10 STAGGERS. 



quite down to the bone, directly over the puncture, and applied blisters to the 

 surrounding parts ; gave physic, and bled. — 2, Repeat the bleeding, and give 

 an aperient ball. — 3d, Bleeding and ball repeated. In the evening the bowels 

 were freely acted on. — 4th, External wound suppurating kindly, and all the 

 functions going on regularly. Repeated the blisters. All night a degree of 

 stupor was observed. Repeat the bleeding. — 5th, Delirious, and requiring 

 much constraint. — 6th, This morning applied a trephine, making the original 

 puncture the centre, and expecting on the removal of the bone and division of 

 the membranes, a flow of some fluid. Nothing, however, followed. I then 

 extended the opening through the membranes to the full extent of the open- 

 ing in the skull, and, looking into the head, was surprised to find almost an 

 empty cavity : nearly two-thirds of the cerebrum on that side were gone, and 

 what remained at the back part of the skull was covered with a dry black 

 coating, presenting an appearance much like the pigmentum nigrum when 

 the humours of the eye have been evacuated. The horse died that night. 

 Thinking it was a case likely to occur again, I made no inquiry, which I now 

 much regret. 



STAGGERS. 



Disease of the brain and its membranes constitutes one of those 

 branches of hippopathology which has undergone cultivation infe- 

 rior to most others : as one reason for which we may adduce the 

 comparative infrequency of its occurrence ; as another, the acknow- 

 ledged trouble and difficulties attendant on post-mortem examina- 

 tions of the encephalon of the quadruped. That the horse's brain 

 is on occasions the seat of congestion or plethora, as well as of in- 

 flammation, we have evidence enough, both in living and in 

 dead subjects who have evinced symptoms of cerebral disorder : 

 sufficient cases stand likewise on record to prove that the organ is 

 obnoxious to many or most of the same changes in appearance and 

 structure, as have been from time to time detected by diligent ex- 

 aminations into the morbid human brain. 



In common, we hear of but two diseases of the brain in the horse ; 

 one is megrims — the other, staggers. The first I believe to be 

 an affection admitting of being sufficiently characterized to stand 

 by itself; but under the last, which must be regarded as a generic 

 appellation, may be comprised coma, apoplexy, and phrenitis : in 

 other words, there are to be met with in practice, besides stomach 

 staggers, '' sleepy staggers," " apoplectic staggers," and phrenitic 

 or " mad staggers." 



