594 Inflatumatioii of the Spinal ("ord. 



aims. Tlie anterior limit of tlie affected area soon moves in the 

 forward direction and readies the abdominal wall, and from 

 there extends to the thoracic wall, respiration being carried 

 on solely by active contraction of the diaphragm. Shortly after 

 this there is paralysis of the mnscles of the fore limbs, and 

 the animals lie on the gromid helpless but perfectly conscious. 

 Death occurs shortly after, owing to the diaphragm becoming 

 involved. The groups of muscles Avhich lie immediately in 

 front of the progressing part of paralysis show, as a rule, fibril- 

 lar twitchings and even slight clonic and tonic spasms before 

 they become paralyzed. The animal suffers from hiccoughs 

 before paralysis of the diaphragm occurs. The paralyzed mus- 

 cles are in a condition of complete relaxation, and offer no 

 passive resistance. The reflexes are completely destroyed in 

 the paralyzed area, but percussion of the paralyzed muscles 

 produces slow contractions right up to the time of death (me- 

 chanical degeneration reaction). 



If the process starts higher up and spreads further for- 

 wards or backwards, symptoms of supranuclear paralysis are 

 observed from the outset in the latter case in the parts of 

 the body posterior to the seat of the inflammation, this grad- 

 ually passes into a nuclear paralysis with obliteration of the 

 reflexes and paralysis of the sphincters. If the process extends 

 forwards, the original paralysis remains supra-nuclear, but 

 towards the head the nuclear paralysis involves an ever in- 

 creasing area. 



In myelitis disseminata inflammatory foci occur in both 

 the white and gray matter of the cord, the distribution and 

 extent of which are variable, and in consequence the symptoms 

 vary from case to case. The disease is usually seen in cases 

 of distemper, and it is apparently not rare to observe hemor- 

 rhagic myelitis in the horse. In this as possibly also in other 

 forms of myelitis there may be centers of inflammation in the 

 brain, in wdiicli case the symptoms would be still more compli- 

 cated. 



In the majority of cases of myelitis disseminata due to 

 distemper, there are more or less rhythmic contractions which 

 generally involve the muscles of the extremities, Init more 

 rarely may affect the muscles of the neck or the abdominal 

 muscles exclusively. The muscles of the chest and the mus- 

 cles supplied by the radial and sciatic nerves chiefly are in- 

 volved. In the majority of cases there is a nuclear paralysis, 

 and sometimes also a supranuclear paraplegia of certain 

 groups of muscles of the extremities and of the sphincters. 

 Charitat observed persistent gnawing of the end of the tail 

 (automutilatio) in a dog that was fully conscious. 



In a case of (li»seniinatefl myelitis in a horse Weber and Barrier observed 

 a gradually proj^ressive paresis of the extremities and a consequent rapid tirinjj 

 of the yiatient. Three months later the disturbance was more striking. During 

 Tiiotiou liotli the fore and hind feet -were lifted jerkily, abducted and advanced with 

 excessive flexion, adducted and set down clumsily. This was followeil by marked 



