110 LOCKED JAW 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



LOCKED JAW. 



Fortunately this is not a very frequent disease among catlle ; but 

 it is a very fatal one when it does occur. If the attendant is careful, 

 he will observe the symptoms of this malady one or two days before 

 it is thoroughly and incurably established. There will be a stiffness 

 of gait in the beast — he will walk unusually wide behind — there will 

 be ditficulty of turning — permanent cocking of the tail, except when 

 that is interrupted, or accompanied by a singular tremulous motion 

 of it. Tlie animal can scarcely, and, after a while, not at all, bend 

 his neck to graze; but he will stand with his head protruding, and 

 his ears stiffened, and unnaturally fixed in a somewhat backward 

 direction. Kumination gradually ceases, or is performed slowly and 

 painfully. At length the jaws become firmly closed, and the neck 

 perfectly stiff. The eyes are strangely fixed, and with some degree 

 of squinting, and the expression of the countenance is peculiarly 

 anxious. The breathing is considerably affected, and there is much 

 labour of the flanks. 



The animal will linger on in this dreadful way for eight, or nine, 

 or ten days, almost every muscle of the body being painfully cramp- 

 ed, and the poor creature unable to take a morsel of food, until at 

 length it dies, exhausted by the violent contraction of the muscles 

 and by starvation. 



The usual cause of locked jaw is some neglected or unobserved 

 wound, particularly in the feet. Working oxen, therefore, are most 

 subject to it. Several weeks sometimes pass between the infliction 

 of the wound and the appearance of this disease. Working oxen that 

 have been exposed to cold and wet, after being heated in drawing, 

 freijuently have locked jaw. It has been said that locked jaw is 

 occasion-illy produced by eating some poisonous plant, particularly 

 the colchicum, the water-hemlock, or the yew. I much doubt the 

 ' accuracy of this ; and in many, and probably the majority of, in- 

 stances the cause is altogether unknown. 



The treatment is indicated by the nature of the disease. It is a 

 most violent action of the nerves of motion, either of a part or the 

 whole of the frame. The most likely means to quiet this is the loss 

 of blood, and that in a large quantity. Therefore, the ox should be 

 bled as soon as the complaint is discovered, and bled until his pulse 

 falters, and he staggers, and threatens to fall. The bleeding will 

 usually relax the muscles of the jaw to a certain degree, and for a 

 little while; and advantage must be taken of this to give a strong 

 physic drink. 



