SPASMS. 67 



turning his head towards the Park, when I thought he seemed to be 

 recovering ; I therefore pursued my ride into Bond-street, before 

 I had passed along which and arrived at Oxford-street, my horse 

 went again perfectly sound. He had one relapse — and only one — ■ 

 and on that day : I never knew him, during the twelve months he 

 remained in my possession, to have a similar attack either before 

 or afterw^ards. 



The Symptoms denoting spasm in any one of the limbs are, 

 sudden seizure with excessive lameness, limping, and stepping 

 short, or actually dragging the limb, instead of making any attempt 

 to put it forwards. In a hind leg, the effort to make use of it 

 causes it to be caught up and thrown out in a most sudden and 

 a^vkward manner; in a fore leg, there will be extreme limping, 

 dragging, or hopping lameness ; and yet, in both instances, while 

 standing, the horse will place the feet upon the ground as though 

 nothing were amiss with him. Compel him to walk, and his cramp 

 will probably amend, and may after a time entirely disappear : on 

 the other hand, it may continue, and so painfully as to make it 

 seem like inhumanity to drive the animal on in his exercise. The 

 muscles apparently most subject to spasm are the levator humeri 

 and adductor es femoris. The limbs will be stiffened by their 

 rigidity, and the muscles themselves will feel firm and hard, and 

 plump, as if they were swollen. The spasm in some cases is so 

 transient as only to seize the horse at the time he moves, or 

 rather is made to move ; for, as Mr. Stewart has truly observed, 

 when the horse moves of his own accord, which is but seldom, he 

 occasionally does so without shewing cramp. The hind limbs ap- 

 pear most liable to the disorder. Its duration may be very short 

 — quite transitory, as in the case of my own horse ; or it may last 

 some hours : it has continued even days. Relapses are common, 

 but not inevitable : they are best prevented by avoiding exposure 

 to the causes or circumstances, apparent, under which the attack 

 arose. 



The Treatment must be for the most part speculative or em- 

 pirical. As yet we know little, at least so far as horses are concerned, 

 about either the etiology or pathology of spasm ; indeed, we seem but 

 just to have recognised, or at all events acknowledged, its existence. 



