PARALYSIS. 377 



tual. If plethora or full habit be the apparent cause, purge ; 

 or give a course of mercurial alteratives, followed by, or 

 alternated with, purging medicines. It is said that this 

 affection may be prevented, by covering the skull of the 

 affected horse with a wet cloth. 



PARALYSIS. 



Palsy of the whole muscular frame is very unusual in the 

 horse, except some actual pressure or irritation be made on 

 the sensorium by blows on the skull, by portions of bone 

 forced in, or by cerebral tumours : sometimes it is consti- 

 tutionally brought on by agencies unknown to us. Palsy 

 of one side is even of more rare occurrence. Palsy of half 

 the body, most fi'cquently of the hinder parts, is sufficiently 

 common, and is either primitive or secondary. The causes 

 are often involved in much obscurity ; in some cases they are 

 sufficiently obvious : mechanical injuries are of this kind, 

 as casting in the stable, turning round in a confined stall, 

 blows on the spine, sudden falls or slips may, any of them, 

 luxate, or more likely fracture, the vertebrae, and by occa- 

 sioning pressure upon the spinal cord, produce paralysis : 

 ulcerations of these bones, or exostoses, abscesses, or tu- 

 mours within them, may be the cause of the affection. It 

 may be altogether secondary, as being derived from accidental 

 lesions of other organs, or from inflammations in them : it 

 may and does occur from a diseased state of the stomach, 

 bowels, liver, and more particularly from those of the kid- 

 neys, bladder, and womb. The symptoms are total or par- 

 tial loss of either the mobility or the sensibility, or both, of 

 some part of the body, usually of the hinder quarters and 

 limbs. The secretions are sometimes lessened or almost 

 stopped, or the urine flows involuntarily ; convulsive twitch- 

 ings affect the skin, partial sweats present themselves, and 

 the animal remains utterly helpless, although he may fatigue 

 himself with fruitless eftbrts to rise. These are, however, 

 extreme cases. 



The treatment of paralysis must, in a great degree, follow 

 the cause. If mechanical injury have occasioned fracture 

 in any part of the spinal column, the case is hopeless. If 

 the injury be less severe, it is possible that extravasated 

 blood only, or serous deposit, or coagulable lymph, are 



