ENCEPHALITIS— PHRENITIS — MAD STAGGERS. 17 



Symptoms. — The approach of the phreniticor mad paroxysm is 

 foreboded by the animal waking out of his sleepy or comatose state, 

 and staring about him with a fearful wildness and vacancy in his 

 countenance ; his breathing the while getting more and more quick 

 and irksome, and the pulse rising with the respiration. Suddenly, 

 he makes a frightful throe, dashing himself against rack or manger, 

 or wall, or throwing himself down, and then lying breathing 

 stertorously, with his eyes looking as if they were starting out of 

 their orbits, no light at the time affecting the dilated pupils, nor he 

 heeding any thing that may be done or said to him. On other occa- 

 sions, the frantic animal will rear both his fore legs into the manger, 

 and in this posture stand, with his head erected, for several minutes 

 perhaps, no person daring to approach the while, lest he should 

 unexpectedly spring up or reel round and fall upon the intruder. 

 In a word, our patient is now " mad," furiously so, in the worst sense 

 of the word as applied to staggers, and how, or where, or upon whom 

 he may in his delirious throes precipitate his body, is so uncertain, 

 to himself as well as to every body around him, that any approach 

 to him, without extreme caution, or in a way in which ready escape 

 is at hand, is fraught with imminent danger. Both the respiration 

 and the pulse become during the fit very much excited, only remit- 

 ting a little at such times as the animal remains stationary or quiet. 

 As the disease increases, instead of lying quiet as before, in a state 

 of apparent insensibility after a throe, convulsions will follow so 

 quick upon one another, that the patient will be kept in continual 

 struggle, panting and perspiring, and perhaps foaming at the mouth, 

 leading his attendants to believe he is not only phrenitic but 

 actually rabid. This is a circumstance engendering so much ap- 

 prehension and alarm, that not only is a prompt and decisive opi- 

 nion demanded of the veterinarian in attendance, but at the same 

 time, such a line of conduct on his part as will at once convince 

 his employers that he is right in his decision, that the case is 



Not Rabies but Staggers. — There being no dog — or mad- 

 dog at least — visibly connected with the case, is prima facie evi- 

 dence of it. And farther, the symptoms of the two cases are 

 different : there being, according to Mr. Blaine, in rabid phrenitis, 

 " not merely a franctic, but a decidedly mischievous disposition ; 



VOL III. D 



