HEMOGLOBINURIA (aZOTURIa) IN THE HORSE. 253 



The symptomatology of hsemoglobinuria is somewhat complex, and 

 this diversity in its clinical appearances has naturally given rise to equal 

 divergence of opinion as to the nature of the disease. Nevertheless 

 certain highly significant signs are never absent. 



Let us first consider its general characters. As I have said, the 

 disease usually appears during work. Invasion is sudden. At first the 

 animal is more lively than usual in proportion to the length of the pre- 

 ceding rest, but suddenly becomes uneasy, and exhibits visibly increas- 

 ing anxiety or colicky pains ; its pace slackens ; rigors, trembling, and 

 localised or general sweating occur ; respiration is quickened, sometimes 

 groaning, or rather oppressed ; the face appears anxious, the nostrils 

 dilated, the eye brilliant ; at this time, or very soon after, movement 

 becomes difficult. In most cases these primary symptoms occur ten 

 minutes or a quarter of an hour after the animal quits the stable ; in 

 others at the end of a quarter of an hour to one hour, sometimes even 

 later. When the animal is attacked in the stable or while being 

 harnessed, symptoms of excitement, stamping, rapid movement of the 

 flank, and anxiety, followed by sweating, are noted. When the animal 

 is started or walked about in order to ease the colic from which it is 

 supposed to be suffering, it moves with difficulty, as in the preceding 

 case. 



The interference with movement, one of the two chief symptoms of 

 the disease, is variable in form, localisation, and intensity. Sometimes 

 it appears as generalised or localised stiffness in the hind quarters, like 

 that due to muscular rheumatism ; sometimes it resembles paralysis, 

 usually limited to the hind quarters ; the hind legs seem paralysed, 

 yield under the body-weight, and are only moved with great difficulty, 

 the toe being dragged or the fetlock even coming in contact with the 

 ground. In a number of cases the hind limbs are unequally affected, 

 or only one may be attacked. Some authors claim to have noted that 

 the left hind limb is more often the seat of disease than the right. 

 This, however, is only accidental : of eighteen cases of paralysis of a 

 single hind limb which I examined, ten were of the right and eight of 

 the left side. Sometimes, but much more rarely, one or both of the 

 fore-limbs may be affected. The muscles neighbouring or antagonistic 

 to those paralysed may show contraction. To such contraction is due 

 the rigidity of the neck, the stiffness and lifting of the tail, and the pain- 

 ful tension in certain muscles of the abdomen and limbs. 



Symptoms of paresis, however, predominate, and sometimes increase 

 with alarming rapidit}^ When the hind quarters are affected para- 

 plegia soon becomes more or less complete ; the animals are unable to 

 stand, appear excited, and vainly struggle to rise. 



