230 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 



Treatment. — To remove the cause is the first axiom in the treatment 

 of all diseases. Other measures to be employed are to relax the spasms 

 and sustain the strength of the animal. Perfect quiet is to be enforced 

 and the administration of remedies should be effected as gently as possi- 

 ble. When difficulty in swallowing exists, nourishment and medicine 

 should be given per rectum. 



A wound if apparently the cause of the disease, should be reopened and 

 a free discharge of pus promoted; cauterization will be necessary if it is 

 ragged and ill-conditioned, and afterward poultices ought to be applied. 



Among the many sedatives advised in the treatment of this disorder, 

 chloral hydrate promises the best, and should be administered as is 

 advised in strychnine poisoning. This drug may prove ineffectual; if so 

 the tincture of the aconite root should be given by injection; three drops 

 every two hours until relief is obtained. If the result from the use of aco- 

 nite is discouraging, one eighth of a grain of morphine may be administered 

 subcutaneously, and repeated every three or four hours. 



Of the utmost importance is abundant nourishment and stimulation. 

 A cup of milk or beef tea with a raw egg and a tablespoonful of brandy 

 should be given by the rectum every three or four hours, unless it can be 

 taken by the mouth. It is to be remembered that after the spinal cord 

 becomes affected it acts independently, and its irritation does not subside 

 on the removal of the exciting cause. 



