DISEASES OF THE SPIN.VL CORD. 539 



CHRONIC SPINITIS. 



This again presents itself in two forms, namely, that associated 

 with tonic spasm of the voluntary muscles, and that associated 

 with paralysis of particular muscles. 



Chronic spinitis associated with exalted muscular contractility 

 is in some districts termed the " cords," from the fact that the 

 superficial muscles have a prominent or corded appearance. 



The symptoms are at first obscure. There is some degree of 

 stiffness about the spine, the animal turns with difficulty, and 

 often groans when made to do so suddenly. Some particular 

 muscle is now seen to stand out from its fellows, and present a 

 permanent rigidity and hardness. Very often the muscles of the 

 shoulders or the levatores humeri and cervical muscles are first 

 affected ; but gradually the whole body becomes more or less 

 stiff, the limbs are flexed w^ith difficulty, the nose elevated, and 

 the animal seems as if affected with chronic tetanus ; the facial 

 muscles, however, remain normal, and the animal continues to 

 feed well. After the lapse of some weeks, the hind limbs 

 become feeble ; there is knuckling over at the fetlocks, crossing 

 of the feet, staggering gait ; the animal seldom lies down, and 

 rises with great difficulty, and eventually becomes paralyzed, and 

 has to be destroyed. 



In the other form the first symptoms are, staggering gait, 

 weakness of the hind legs, crossing of the feet, and a gradually 

 increasing loss of motor power, until finally the animal becomes 

 powerless, unable to rise from the recumbent posture, and has to 

 be destroyed. In none of these cases — acute or chronic — do we 

 find that the sphincters lose their power of contractility, nor is 

 common sensibility lost. Indeed, in the acute form, I have 

 often thought there was hyperassthesia, and that the animal 

 dreaded the touch of its attendant. These conditions indicate 

 that the meninges are the principal seat of the inflammation. 



The post mortem. — The spinal cord is red, injected, and soft- 

 ened (red softening),the meninges thickened, the arachnoid covered 

 with an exudate, which in some places joins its opposed surfaces, 

 or is filled by a semi-purulent or reddish serosity. In one case, 

 which died during very cold weather, the fluid, being frozen, after 

 death presented a very beautiful appearance. 



Idiopathic spinitis differs from that arising from external 



