II Jan., 1909.] Diseases of Farm Animals. 49 



Case 4. A four year old horse stated b}' the residents to be " in the 

 middle stages of the arsenical poisoning disease." Symptoms. On being 

 approached quietly he walked off with a staggering uncontrolled gait ; head, 

 neck and ears depressed and with a generally listless and drowsy action. 

 On being excited by being bustled into a trot or canter the loss of muscular 

 control or co-ordination of all four limbs was much more marked, and, 

 when on steeply sloping ground, he more than once almost fell. When 

 excited the head was thrown in the air and shaken from side to side in 

 spasmodic and paroxysmal jerks, the eyes meanwhile protruding and fixed. 

 Defective vision could be judged from the action of the animal diuring 

 progression at different paces, and by the erratic method of striking a 

 course to get away from pursuers. 



Other evidence went to show that, in the majority of cases, horses 

 showed no untoward symptoms for about a month after being brought to 

 the neighbourhood. They then developed feverish symptoms, " shivers 

 and sweats," a staggering gait and " madness" and died in from two to 

 three days from the onset of these symptoms. In cattle (as would be ex- 

 pected from the greater dilution of the poison in the large quantities of 

 ingesta contained in the paunch) the onset was more prolonged and the 

 affection was characterized by symptoms of a more chronic character such 

 as unthriftiness. capricious appetite, " pining," and extreme emaciation. 

 The acute "madness" which was a prominent symptom in all severe 

 advanced cases was manifested by violent contortions and convulsions suc- 

 ceeded by unconsciousness during which the animal often succumbed. 



Acute Arsenical Poisor\ing. — The symptoms which may be looked 

 for other than thr)se detailed above are : — Great prostration of 

 strength, nausea, loss of appetite, purging, colicky pains, redness of the 

 visible mucous membranes, pulse frequent and wiry or imperceptible, cold- 

 ness of extremities, quickened breathing and latterly coma 



Chronic Arsenical Poisoning. — In reference to this it has to be re- 

 membered that, if the amount of arsenic is limited in quantity and 

 partaken of continuously over a lengthened period, a tolerance of the 

 poison is acquired ; and animals mav then take with impunity a dose that 

 would be sufficient to kill an animal unused to it. The practice of giving 

 arsenic regularly to horses in small doses with a view of promoting con- 

 dition, as evidenced by sleekness and glossiness of coat, is in vogue in 

 various parts of England and Southern Europe and has been followed in 

 some training stables in Australia. As long as the practice is continued, if 

 it is not overdone at any time, excellent health appears to be maintained ; 

 but it is when the practice is stopped that the ill effects of the arsenic on 

 the constitution are made manifest. Horses then quickK lose strength, fall 

 off in appearance and become veritable "bad doers" for manv months 

 or even for two or three years. Racing men in Australia should have no 

 difficulty in recalling many cases in which a change of trainer has sufficed 

 to transform a brilliant two or three-year-old into a suburban plater, and 

 the persistence with which complete loss of form, sometimes never re- 

 covered, has followed on the removal of horses from certain stables noted 

 for the high performances of their youngsters, has been often remarked in 

 this connexion. 



The Symptoms of chronic poisoning are those of indigestion, unthrifti- 

 ness, dry staring harsh coat, continuous thirst, depraved appetite, perhaps 

 a chronic cough, irritation and swelling of the eyelids, staggering gait and 



