TETANUS TRISMUS LOCKED-JAW. 469 



ordered her to grass, as I considered that it was a case requiring time and 

 rest. I mentioned that I would look at her in a few days, and see 

 how she was doing in the park. Passing by, and not finding her in 

 the park, I went to the farm, and saw the mare ; the pulse was per- 

 fectly regular ; respiration the same ; appetite good ; she seemed to 

 have no difficulty in walking ; but when taken to the water-trough, 

 she could not get down her head ; and upon more minute examination, 

 I found her to be affected with tetanus without lock-jaw. I abstracted 

 blood ; gave a smart dose of physic, as her bowels were costive, and 

 applied a blister from the poll all over the spine. This was on the 9th 

 July. Visited her on the 10th ; the medicine operating well ; blister 

 discharging copiously ; gave more opening medicine combined with 

 tinct. opii ; the head was drawn more upwards, and the mare was feed- 

 ing well on grass, bruised corn, and bran mash, llth and 12th. 

 Continued to give laxatives, combined with cocculus indicus, and 

 changed alternately with small doses of belladonna. 13th. Evidently 

 worse ; her head much drawn back. I considered it to be a case of 

 what is generally termed in the human subject, opisthotonos. To ease 

 the muscles of the neck and back, the mare placed her fore feet in the 

 manger, and rested her head upon the top of the rack. She never 

 showed any symptoms of stiffness in her legs. On the 14th, applied a 

 blister over her neck. 15th and 16th. Her pulse increased in fre- 

 quency, and the mare appeared to be getting worse. On the 18th, she 

 lost the power of her legs. I called in the late Mr Dods of Kirkcaldy 

 in consultation. He considered the treatment appropriate, and advised 

 me to continue it with croton oil, so as to produce liquid evacuations, 

 (she had always a capital appetite, even when down). Mr Dods recom- 

 mended her to be placed in slings. I did so next day ; but she had 

 lost the entire power of her fore legs ; and, when in the slings, she 

 could not bear the least weight on them. She had the full power of 

 the hind legs, and I had to let her down. Her head was so much 

 drawn backwards, that when she was turned over to prevent the de- 

 velopment of sores on the side she had been lying on for some time, 

 the crown of the head and the posterior part of the quarters were the 

 only parts that pressed upon the ground ; and the point of the withers 

 was upwards of 18 inches from the ground. I continued the above 

 treatment till the 25th, when she died. Twenty-four hours afterwards, 

 I intended to make a post-r.ivrtem examination, but I could not get 

 any one to skin her, or to assist me in any way ; so I cut off the fore 



