488 RESULTS OF WOUNDS. 



affected, the cliin drawn t ->ward3 the breast, the spine curved 

 backwards, the disease is named cmprosthotonos. In the lo\v"er 

 animals, trismus, with opist'iotonos, is generally met with. I 

 have seen a modified form of tetanus lateralis, but the other 

 form — namely, emprosthotonos — is, I think, unknown in either 

 horse or ox. 



Tetanus, whatever be the variety, may be acute, sxibaciite, or 

 even chrdnic. The acute is that which is most common, and 

 }nost fatal ; it has a tendency to involve the whole frame, and 

 to destroy life by arrestinij the respiratory movements Amongst 

 the variety of causes which may produce tetajius, in-addition to 

 the irritation of wounds, I haA'e obserA-^ed worms in the stomach 

 and intestinal canal, collections of sand in the large intestines, 

 and uterine irritation after abortion. 



Traumatic tetanus follows injuries, whether inflicted surgically 

 or otherwise, in on indefinite but limited period of time, — in 

 some instances within an hour after the infliction of the injury, 

 but usually the occurrence of the spasm is not observed until 

 the wound is nearly or quite healed, Keglect in the treatment 

 of, the presence of a foreign body in, or the application _ol 

 inituting medicaments to, a wound, is apt to cause tetanus,/ 



The Symptoms of Tetanus, — In the earliest stage there will be 

 a stiflFness of the muscles near the seat of the injury ; if a limb is 

 Avounded, the animal will move it with difficulty ; the stiffness 

 spreads over the whole body ; the animal will begin to champ 

 his jaAvs, and grind his teeth. There is often a flow of saliva 

 from the moutJi, aaid a collection of frotli upon the lips. The 

 breathing now becomes accelerated, tl»e nostrils dilated, the nose 

 protruded, the membrana nictitans pushed more or less over the 

 eyes, which are wil'hdrawn Ayi^^'i'i tlieir sockets. If the" animal 

 be suddenly disturbed, the superficial muscles will be seen to 

 twitch or tremble ; the eyeballs convulsively withdrawn within 

 the orbits, causing the patient to show the white of the eye 

 at every convulsive retraction ; tlie tail is suddenly elevated, 

 and is maintained in that position by an irregiilar clonic spas- 

 modic action of the levator muscles so long as the excitement 

 contiiTues. 



At first the pulse is not much afTected, and in all but the, 

 meet severe attacks it continues undisturbed for two or"^three^ 

 days; it has a hard, incomlin;ssible character, however, and as; 



