*• 



248 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



Apoplexy is always characterized by giddiness and wild- 

 ness of motion, and nearly always by a staggering gait. 

 Hence, the reason why it is so frequently mistaken for stag- 

 gers. Its severe symptoms, in the next stage, are profuse 

 sweating ; a trembling of the whole frame, and especially of 

 the knees ; a wild, wistful look, and a twitching of the skin 

 and jerking of the ears. The majority of farmers, and half 

 the modern horse doctors, would pronounce these symptoms 

 indicative of bots, and would fill the poor creature's stomach 

 with quantities of nauseous drugs, for the purpose of making 

 the hot " let go his hold," but which only increases the suffer 

 ing, if indeed they do not actually cause death. 



All this is sheer nonsense. The horse needs no medicine; 

 the condition of his system precludes their use at this stage. 

 His suffering proceeds from a nervous agitation ; for the 

 whole system of nerves is dreadfully disturbed, and the 

 brain — the great sensorium of nervous power — is fearfully 

 compressed. There has been a great and sudden determina- 

 tion of blood to the head. The whole cerebral tissue of 

 nerves and blood-vessels has become terribly congested. The 

 brain, first benumbed by the compression of the engorged 

 vessels, is next paralyzed, and its functions are suspended, 

 and then the final external symptoms of the disease are loss 

 of sensation and voluntary motion. 



The cause of this flow of blood to the head, is not a 

 changed or a diseased condition of the brain itself. General 

 contraction of the vascular system has forced undue qan titles 

 of blood into its large receptacles ; or it may be that violent 

 external pressure, such as that of a tightly-fitting collar, has 

 impeded the return of the blood from the brain to the heart. 

 The accumulation of fat, or an excessive growth of flesh 

 throughout the body, along the channels of the blood-vessels, 

 is apt to produce such a contraction of their walls, while, in 

 addition to this, it is always accompanied by a great fullness 

 of blood. For these reasons, it is dangerous to overfeed and 

 pamper any animal. 



Not only is there too much blood, but it is too thick, and 



