PARTURIENT APOPLEXY. 537 



as diagnostic. The patient occasionally changes her position, 

 sometimes being stretched out at full length as though dead. 

 The breathing is often scarcely perceptible, at other times is 

 of a stertorous character. When the symptoms become well 

 marked, the urine and faeces cease to be passed, and an 

 examination of the bladder often shows it to be full to 

 overflowing. As a rule tympanites makes its appearance at 

 some stage of the disease. The disease may make its ap- 

 pearance within an hour or two after parturition, but 

 usually appears about the second or third day, rarely occur- 

 ing later than the tenth day after parturition. The earlier 

 it appears the likelier it is to be fatal, and a case beginning 

 with great severity may recover, while a case beginning 

 mildly may terminate fatally. 



Treatment. — If the practitioner is called in before the 

 patient falls, and finds her staggering about and showing the 

 characteristic weakness of the hind-quarters, a copious abstrac- 

 tion of blood from the jugular vein may succeed in arresting 

 the course of the disease. A full dose of cathartic medicine 

 should also be administered as quickl}^ as possible. If the 

 brain symptoms are well-marked, and the patient down, 

 phlebotomy should not be practised, as under such circum- 

 stances it will most certainly be productive of harm ; but 

 in all cases a powerful cathartic should be administered. 

 The urine should be removed from the bladder, and enemas 

 of tepid v/ater frequently given. All milk contained within 

 the udder, and capable of being removed in the ordinary way, 

 should be drawn off, its removal having a tendency to 

 favour a further secretion of milk. The patient should 

 be protected from the sun in summer, from the cold in 

 winter, and from draughts and wet weather at all times. 

 The body should be warmly clothed, and the head should 

 be kept cool by applying pounded ice to it, or directing a 

 stream of water upon the poll. Hand-rubbing the body, 



