DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM 76 



U) th« exercise taken. The fear of punishment, especially of tht 

 vr] ip, occasionally gives rise to it, in sensitive and irritabl-e ani 

 mals. Some horses have an hereditary predisposition to it, anc^ 

 mareri are considered more subject to it than stallions. Further 

 it is scarcelv ever obser^ ed except in hot weather ; and as it i> 

 generally at the beginning of summer that it commences to ajipear 

 it goes awa) always In autumn, at least with respect to its chief 

 fymptoms. 



Hymptoms. — The horse having, previous to the" attack, been 

 lively and active, begins, all of a sudden, to appear heavy and in- 

 dolent. He is dejected, and prefers to keej) himself in the dark- 

 est corner of the stable. Eyes, dull ; look, fixed and stupid ; eye- 

 lids, half shut ; inattention to every thing, forgetting even himself, 

 and, as it were, asleep, his head hanging down, or resting on the 

 manger. His gait is heavy, slow, and unsteady ; he raises his feet 

 very high, and puts the entire sole to the ground, raising and let- 

 ting down the limbs in a manner purely mechanical, and, as it 

 were, unconsciously. He exhibits much awkwardness in turning, 

 and can not be pulled back except by depressing the head very 

 much, and pushing it latterly. He also leans to one side in walking. 

 To maintain his equilibrium the better, he places the fore-logs 

 beneath the belly, and moves his ears backward in a peculiar 

 manner. According as the disease progresses, he becomes less 

 and less sensible to external impressions. Mastication is per- 

 formed slowly. He takes, from time to time, a mouthful of food, 

 masticates it, swallows a portion of it, but keeps the remainder 

 in his mouth. He prefers taking his food off the ground rather 

 than in any other way, and when drinking, he plunges his head 

 into the water, even above his nostrils. During and after sonip 

 rather violent movements, his symptoms become much aggra- 

 vated, and the signs of complete insensibility become more and 

 more marked. The animal runs on quite blind till some obstacle 

 steps him, or turns round, or remains tranquil, with his ho;H 

 depressed, and the legs crowded beneath the body, without benig 

 able to change this unusual attitude, unless assisted to «lo so. 

 There is never any fever. The pulse is often from ten to twelva 

 pulsations slower than in the normal state. 



In the same way, also, the respiration is constantly slow, 

 deep, and frequently of a sighing character. In almost all cases, 

 the tongue is foul, and the mouth dry nnd clammy. With re8i>ec« 



