PARALYSIS OF THE HIND EXTREMITIES. 743 



(1) In injuries with compression or bruising of the spinal cord, 

 as in some fractures of vertebrae in the dorsal, lumbar, or anterior 

 sacral region (see Fractures, &c). Hess saw paraplegia in a bull 

 caused by necrosis between the first and second lumbar vertebra?. 

 The spinal column presented an elbow directed upwards, and the 

 vertebral canal had become narrowed. As the animal was suffering 

 from tuberculosis of the epididymis these changes were regarded as 

 tuberculous. Stroese saw a case of pachymeningitis spinalis interna 

 purulenta in a cow, caused by streptococci and bacterium coli 

 communis. Matthiesen identified as the cause of paralysis of the 

 hind-quarters in a cow an actinomycotic growth, which, growing 

 from the condyloid foramen, had exerted pressure on the medulla 

 oblongata. Dorrwachter found a sarcoma of the first dorsal 

 vertebra in a cow. In a horse which, after falling, had shown 

 gradually progressive paralysis from behind forwards, Frohner 

 discovered a circular belt of connective tissue surrounding and stran- 

 gulating the spinal cord between the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. 



(2) In inflammation of the spinal cord and its membranes in the 

 regions indicated, usually a sequel of some other disease, especially 

 of fevers or infectious diseases like influenza, strangles, or distemper. 

 The enzootic paraplegia, so common in America, belongs to a group 

 of infectious diseases which are constantly in evidence in some 

 countries. Paraplegia is also one of the symptoms of sunstroke. 



On the other hand, that form of paralysis affecting the hind- 

 quarters during haemoglobinuria is dependent less on change in the 

 spinal cord than in the muscular tissue. The fact that haemoglo- 

 binuria is always accompanied by paralysis of the hind-quarters 

 has not only led to the incorrect description " rheumatic paraplegia," 

 but also to the erroneous view that disease of the kidney may produce 

 paraplegia. 



Idiopathic inflammation of the spinal cord and of its membranes 

 has also been seen in horses. Friedberger found two areas of softening 

 a little in front of the lumbar swelling of the spinal cord, and a 

 watery fluid in the sub-arachnoid space in an eighteen to twenty 

 year old horse which for some days had been affected with incomplete 

 paraplegia, and later had shown symptoms of paralysis about the 

 head (lips and tongue). Dieckerhoff describes a case of meningitis 

 spinalis purulenta in a horse. Axe discovered, on making a post- 

 mortem of a horse which, after recovering from strangles, had 

 suffered from paraplegia, oedema and capillary haemorrhage in the 

 pia mater spinalis and infiltration of the spinal cord with pus 

 corpuscles, whilst the spinal column itself was quite intact ; possibly 



