774 PARALYSIS OF SUPRASCAPULAR NERVE. 



uncured. The case in a bull before mentioned remained uncured. 

 Marked atrophy of the paralysed muscle is an unfavourable symptom, 

 though one case mentioned by Lesbre recovered completely and the 

 atrophied muscle was restored after an interval of eighteen months. 

 The return of irritability under the faradic current is a reliable sign 

 of improvement. While animals affected with this lameness cannot 

 be employed in rapid draught, yet they can scill do slow work in a 

 breast-collar ; the ordinary collar tends to displace the shoulder. 



Treatment must follow general principles. Little can be done 

 to check the progress of already-existing pathological changes in 

 the nerve. At first the patient must be rested, and attempts made 

 to increase local nutrition, and thus prevent atrophy, by kneading 

 or tapping the muscles for 15 or 20 minutes twice daily. Massage 

 may possibly favour removal of already-existing changes in the 

 nerve ; for the same purpose veratrin may from time to time be 

 injected. One and a half grains of veratrin (the variety insoluble 

 in water) is rubbed down with about 75 minims of water without 

 adding alcohol, and the mixture injected beneath the skin over the 

 region of the muscle. Good results have been seen from subcutaneous 

 injection of oil of turpentine. 



On account of the excessive sensitiveness of the horse, the use 

 of electricity, especially of the induced current, is generally too 

 troublesome to be of service, though it is one of the most effective 

 means of arresting loss of muscular and nervous irritability, and may 

 perhaps be tried in valuable animals. When similar symptoms 

 follow bruising, cold applications are preferable. 



Of three horses with this lameness sent to the Berlin school in rapid 

 succession, two showed traces of violence in the shoulder region : 

 one had run away and struck the affected shoulder against a tree, 

 the other one had also been in collision. Symptoms of lameness 

 appeared shortly after the accidents. One of the three horses soon 

 became sound ; the two others appeared incurable. Later two more 

 cases were seen to recover, one in spite of the fact that there had been 

 considerable rupture of muscle. 



Williams describes, under the name of ' l shoulder-slip," a disease 

 said to occur in plough-horses, which are obliged to walk with one 

 foot at a lower level than the other. According to Williams's 

 description, this appears to be paralysis of the suprascapular nerve, 

 though he describes pathological changes in the spinati and teres 

 muscles, as well as in the shoulder- joint. He especially mentions 

 abrasion of the bursa of the postea-spinatus muscle, and rupture 

 of its tendon. It can be proved that rupture of this tendon, which 



