550 SPORADIC DISEASES. 



— (See Lathyriasis, page 487.) The canine distemper poison 

 leads in many instances to softening of the cord, in which 

 its substance is broken down and softened ahnost to a pulp. 

 In recent cases the softened cord is red or yellowish-red in 

 appearance, due to some degree of accompanying congestion. 

 In the more chronic cases, or those which have lived for a longer 

 period, the red appearance is absent. White softening may, 

 however, occur quite independently of the red or inflammatory 

 form, and is due to oedema or effusion of serum. I have re- 

 peatedly seen not only softening but apoplexy of the cord occur 

 as a sequel to canine distemper, and in which the neurilemma 

 of the roots of the nerves were filled by a clear fluid material^ 

 and quite devoid of true nervous matter. In softening, the grey 

 matter of the cord is always more affected than the wdiite. I 

 have never seen the converse condition of the cord, namely, 

 hypertrophy, nor induration of its substance. The treatment is 

 the same as that for paraplegia, and in the case of a valuable 

 animal galvanism should be tried for a prolonged period. 

 Young sheep grazed on newly limed land are often affected with 

 spinal paralysis. 



LOUPING-ILL, OR TREMBLING. — {Ixoclic ToXCBmia.y 



Louping-Ill. — The term " louping-ill," supposed to be derived 

 from hloupa, an old Scandinavian term for " a staggering gait," 

 as applied to the disease, is general in some parts of Scotland, 

 whilst in others it is known by the term " trembling." It 

 seems to prevail more in the Silurian hill districts of Scotland, 

 and extends from the Hebrides to the southern extremity 

 of Dumfriesshire, being equally prevalent in the district of 

 Langholm as in the isle of Skye. There is this difference, 

 however, namely, in the southern parts it rarely occurs to 

 any extent but during the early summer months, commencing 

 about the middle of April, and disappearing before the end of 

 June; whereas in Skye there are two annual outbreaks, — one 

 in early summer, and another in autumn, commencing at the 

 end of August, and terminating in a month or six wrecks. 



It is stated that it affects, but to a slight extent, cattle, horses, 

 and pigs. I have seen well-marked cases in horned cattle, but 

 never in horses and swine. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms, as observed during my investi- 

 gations in 1881 and 1882, were as follows: — 



^ Condensed from Reports to the Highland and Agricultural Society of 

 Scotland, 1882-97. 



