124 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



stands, trembling and shaking, with his head down, and his 

 eyes closed, as if asleep. In this state he remains until a 

 spasm comes on. Then he runs and pitches about in a man- 

 ner more terrible, if possible, than that already described — 

 his nostrils distended, his breath so short and thick as nearly 

 to produce convulsions of the sides. Such is the dreadful 

 excitement now raging, that it almost appears as if his whole 

 body was about to be torn to pieces. When the spasm passes 

 off, he lapses into the sleepy, torpid, trembling condition, 

 which has been called sleepy staggers. 



In this phase of the disease, the horse seems utterly indis- 

 posed to movement of any kind, except while frenzied from 

 his fearful spasms. It is a question whether he is in posses- 

 sion of his proper faculties at all. When the disease mani- 

 fests itself in this form, it soon runs its course, and death 

 speedily puts an end to the poor creature's suffering. 



Sometimes the horse shows signs of this disease for several 

 days, and, in other cases, for only a few hours. But the 

 origin of the trouble always dates back some time, perhaps 

 ev^n weeks previous, although it may never have been sus- 

 pected until its violent symptoms were fully declared. 



THE OLD MODES OP TREATMENT. 



The methods of treatment formerly in vogue at the South, 

 although tainted by extreme cruelty and shocking violence, 

 furnish a strong argument in substantiation of the views we 

 have put forward in regard to the causes of blind staggers. 

 A sad, unwelcome experience had taught the people some 

 valuable lessons concerning the disease. One of these was 

 that its seat was in the head. 



In order to make the treatment correspond with this hy- 

 pothesis, it was a common practice to cut a place in the skin, 

 about an inch long, over the region of the brain; then to 

 insert some poisonous substance, and close the wound over 

 again. By producing a rapidly-running sore, this course, 

 notwithstanding the torture it occasioned, sometimes gave 

 relief. ♦ • 



