SPASMS. Q6 



luntary, alternate, with oscillatory rapidity, with relaxations of the 

 muscular fibres : the tonic being the tetanic or comparatively per- 

 manent spasm. 



Although I am not going to deny — on the contrary, I can, with 

 many others, bring cases to prove — that horses are on occasions the 

 subjects of spasm, yet I deem it prudent to caution my reader 

 against the belief that every horse reported to be seized with 

 " cramp" really is spasmed : for, now and then — spasm usually 

 attacking the hind legs — he will find this asserted ''cramp" to turn 

 out a dislocation of the patella; though oftener he will discover it 

 to consist in spavin, either concealed or declared. Still, we do 

 sometimes meet with horses having really spasmodic affections. 

 I remember, while a pupil at the Veterinary College, to have seen 

 some cases of excessive lameness of the hind legs which were at 

 the time attributed to spasm of the adductor muscles : the inner 

 and prominent part of the thigh felt rigid and unusually plump, 

 and the horse expressed pain when it was handled; and what 

 appeared to confirm the opinion entertained of the cases was, that 

 they recovered seemingly from the treatment adopted ; which was, 

 the rubbing into the part some stimulating embrocation. 



In The Veterinarian for 1834 will be found a paper on "The 

 Cramp in Horses," by M. Prevost, V.S., Geneva. It informs us 

 that both Soleysel and Garsault have mentioned the existence of 

 this disease ; but that from then to the time he writes the subject 

 had been lying dormant ; and after detailing seven cases, some 

 of which certainly have the characters of spasm, he comes to the 

 conclusion that there appear to be 



Three Kinds of Cramp : — One which appears after rest, and 

 lasts only a few seconds ; a second, which endures some days, but 

 does not relapse ; a third, which returns at uncertain intervals, 

 minutes or hours, and hence may be denominated peinodicaL 



Mr. W. C. Spoon er, V.S. Southampton has, in The Vete- 

 rinarian for 183-5, with reason called in question certain of 

 Pre vest's cases, conceiving, from the account he has given of them, 

 that both dislocation of the patella and disease of the hock might 

 have been present and overlooked. Three out of the seven cases, 



VOL III. K 



