914 Veterinary Obstetrics 



causes. The disease is expressed somewhat differently by the 

 various species of animals. Here and there a case occupies a 

 middle ground between the symptoms recognized as character- 

 istic of two different members of the group, constituting connec- 

 ing links which serve to bind them more or less closely together 

 into a highly interesting class of diseases. 



a. Parturient Eclampsia in thk Mare. 



Parturient eclampsia in the mare is a disease which is closely 

 related to the parturient state, and is expressed chiefly by violent 

 tonic and clonic spasms, which run a very rapid course, and 

 quickly terminate in recovery or death, without producing any 

 lesions yet discovered which may be properly considered as 

 fundamental. 



So far as we know, the first definite description of this disease 

 was a paper presented by the author before the Illinois Veteri- 

 nary Medical Association, which later appeared in the American 

 Veterinary Review, Vol. 14, page 559. Since that time a few 

 cases have been described which seem to be identical, and in 

 various personal communications, practicing veterinarians have 

 assured us of the occasional occurrence of this malady in their 

 practice. Under the designation of trismus, Plaskett describes 

 cases which appear identical with ours. (American Veterinary 

 Review, Vol. 23, page 254.) 



There is a bare hint of eclampsia in the mare by Fleming 

 (Veterinary Obstetrics, p. 660), who, in speaking of parturient 

 apoplexy of the cow, says, " It is worthy of notice that the first 

 stage of parturient fever, viz., the stage marked by congestion 

 of the brain, is observed in the mare. It soon terminates in 

 death, as is also sometimes the case with the cow, as a result of 

 apoplexy. Such cases, though not sufficiently substantiated by 

 the result of autopsies, have been described by Gerard (Veteri- 

 narian, 1874). The mares in question died during parturition, 

 or soon after." Gerard's cases were evidently es.sentially differ- 

 ent from those here described as eclampsia. 



My first case occurred in an adult grade draft mare, which had 

 at her side a healthy, vigorous foal, some ten days old. The 

 mare had foaled naturally and easily at the ordinary time, and 

 the very apparent vigor of the foal showed clearly that she had 

 been furnishing an abundant supply of milk. The owner re- 



