DIVERS DISEASES OF THE NERVES 203 



month and an attack came on, he couhl not masticate it, but if it was small 

 he would swallow it. The attack lasted about a minute and during that 

 time the animal kept his eyes half closed, and the pupils remained normal, 

 as was sensation and consciousness. The attack could be produced if the 

 animal was struck on the lumbar region. Gradually the attacks became 

 more frequent, until the animal lost power of the limbs, became emaciated 

 and was finally destroyed. Careful microscopical examination of the 

 cerebrum failed to find any change from normal. 



Convulsions of the Diaphragm, Convulsive Hiccough. — A convulsion 

 of the diaphragm, similar to hiccough in man, may be caused by a central 

 or peripheral irritation of the phrenic nerve, or by reflex irritation from 

 the digestive tract. It is rarely seen in the dog; in one case the animal had 

 catarrh of the stomach, and the contractions of the diaphragm were the 

 same in number as the heart beats, certain muscles of the head, neck, and 

 extremities were also affected. The treatment consisted in the sub- 

 cutaneous administration 0.01 of morphia, if the convulsion continues 

 over any length of time, but as a rule, the attack lasts only from fifteen 

 to thirty minutes. 



Basedow's Disease. — A disease similar to that found in man, has 

 been observed several times in the dog. The three following symptoms 

 are characteristic: Exopthalmus (staring or bull's eye), tachycardia 

 (palpitation and acceleration of the pulse) and struma (enlargement of 

 the thyroid gland, with an altered secretion of that organ). It must be 

 regarded as a general neurosis. In an animal not quite a year old, the 

 eyes protruded from the orbit, movement of the eyelid (lowering and eleva- 

 tion) was absent; the patient was restless, moving from place to place, the 

 pulsations were 130 and the respirations 30 to 35. The pulsations of the 

 heart could be easily felt through the thorax. The appetite was irregular. 

 The animal had quite a large, goitre. After being treated eight days the 

 animal was destroyed. The brain was anaemic and the thyroid gland 

 was greatly increased in volume and there were three secondary glands, 

 and the right ventricle of the heart was greatly dilated. 



Treatment of this disease, which is generally chronic, consists in rest, 

 the animal must be kept aw^ay from any excitement given food of a nour- 

 ishing and substantial kind, and must be easily digestible. Administer 

 iodide of potassium, bromide of potassium or iodide of sodium. In one 

 case in an old pug dog, the animal made a good recovery after four months 

 treatment. Iodine in the form of tincture of iodine by inunction, has 

 given good results in some cases. Iron preparations. Fowler's solution, 

 thryoid serum or rodagen, both prepaired in animals that have had the 

 cultivated serums of the thyroid gland, injected intravenously. If this 

 method of treatment does not produce results either remove the enlarged 

 thyroid (struma) or ligate the thyroid arteries. 



