208 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. ^ 



One morning, after having been driven about half a mile 

 from the friend's house where Mr. Hardison was stopping, 

 and while still before the buggy, she was taken suddenly ill. 

 She seemed scarcely able to stand upon her feet; she trembled 

 all over; great drops of sweat rolled down her sides, and in 

 twenty minutes she was wet with perspiration. Her appear- 

 ance and motions indicated the most intense suffering, and 

 she seemed unwilling to let her feet touch the ground, as if 

 it gave her great pain. Yet there was an equal disinclina- 

 tion to lie down. Standing with her back roached up, and 

 the most imploring look possible, she was a spectacle to ex- 

 cite the deepest feelings of compassion. 



With the bystanders, this was plainly an attack of- hots — 

 an opinion in which they were confirmed by the manner 

 in which she kept putting her head around to her sides 

 and fore-legs, and by the continual jerking of the muscles 

 and skin of those parts. As there was no swelling of the 

 abdomen, it could not be colic. 



To the author, however, these symptoms indicated some- 

 thing entirel}^ different. A gallon of blood was accordingly 

 drawn from the neck, and some salts and laudanum were 

 given her, and in two hours she was relieved. 



If the question is asked. Why give this as a case of rheu- 

 matism, when the attack was so sudden? it might be replied 

 that the latter did not pass off so suddenly, for it was two 

 months before the mare regained the use of her limbs suffi- 

 ciently to be taken home. . It was undoubtedly a severe case 

 of spasmodic rheumatism, whose surprisingly rapid devel- 

 opment proceeded from causes, in all probability, long pre- 

 existing. This example shows what a terrible enginery of de- 

 struction disease may sometimes plant in the system entirely 

 unsuspected. 



The animal had seemingly been in the best of health, and 

 was only sick about two hours; yet she became very much 

 reduced, and it required six months to remove all traces of the 

 attack. Her legs, shoulders, and hips were stiff and sore for 

 months. It may be seriously questioned whether she ever 



