PARALYSIS — PALSY. 33 



He could not manage to pick up his oats from a plane-surface, and when 

 presented to him in a trough, he plunged his muzzle into the middle of them, 

 opening wide his mouth. He could drink but slowly and with difficulty, and 

 only by thrusting his mouth deeply into the water. The nostril of the affected 

 side perceived scents. He could walk, but could hardly sustain himself after 

 but a short exercise : if attempted to be turned to the left side, this instability 

 became still more manifest ; pressure upon the vertebral column from the 

 head to the tail seemed to give great pain. The respiration, although so- 

 norous, was regular. On the fourth day, the animal, unable any longer to 

 stand, sank down, and after several turns and ineffectual struggles to rise, 

 rolled over and lay upon his right side. His bowels were relieved by manual 

 operation ; his bladder with the catheter; though after this even he passed his 

 dung ; but could not posture himself properly to void his urine. His pulse, 

 like his respiration, remained undisturbed. He died on the seventh day. 



An Epidemic Form is in some situations, or under peculiar 

 circumstances, assumed by paraplegia. Low, wet, cold, marshy- 

 pastures ; or those in which there are stagnant waters, or wherein 

 currents of cold air prevail, and which are poor or insufficient to 

 keep cattle in any sort of condition, are very apt to be productive of 

 cases of palsy, particularly in the autumnal or spring season of the 

 year ; the remedy for which consists in removal of the horses or 

 cattle to other — upland — pasture, where the soil is drier and the 

 feed better. 



A SINGULAR Case of incomplete Paraplegia, and some- 

 thing resembling epileptic fits, occurred to Mr. Read, veterinary 

 surgeon, Crediton, Devon, by whom it was inserted in The Ve- 

 terinarian for 1839. 



The horse was nine years old ; had had an abscess upon the poll for several 

 months ; and in the end was seized with partial incapability of moving his 

 hind-limbs. He staggered in his walk, and soon afterwards his fore-extre- 

 mities became implicated ; any act of moving produced convulsive twitchings 

 and spasmodic rigidity of the muscles of the neck, shoulders, lips, &c., with 

 the retraction of the ej'^es and protrusion of the haw. The general excite- 

 ment was very great. Any sudden noise woul^l bring on convulsions of an 

 epileptic character, viz. violent spasmodic muscular action, until he fell on 

 his side, and then all four legs would be as stiff as posts. Sometimes one, 

 at other times all the legs experienced rapid convulsive movements ; and at 

 the time there would be foaming at the mouth and grinding of the teeth, eyes 

 retracted, and eyelids partly closed. The fit would last about ten minutes, 

 and then the horse would scramble up and begin to eat. The paralysis and 



VOL. III. F 



