailed to
the greatest extent, the greater number of cases still occurred in a
semi-circle of eighteen or twenty blocks around the yards. The
country surrounding the city was as healthy as usual. From exten-
sive examinations and inquiries, I could find no evidence of a
prevailing disease, or any propagation of the epidemic into the
country. Both to the north and south of the city there were many
dairies, often kept in a bad sanitary condition, yet they were free
from disease.

Many circumstances seemed to point to contagion as the means
of spreading, and the idea was continually before me until I found
what I conceived to be good grounds for abandoning it. In all the
cases of sick animals reported, and all dead ones when the owners
could be found, a thorough examination was made into the surround-
ings of the animals —their food, water, stabling, general attention,
cleanliness, etc. There was but one circumstance in which all
agreed, viz: that all cows affected were permitted to run at large
during the day, and housed only at night. There was no exception
to this in all the cases coming under my observation.

It may be well to state that in the western portion of the city
population is scanty, and large tracts of land are in open prairie.
During the summer a plentiful crop of grass springs from these
places, and furnishes food not only to cows, but horses and goats.
Many dairies are scattered over this region; a few large, but the
great majority small—from two to eight cows each. Many of the
families keeping the smaller number are poor, and aid considerably
in paying expenses by selling milk. It is a consideration with them
‘to save as much feed as possible; and thus during the whole summer
their cows run at large and gather good sustenance from the open
prairies. It is thus that the prairies become the feeding-ground for
large numbers of cows, gathered principally from the central portion
of the city.

In no instance did I find the disease attacking cows that were kept
up during the summer or permitted to run in their own pastures.
Cases came under my observation of animals that had been confined
to the’r stables remaining perfectly healthy, although others occu-
pying adjoining stables, but permitted to run out during the day,
were attacked and died by the disease. So, also, in the outskirts

ON THE CATTLE DISEASE. ih

of the city, where cows in numbers were dying around, small dairies,
or individual animals that had private or inclosed pastures, remained
perfectly well.

These facts pointed to a germ of infection procurable in some
manner in the daily walks of the animals. What was this germ,
and in what manner were the animals infected? The suburbs of
the city—the pastures frequented by the animals — were in all
respects the same that they had been the year previous. The grass
was as well grown and the water as pure. Where was the difference
sufficient to cause a reasonable deduction? I was unable to detect
any difference, except that these pastures and the roads and streets
passing through them had been traversed frequently by herds of
Texas cattle.

As explanatory, [ may remark that the great ertrepot for Texas
cattle, from which they are shipped East or sold to traders here, is
the Pacific stock-yards. These are located just within the western
city limits, and about midway between the northern and southern
boundaries. From this point they are driven in berds through the
city to the river, to be shipped by railroad from the Illinois shore,
or distributed to other stock-yards to which they may have been
assigned for sale. The latter yards are situated near the river,
some to the north and others to the south of the Pacific yards, and
to reach them the herds must pass through a good portion of the
city. The line of transit necessarily pursued by these herds is, for
many reasons, as much as possible through the least-inhabited por-
tions of the city. Thus they are thrown, in passing to the Broadway
yards particularly, through those western outskirts of the city where
numbers of cows owned in the city proper are accustomed to graze.
Furthermore, scattered around the Pacific yards and extending to
the west are numerous large inclosures used as resting and feeding
places for the cattle in transit. Some of these are at a distance of
one-half to three-quarters of a mile from the receiving yards, and
numerous spots of grass on either side of the route are open and
frequented by cows from the city. The passage to and from these
yards constitutes another track of infection.

Looking, then, at the position occupied by the Pacific yards—the
center of the infected district —and the tracks of infection leading
from them through that portion of the city to which the mortality
seemed to be almost exclusively confined, the deduction is reasona-

8 REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER

ble, I think, that the mysterious poison left on the trail or in the
pastures visited by Texas cattle was the source of the disease pre-
vailing among our milch cows.

MORBID LESIONS.

The whole number of post-mortem examinations made by me
was fourteen, from which number I selected portions of different
organs of the best-preserved cases, and forwarded them to Dr.
Baumgarten for his examination. For his results I refer you to
his report, marked B.

It is to be regretted that the only cases examined, except one,
were at the rendering establishment of Messrs. Busby & O?Neil, as
all animals there were more or less advanced in decomposition.
The weather was so hot that in twelve or fourteen hours after death
signs of decomposition were always present in the animals. But
as persons objected to having the bodies of their dead animals
opened on their premises, the rendering establishment offered the
only available place where such examinations could take place.
Those in which putrefactive changes had taken place to much extent
were not examined, or simply opened. ‘Those in which the least
changes were perceived were reserved and examined, with the fol-
lowing result :

Upon the removal of the skin there was nothing very remarkable
to be observed in the subcutaneous or muscular tissue. The latter
preserved the natural red color of muscular tissue. The former
in many cases contained large spots in which hypostatic congestion
had taken place, the blood-vessels being filled to repletion with dark
venous blood, partially coagulated. The position usually occupied
was one or other side, extending from the head to the flank. This
was evidently the result of gravitation, and the side affected was that
on which the animal died. The fatty tissue in the majority of cases
was normal, yet in a few a tinge of deep canary-color was perceived.

From the conversation of two gentlemen who had witnessed post-
mortem examinations of what was called ‘‘ Texas fever,’ as it
appeared in a herd of native cattle here some six years ago, I
learned that the animal always presented an exsanguine appear-
ance. ‘There was not only less blood in the carcass, but that found
was thin and watery, scarcely so much colored as to soil the hands.
The opposite condition was presented in all the post-mortem exam-

ON THE CATTLE DISEASE. 9

inations made by me. The animal was always full of dark and
partially-coagulated blood, shown not only in the spots of conges-
tion in the subcutaneous tissue, but every internal organ presented
a greater or less portion in the same condition; and it was an easy
matter to decide from the lungs alone on which side the animal was
lying just before and after death.

TEAUEN, Gass:

I found no indication of true pneumonia. In some cases both
lungs were a mass of disorganized tissue, filled from base to apex
with blood, yet floating in water, softened, and the lobules so sepa-
rated that they stood apart like a bunch of grapes. In other cases
the engorgement was not so universal—a part, and often but a
small part, of the lungs being in this condition. In such cases the
lungs generally contained less air than normal, and were of a darker
hue, often grayish and mottled, with here and there spots of ecchy-
mosis varying in size from a pin-head toa split pea. Upon incising,
a thin, bloody and frothy liquid exuded, but no true solidification
was found in any ease. No change was observed in the bronchial
mucous membrane. The pleurz were natural, no signs of inflam-
mation being perceived in any case. In a few cases serum to the
amount of several ounces was present in the cavity.

HEART.

Within the pericardium there was most frequently a small amount
of serum, but the membrane was smooth and apparently perfectly
normal. ‘Tissue of the heart unchanged, except a less degree of
firmness, though not to an extent to which the term ‘‘ softening”
would be applicable. The left side of the heart was uniformly
empty, while the right side was as uniformly filled with partially-
coagulated blood —the coagula sometimes filling the vessels leading
from the right ventricle to the extent of six or seven inches in
length.

BRAIN.

In three instances the brain was affected. The vessels of the pia
mater were congested and enlarged, and on cutting into the sub-
stance of the brain numerous red points indicated the position of
the vessels. There was no exudation on any portion of the serous
membrane, and no effusion of serum.

10 REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER

The esophagus, first, second, and third stomachs, were healthy.
In many cases the food contained in the latter (for they were never
empty) was dryer than normal, but no other change was perceived.
The true stomach was particularly examined in three cases. In these
it was found reddened, more or less profusely studded with ecchy-
moses; and with one to three small, irregularly-shaped spots of
erosion, situated more particularly about or near the pyloric orifice.
The intestines, both small and large, presented nothing unusual
beyond the scattered spots of ecchymosis.

SPLEEN.

The spleen was always and markedly enlarged, its surface smooth
and dotted with numberless minute white dots. It was of a dark-red
color, exceedingly soft, and an incision into its substance showed
nothing but a mass of bloody pulp that the slightest pressure would
force out in a jelly-like mass. Of all the organs, the spleen was
the only one invariably altered, and to the eye the morbid changes

seemed always of the same character, although a difference existed

as to the stage of advancement.
LIVER.

In milch cows, and indeed in cattle generally, the liver is often
found with evidences of disease in its structure, although the animay
may have enjoyed good health. The usual surroundings of dairy
cows, within the limits of a large city, are such as to provoke the
occurrence of disease in this organ, and consequently it is rare to
find a healthy liver among them. I do not think that, in the cases
examined by me, a natural and healthy condition of this organ was
found ina single instance. Many of the lesions were old, a few
were recent, but all depended either directly or remotely on inflam-
mation. These lesions affected parts of the organ, and were not
of sufficient magnitude to destroy life. Those that seemed to be
connected with the epidemic affected the color and consistency of
the organ. The color varied from a grayish to a bistre brown,
and pervaded the whole organ uniformly. The peritoneal coat
was smooth and shining. The parenchyma was much softened,
the finger readily passing through it. These alterations in con-
sistency and color were not due, in my opinion, to post-mortem
changes, as other cases were examined in which these changes were
not present, although decomposition had progressed to a greater

ON THE CATTLE DISEASE. ft

degree. The gall-bladder was usually full to repletion of a green-
ish-brown liquid; its coats normal.

With one exception, the A¢dneys were found materially changed.
They were deeply congested, of a dark mahogany color——some-
times of a prune-juice color—soft and friable. In some the soft-
ening had progressed so far that the organs were like masses of
plum-jelly, and structureless —a condition increased, no doubt, by
post-mortem changes. In others the consistency was but little less
than natural, but they also presented a darker hue than normal,
and hyperemic to a marked degree. The ureters were unaltered.
The bladder occasionally presented spots of ecchymosis here and
there over the mucous coat, but otherwise it was unchanged. It was
always filled, sometimes almost to bursting, with a dark-red or
bloody clear urine.

The post-mortem of cow No. 5 (Dr. Baumgarten’s report ) I
made in connection with Prof. Gamgee, of London, who had been
for some weeks investigating the disease in Illinois and Kansas.
The cow was killed by bleeding, and the examination immediately
made. This was the only case examined by me in which the kid-
neys—to the eye—were unaltered. They seemed to be so healthy,
indeed, that, taken in connection with the clear and normal appear-
ance of the urine, I forwarded no specimen to Dr. Baumgarten for
his examination. I regret this now, as his examination of the urine
(a specimen of which was sent) showed the presence of a few tube
casts and albumen.

The lungs were found normal in color, but marked freely and
irregularly by ecchymoses. The interlobular tissue was emphysema-
tous to a slight degree, more particularly in the posterior lobe of
the right lung, which also contained less air in the cells than normal.
Tt was on this side that the animal had been lying for some hours
previous to her death.

The heart was normal, except some blood-spots on the endocar-
dium. The alimentary tract was also normal, except the fourth
stomach, which was somewhat reddened and ecchymosed; and near
the pyloric orifice three or four small patches of erosion were found,
The liver was enlarged, but otherwise healthy, except from the pres-
ence of numerous spots of fatty degeneration —an old condition.

The spleen was very much enlarged, much darker than normal,
very soft, and dotted with numerous minute white spots beneath the

1, REPORT OF HEALTH CFFICER

serous covering. The kidneys seemed perfectly healthy; and the
urine was clear and but little darker than natural.

The brain was congested throughout; the veins of the pia mater
were full; and a section of the substance showed very fairly the
‘sanded’ appearance found in inflammation —slight effusion, but
no exudation.

In this case death might have taken place from the lesions found
in the brain, but in no other organ was there present sufficient dis-
organization to have produced a fatal result.

SoM EO MESE

The symptoms presented by the sick were not always uniform ;
that is, there was no regular train of symptoms appearing in each
case. Indeed, in some there was little to be observed, and in others
the disease proved so rapid that the animals seemed struck down at
once, and never rose again. I am not able to give a description of
the various symptoms from a personal observation of many cases.
A few I saw before death; but owing to the difficulties I encoun-
tered, and the reluctance of owners to report the sick, the best I
could do in many cases was to visit the owner, after the death of
the animal, and learn from him the most prominent symptoms pre-
sented. This, in connection with what I observed myself, is the
basis of the following description :

The first symptom observed is a loss of appetite and a diminution
in the flow of milk. The animal becomes listless, and shows a
reluctance to moving about; and, when moving, goes slowly, not
apparently from pain, but from debility. Her ears droop, her head
hangs down, and her eyes lose their natural lustre, presenting a
stupid, dull, sick expression. The pulse is usually small and fre-
quent. The temperature, in all cases in which I used the thermom-
eter, was always high, ranging from 102° to 103°. The bowels
are frequently constipated, although not always, and the urine is
dark-colored or bloody, and free. This stage may continue two or
three days before other and more marked symptoms present them-
selves. In one case six days elapsed, the animal presenting nothing
to be particularly observed other than that just related. In other
cases a few hours only is sufficient to develop more characteristic
symptons, that are rapidly followed by death. The gait gradually

ON THE CATTLE DISEASE. HS

becomes more uncertain and tottering, with a dragging of the hind
legs; the animal shows a disposition to lie down, and when once
down, it is difficult to make her rise again. The urine, if not
already bloody, becomes so, and is voided less freely and easily.
The temperature of the body rises—most frequently reaching 107°,
and in some cases as high as 112°. The pulse becomes quickened
and more feeble, often imperceptible in the extremities ; the respi-
rations rapid; the urine ceases to pass; and, by position and move-
ments, the animal shows evidences of intense prostration. In many
cases nothing more was observed, death soon taking place.

In others — with the symptoms of depression, increased tempera-
ture, constipated bowels, and bloody urme— marked frequency of
respiration, with a very slight cough, was observed, along with a
rapid and feeble pulse. The cow, when made to rise, would knuckle
over on both hind-fetlocks, and stand with depressed head, drooping
ears, arched back, hollow flank, and hind-legs drawn under her, with
a tremulous jerking of the muscles of the flanks and thighs. She
would soon lie down again; respiration more rapid, pulse more feeble
and fluttering until her death, which soon came.

In still others, during the latter stage, respirations are less fre-
quent than in health, often slow and deep; the pulse is rapid, the
head, horns, and ears are hot; and while lying, the head is stretched
backward as far as she can get it, and fixed in that position. In
these cases it is said that convulsions often appear, but I have never
seen them take place. The animal, under my observation, seems
rather to sink into a more or less complete comatose condition, in
which she dies. The constipated bowels, though a frequent condi-
tion, did not always exist, and the dejections presented no abnormal
appearance. The bloody urine, with arched back, hollow flank, and
knuckling over on both hind-fetlocks, were the most characteristic
symptoms ana the most usual, together with depression, feeble pulse,
and high temperature. In them the kidneys were afterward found
markedly changed. Some cases proved very rapidly fatal, with few
or none of these symptoms, and in these the kidneys were found
less affected, but the lungs were more or less engorged, the heart
was in a softer condition than normal, or the liver was altered in
color or consistency. In all cases where stupor or a semi-comatose
condition existed, with hot horns and ears, the brain was found
congested.

14 REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER

These were the symptoms that were presented under my observa- »
tion, or were gathered from a cross-examination of the owners. It
is probable that a more extended observation than I enjoyed would
have revealed others. Sufficient, however, has been presented to
characterize the disease.

NATURE OF THE DISEASE.

This portion of the subject I approach with great reluctance, as I
have nothing beyond bare hypothesis or conjecture to offer. [ have
thus far presented facts, or what I believe to be facts, viewed with-
out bias or preconceived ideas. It would be indeed remarkable if,
in the narrow limits of my observation, an explanation of the mys-
teries attendant on this disease could have been found. I have found
none, and consequently have none to report. The interest attached
to the disease as it appeared in various parts of the country. culmi-
nating in the efforts of several distinguished and scientific gentlemen
to study it, will result in many reports on the subject, showing the
course, symptoms, and morbid changes observed within the respect-
ive localities of the different observers. It is only from a careful
analysis of these various reports, from a comparison of the facts
observed in all that relates to the disease, that any true deductions
can be made as to its nature and cause. No individual report can
succeed in making deductions that will stand the test of time. In-
deed, the narrow limits of observation in the power of any single
individual would detract much from the theories advanced. I there-
fore simply offer, through your honorable Board, the foregoing to
add to the many reports at present being prepared, as a contribution
to the general fund. It is a description of the disease as it prevailed
in our city, and as such can be used to compare with the disease as
it prevailed elsewhere.

Hitherto there has been but little literature on the subject. The
present year is the first in which regular and systematic efforts have
been made to comprehend the laws and nature of the disease. Long
complained of through the Southwest, with laws in operation to
curtail or prevent the supposed origin, no positive knowledge has
ever been presented as to the poison that is supposed to infect the
native stock. I trust sincerely that the present extended series of
observations, the thorough sifting of the testimony offered, and the
use of the many valuable adjuncts to medical research at present in

ON THE CATTLE DISEASE. ha

use, may result in the discovery not only of the laws govern-
ing the disease, but its nature and the means of prevention or
mitigation.

In conclusion, permit me to offer the following as my present
convictions :

1. The disease is a non-contagious zymotic fever, with an incu-
bative period of from ten to twenty days.

2. That the germ exists among Texas cattle, not per se, but
developed similarly to ‘‘ crowd poison”? in man, by scanty food,
continued exertion, close crowding, animal exhalations, and the
usual concomitants of large masses of animals in transit.

3. That the germ is inoperative in the systems of the Texas
cattle— owing to what cause I cannot surmise —but is highly
poisonous to native cattle, or Texas cattle acclimated here by a
residence over winter.

4. That close proximity is not sufficient to infect the native cat-
tle, but actual contact with some of the excretions of the Texas
cattle is necessary. The occupation of pens, boats, or stables
previously used by them may be sufficient, but the co- or after-
occupancy of pastures, or mingling with them in their route, will
certainly infect native stock.

5. That the period of time during which the poison remains
active is unknown, beyond the fact that severe cold destroys it
effectually.

6. That the blood of the infected animals is primarily affected
and its vitality soon destroyed; and that, secondarily, the spleen,
kidneys, and liver become diseased, either through ineffectual efforts
to eliminate or alter the poison, or through a stasis of the blood in
their structure, owing to its diminished vitality.

7. Pathological evidence, particularly the microscopical condi-
tion of the fibers of the heart, points to the continued presence of
a depressing agent in the blood, whether that agent be the zymotic
germ itself circulating, or the continued influence of a low grade of
morphological changes.

16 REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER

8. That native cattle, although dying from the disease, do not
infect other native cattle, either by actual contact or by the influence
of the secretions.

9. That the remedies known to have anti-zymotic powers are the
only ones possessing any influence over the disease.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES W. CLEMENS, M.D.,
Late Health Officer.

GA)
St. Louis, October 25, 1868.
Dr. J. W. Cremens, Health Officer:

Str—In accordance with your request, I visited, on different
occasions, the factory for dead animals beyond Cheltenham, with
the view of ascertaining by post-mortem what pathological changes
characterized the disease proving so fatal among the cows of the
dairies in and about the city, and respectfully submit the following
report.

Aside from the fact that no history of the case was known from
the time the animals were attacked with disease until death, a
considerable time usually elapsed between the occurrence of death
and the delivery of the carcasses at the factory. I have had an
opportunity of examining eight dead animals. In none of these
was there any record of the time of death, and it could only be
conjectured from the appearance of the body and the progress of
decomposition. In some of these the changes in the organs exam-
ined were so considerable as to present some difficulty in determining
what was pathological and what post-mortem. The condition of
the lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys, as also the peritoneum and
pleura, was examined in all. In one the brain was examined; and
in one, in which the post-mortem changes were not such as to ren-
der it useless, the mucous membrane of the true stomach, intestines,
and bladder. In five the animals had been dead long enough for

ON THE CATTLE DISEASE. ular

considerable post-mortem changes to have occurred. In these there
was the most marked alteration in structure of the principal viscera
—the lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys.

The lungs were dark, in parts gorged with blood, the parenchyma
disorganized and breaking down upon the slightest touch. The liver
was about the color of burnt umber, its consistency greatly altered,
breaking down readily under the finger, and in some instances
advanced to a pulpy state. The gall-bladder was filled with bile
about the color of plum-juice. The kidneys were very dark and
very much disorganized. The spleen was more or less enlarged
and pulpy.

While these changes were evidently in great part post-mortem,
they seemed disproportioned to the general evidences of decomposi-
tion. In other words, these organs seemed to have undergone more
rapid disorganization than would have been anticipated from the
probable period of death as indicated by the general condition of
the body. In the three remaining cases death had evidently taken
place more recently, and the indications of post-mortem changes
were slight. In two there was great engorgement of the lower and
posterior portions of the lungs, seemingly of a purely passive char-
acter — probably post-mortem —as there were no indications of
inflammatory exudations in any case, and the lung tissue floated
readily in water. In the remaining case the lungs were normal.
The liver in these cases was but little altered in structure — its sub-
stance, in two cases, tinged almost an orange color. ‘The bile
contained in the gall-bladder was of a dark-green color. The
kidneys were highly congested, of a dark-red color, with but little
alteration in consistency. In all the cases the spleen was more or
less enlarged, and in two very much so. In none of the cases was
the pleura or peritoneum found to be involved. The bladder was
usually found distended with urine of a deep-red color, evidently
colored with blood. Upon the application of heat and nitric acid,
albumen was precipitated in abundance, three-fourths of the fluid
being seemingly converted into coagulated albumen. Under the
microscope, however, no tube-casts were discovered. In the only
instance in which the brain was examined it presented a healthy
appearance. The mucous membrane of the stomach, intestines,
and bladder, examined in but one instance, as stated above, pre-
sented ecchymosed spots here and there.

2

18 REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER

Of all the organs, the spleen and kidneys have been most uni-
formly involved in pathological changes. The congestion of the
kidneys I am disposed to regard as the result of an attempt at
elimination of the materées morbé through that organ — an effect,
therefore, and not an essential part, of the malady. Should observa-
tion, however, show that great congestion of the kidneys is a uni-
form condition, the retention in the blood of the renal excretions
might prove to be the proximate cause of death. Upon this point
the history of the disease and the mode of death should throw some
hight.

Upon the whole, the anatomico-pathological lesions scarcely seem
sufficient to account for death. The essence of the disease, no
doubt, is the empoisonment of the blood through the introduction
of a specific poison, and the fatal result dependent upon those more
subtle changes to be discovered only by the microscope, by chemical
re-agents, or perhaps defying all research.

Respectfully, T. F. PREWITT.

(B)
St. Louts, October 25, 1868.
Dr. J. W. Cremens, Health Officer :

Sir —IL have the honor to report below the results of the histo-
logical examinations of morbid specimens, which you submitted to
me, of the organs of cattle affected with the so-called ‘‘ Texas
fever.” (The specimen of lung from cow No. I. does not belong
to this class, the animal having died of traumatic pneumonia. The
lung was found in a state of splenisation; capillaries gorged with
blood; no solid exudation in the infundibula or terminal bronchi. )

Cow No. Il. — Aug. 16th; twelve hours after death; specimen
somewhat altered by putrefaction.

Liver — Of a uniform grayish-brown color; peritoneal covering
smooth and unchanged. Microscope showed secreting cells of liver
more darkly granulated than normal, and almost devoid of fat

globules.

ON THE CATTLE DISEASE. AK)

First stomach —No change perceptible.

Second stomach — Mucous coat normal ; its epithelium separat-
ing in large flakes, which are slate-colored, owing to pigmentation
of the epithelial cells.

Lung —Dark slate-colored; very completely collapsed; con-
tains almost no air. Not hyperemic. Bronchioles contain some
mucus abounding in cells.

Heart — A little pale, very friable. Muscular structure almost
destroyed by molecular degeneration. The primitive fibre is every-
where found separating into fibrils and ‘+ sarcous elements.”” /Vo

Watacsuee tig. 1)

Cow No. Il.— Aug. 16th; specimen very putrid, so that none
of the organs were in a state of preservation suitable for examina-
tion, except the

Kidneys—These exhibited, aside from post-mortem alterations,
traces of degeneration far advanced. Tubules so friable as to
appear only in fragments; secreting cells almost wholly destroyed ;
the tubules filled with a molecular debris.

Cow No. IV.— Aug. 19th; twelve hours after death.

Trachea — Normal appearance ; its walls covered with a light-
brown mucus, containing ciliated epithelium and various kinds of
mucous and formative cells in abundance, most of them in various
stages of fatty degeneration. (See fig. 2.)

Lungs — Fawn-colored, with a tinge of green; crepitates, but
contains less air than normal, and is pretty firm under the finger.
Section emits a dirty, bloody fluid which contains many cells; the
latter are mostly round or oval, nucleated, and have an average
size of .009—.012 millimetres diameter; their contents are granu-
lar. On scraping a section of lung, clumps of these cells are
found in great numbers, frequently moulded in the shape of the
infundibula. (See fig. 4.)

Kidneys — Both alike; hyperzemic, soft, friable; surface not
granular ; serous covering normal, shining, and smooth. Glomeruli
appear normal under the microscope, but rather large. Extensive
granular (molecular ) degeneration of the secreting cells; the
contents of a// the urinary tubules, both convoluted and straight, in

20 REPORT OF HEALTH OFFICER

the cortical portion as well as in the medullary, are found in various
degrees of degeneration— slight in some, in others to such extent
that the forms of the individual cells can no longer be recognized.
Among this debris there was little or no fat (as I convinced myself
by exhausting a large portion of the kidney with ether.) (See
fig 3.)

Urine—Dark-red ; contained no morphological elements but the
kidney debris, as above described; cells far advanced in degenera-
tion; and very few extremely small oil-globules. Contains albu-
men. No red blood-corpuscles.

Cow No. V.— Aug. 22d; pronounced by Prof. Gamgee to be
well-marked Texas fever. Animal Az//ed.

Blood — No morphological abnormity detected.

Urine — Clear, yellow. No morphological constituents except a
very few casts of urinary tubules in cloudy swelling. Contains
some /z/¢t/e albumen.

Fourth stomach — The mucous membrane of the folds shows
many smal] ecchymoses, from the size of a pin-head to a quarter-
inch in diameter. The blood is effused between the tubular glands.

Liver —In general, normal. Presents yellow spots of various
sizes under the peritoneal covering. A section of these spots shows
the alteration to penetrate to a certain depth, embracing wedge-
shaped pieces of tissue, the largest of which was of about the size
of a hazel-nut. They are of a yellow, opaque color; the individual
acini are still distinguishable with the aid of a lens — the central
zone appearing yellowish-white or sometimes nearly white, the mid-
dle and external zones buff or light-brown. The secreting cells
of the central zone have disappeared, fat taking their place —z. e.,
they are no longer individually distinguishable ; those of the more
external parts of the acinus are far advanced in fatty degeneration.
These fatty spots are remarkable for their strict limitation to cir-
cumscribed localities, but they seem to me to have no connection
whatever with the disease in question.

Spleen — Soft, very dark-red, full of blood. I can discover no
structural change. The white spots seen externally are fatty depos-
its in and below the serous covering.

ON THE CATTLE DISEASE. mA

Lung — Somewhat congested; no structural lesion.

Heart—Endocardium of ventricles and valves shows slight ecchy-
moses ; otherwise normal. Muscular fibres a// and invariably show
fibrillation to an extent otherwise unobserved in recent muscular
structure, such as this is. he transverse striation at the same
continues distinct. There are only traces of the molecular decay
noted in Cow No. I. No separation into sarcous elements.

You will understand that the limited number of cases observed
will not permit me to draw general conclusions. At the same time
I must regret that, even in these cases, not all organs were submit-
ted for examination, but only such as seemed diseased on inspec-
tion with the naked eye. The points to which I may venture to
call attention, as appearing to me of more than merely accidental
import, are the lesions of the kidneys and heart. The changes
which the muscular structure of the heart had undergone in Cow
No. I., I have satisfied myself, were not due to post-mortem alter-
ation alone; and the microscopic appearances found in the heart of
Cow No. V., which had been killed some time before her death
was expected, confirmed me in this opinion. The well-marked
catarrhal pneumonia of Cow No. IV. deserves remark.

T am, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

J. G. BAUMGARTEN, M.D.

EXPLANATION OF FIGURES.

9

Fic. 1. [Cow No. 2. Heart, R. V.]—Muscular fibres showing longitu-
dinal striation, separating into fibrils, and ultimately into a molecular
detritus. Magn. 300.

Fic. 2. [Cow No. 4. Trachea.] Elements from the mucus covering the
trachea. Magn. 330.

Fig. 3. [Cow No. 4. Kidney.] Fragments of uriniferous tubes; epithe-
lial cells in various stages of granular degeneration. a—portion of a straight
tube only slightly affected; b—isolated cells of the same, granulated; ¢ d—
convoluted and straight tubes, the contents of which are far progressed in
degeneration. (The majority of tubes were found in this condition.) ee—
portions of narrow communicating tubules (naturally devoid of secreting
cells), showing a great increase of nuclei.

Fic. 4. [Cow No. 4. Lung.] Exudative plugs or casts, scraped from
the cut surface of the lung.

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