134 THE PRACTICE OF VETERIXARY MEDICINE. 



attack has passed off a purgativ^e should be given. Vomiting 

 will ensue sometimes, more especially if the patient be a dog, 

 in which case worms are often vomited up. Potassium 

 bromide is as good as anything to give. Some physicians who 

 are famed for their treatment of epilepsy use potass bromide 

 principally, and endeavour to remove the exciting cause. 



TETANUS. 



Tetanus is a by no means uncommon disease, coming 

 under the notice of the practitioner pretty frequently. 

 It is due to some lesion of the nervous system, and may 

 be defined as a nervous affection, characterized by a 

 tonic contraction of the voluntary muscles. The variety 

 known as trismus, or lockjaw, is characterized by contrac- 

 tion of the muscles of the jaws. In trismus, when well- 

 marked, the masseter muscles are so firmly contracted that 

 it is impossible to get anything between the tightly-clenched 

 teeth. In all cases, and in every variety of tetanus, it is prob- 

 able that the whole muscular system is more or less impli- 

 cated, but of course some muscles more than others. Tetanus 

 is a very appropriate name, as it signifies ' to stretch.' 



Opisthotonos. — This is the name used to designate the 

 variety of tetanus wherein the muscles of the back are rigidly 

 contracted, and the head and tail carried erect. Another 

 variety is Emprosthotonos. This condition is exactly the 

 opposite of the one previously described, as the muscles of 

 the belly are rigidly contracted, and the head is depressed 

 by contraction of the inferior cervical muscles. 



Pleurosthotonos (or trismus lateralis) is when the head 

 and neck are pulled around to one side, by virtue of the 

 contraction of the muscles of that side. 



Tetanus further consists of two divisions, ' traumatic ' and 

 ' idiopathic' It is said to be ' traumatic tetanus ' when due 

 to an injury, and when the disease occurs without any 

 appreciable cause it is known as ' idiopathic tetanus.' The 



