COMA, OH SLEKPY STAGGERS. 15 



they were exposed to : the marshes being places entirely destitute 

 of shade. Over-ridden or driven horses are attacked on occasions 

 with staggers, but not to the extent that over-fed horses are, with- 

 out taking into the account the disease called stomach-staggers. 

 Concussion, compression, injury of the brain of any sort, may 

 cause congestion or inflammation of it, and so produce sleepy or 

 mad staggers. Mr. Apperley informs us that staggers and megrims 

 are diseases little known in France ; for which he accounts " by 

 the lax state of the intestines the food of the French horses causes." 



COMA OR SLEEPY STAGGERS. 



The coma here intended to be introduced into veterinary noso- 

 logy is the coma somnolentum, of human medicine, which, as near 

 as a disease in man can represent one in a horse, is tlie sleepy 

 staggers of old writers on farriery. 



Symptoms. — In some instances the attack is sudden ; the ani- 

 mal all at once becomes sleepy and comatose, and speedily after 

 manifests delirium : in other cases, a dulness in his manner and 

 sluggishness at his work, and disposition to drowsiness while stand- 

 ing still, is observed perhaps for some days before the horse is be- 

 lieved to be really suffering from illness. 



When coma has set in, somnolency is the prevailing symp- 

 tom. The horse, while standing, hangs his head and closes his eyes, 

 and falls into a profound sleep, out of which, being suddenly awoke 

 by unconsciously dropping down, by the slamming of a door or some 

 other noise, or by some person nigh, he instantly starts up in a state 

 of alarm, appearing as though he were frightened ; soon, however, 

 to relapse, unless his attention be again distracted by something, 

 into his former state of stupor. While aroused, he will open his 

 eyes, and look at, and perhaps recognise, things and persons around 

 him, and will oftentimes take a mouthful of hay held out to him ; 

 at the same time, such is the overpowering influence of somnolency 

 upon him, that he will — as 1 have on many occasions witnessed — 

 actually drop to sleep again with the hay in his mouth. At this 

 time there is a laborious slowness of the respiration, with a tardy, 

 full, soft pulse, and dilated pupils of the eyes. This drowsy fit 

 is succeeded — sometimes attended — by a disposition to bore for- 



