TETANUS, OR LOCKED- JAW 13 



TETANUS, OR LOCKED-JAW. 



SYMPTOMS. To the human being, as well as to 

 the horse, this generally proves a fatal malady. 

 This disease does not manifest itself of a sudden ; 

 but generally steals over the system by slow or 

 insidious means. It first develops itself by the 

 animal appearing heavy and unwell for a day or 

 two ; he feeds sparingly, frequently half chewing 

 his food, and then drops it from his mouth. When 

 he drinks, the water is gulped, in place of the 

 ordinary mode of taking it. The action of the jaw 

 becomes extremely imperfect, and the saliva trickles 

 from the sides of his mouth. The mouth can at 

 length be but imperfectly opened ; and ultimately, 

 the whole voluntary muscles of the neck, head, and 

 upper portions of the body become immovably fixed. 

 The earliest and most reliable symptom of tetanus 

 is spasms of the retractor muscle of the eyeball, and 

 this is in evidence the instant the animal elevates 

 his head, the eye being drawn back and the haw 

 (Membrana Nictitans) shot forward and upwards. 

 In a short time nearly the whole muscles of the 

 body are spasmodically affected. 



CAUSES. This disease is due to the introduction 

 of a microbe (Bacillus Tetani) into the body of the 

 affected horse through a wound. It sometimes 

 comes on instantaneously, after the infliction of a 

 wound, or sometimes a considerable time afterwards. 

 Nicking and docking have frequently caused this 

 affection of the nervous system. The usual way 

 in which this disease comes on seldom leads to a 

 suspicion of what it is, as few who have not previ- 

 ously watched its progress can trace its character. 



