114 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



Mr. Saunders relates two successful cases of Idiopathic tetanus. 

 Treatment: — large blood-lettings, purgatives, digitalis, camphor, 

 and blistering the loins. 



Mr. W. Henderson relates in the 5th vol. of the Veterinarian 

 two successful cases of tetanus, one idiopathic, the other symp- 

 tomatic. The treatment consisted of purgatives, injections, and 

 opiates, and blisters and setons to the spine. 



Mr. Youatt relates a successful case, which he treated with 

 copious and repeated bleeding, croton seed, and digitalis. 



Mr. Karkeek, in a valuable communication to the Veterinarian, 

 vol. viii., considers the brain and spinal man'ow to be principally 

 the seat of the disease ; but he has found in idiopathic tetanus 

 that the stomach and bowels, and sympathetic nerve in the 

 neighboui'hood, have been considerably diseased — a fact which 

 can be borne out by the present writer. Mr. K., therefore, 

 recommends blistering the abdomen extensively, to produce a 

 counter-action in the system. He goes so far as to consider that 

 a diseased state of the digestive organs is invariably the primary 

 cause in idiopathic tetanus. 



Mr. Karkeek relates four successful cases treated by large and 

 repeated bleeding, purgatives, opium and camphor injections, and 

 blisters in some cases to the spine, in others to the abdomen. 



He considers the disease to be very frequent in the west of 

 Cornwall, owing to its being almost surrounded by the sea ; and 

 believes idiopathic much more curable than traumatic tetanus. 

 —Ed.] 



StiHng Halt. 



This disease is characterised by the sudden and spasmodic 

 manner in which the hock is bent, the leg at the same time 

 being carried very high. It is not a lameness, for there is no 

 dropping on the other leg, and it cannot be felt by the rider like 

 hock lameness ; but it is an unequal action of the muscles, 

 arising, most probably, from some affection of the nerves. In 

 some cases it is said the stifle joint has been found diseased, and 

 in others the spine itself has been affected. But a few years ago 

 I had the pleasure of spending a day with the late Dr. Jenner at 

 Berkeley, when he informed me that string halt depended upon 

 a disease of the spine, and showed me several vertebree, which 

 afforded a proof of it. 



[Mr. C. Spooner, the talented assistant professor at the Veteri- 

 nary College, has clearly shown that in the majority of cases it 

 is owing to disease of the great sciatic nerve, which supj)lies the 

 muscles of the hind extremity. Nervous energy is thus imper- 

 fectly supplied, and, consequently, the more powerful muscles 

 act the most. It is often connected with disease of the hock, 

 and is sometimes preceded by it. Treatment is useless. — Ed.] 



