18 ENCEPHALITIS — PHRENITIS — MAD STAGGERS. 



the animal purposely attacking every thing, living and dead : all 

 around him — rack, and manger, and stall — are all laid prostrate." 



The Causes — before enumerated and described, and here reca- 

 pitulated — commonly are, in horses from their make or nature pre- 

 disposed to an attack, high-feeding, hot weather or exposure to the 

 sun, violent or over-exertion, or even the want of necessary exer- 

 cise. It may succeed to a blow or fall upon the head. It may result 

 from hemorrhage within or upon the brain, or from some internal 

 organic change or formation, such as tumours, &c. 



Prognosis. — Staggers in any form must be regarded as a 

 highly dangerous disease : it is more especially so in that stage or 

 form in which it acquires the epithet " mad." In fact, almost the 

 only chance the animal has of recovery — considering the disease to 

 arise from congestion or inflammation — is, the timely abstraction of 

 a very large quantity of blood ; should which be followed by remis- 

 sion of the coma or phrenzy, and should it not return again, or but 

 in a subdued form, hopes of recovery may be entertained : on the 

 other hand, should the evacuation merely be succeeded by the 

 appearance of weakness or faintness, and but by such remission or 

 cessation of the symptoms as would be expected to ensue from that 

 cause alone, the latter relapsing with the animal's returning strength 

 or revivification, the worst may be foreboded of the result. Mr. 

 Grattan informs us, " when bleeding does not relieve the coma of 

 the disease, and when the pulse, from being 48, and full, becomes 

 exceeding frequent, the animal gradually sinking the while, it may 

 be inferred that the pressure upon the brain is not from distended 

 bloodvessels, but from purulent secretion or serous effusion, the 

 consequence of a few days of previous irritation." 



Treatment. — The necessity for immediate and copious blood- 

 letting having been enjoined in speaking of prognosis, I need only 

 add here, that when blood can be obtained from the temporal artery, 

 that vessel is to be preferred to the jugular vein. In general, it is 

 advisable to open both temporal arteries : should however, even 

 from both of them, the flow of blood be not free and abundant, the 

 jugular veins must be had recourse to, it being absolutely neces- 

 sary that blood in sufficient quantity should be extracted to pro- 

 duce symptoms of faintness, and it being highly advisable that this 



