228 Diseases of the Nervous System, 



known as coma somnolentum, or sleepy staggers. It is the 

 immoUlite of French veterinarians. The disease com- 

 mences by dulness and listlessness, and the animal 

 suddenly sleeps while eating his food : the breathing is 

 slow and heavy, and the pulse is full, but rarely numbers 

 more than twenty-four beats in the minute. At a later 

 stage he is acutely sensitive to noises, suddenly falling on 

 his knees at the crack of a whip, &c. He loses the con- 

 trol of the limbs, which are thrown awkwardly about or 

 lock with each other ■ at other times they are wide apart 

 and become fixed. The loins appear to be weak, and 

 allow the hind parts to swing from side to side. Such 

 animals are described by roguish dealers, as "jerked" or 

 "kinked in the back," and "kidney-droppers." The 

 probable cause is degeneration of nerve tissue. 



Shivering, another form of chorea, is indicated by a fit 

 of severe trembling or shivering as the result of fright, ill- 

 usage, &c. The animal suddenly goes backwards, the 

 legs are widely separated, the hocks nearly touch the 

 ground, and the fore-limbs are stretched in front of the 

 body. The head is held upwards, eyeballs retracted, as 

 in tetanus, the lips, neck, and tail are convulsed. The 

 cause appears to be due to the presence of tumours, one 

 or more of which may be found within the ventricles of 

 the brain. Subcutaneous Injections, No. 4. 



Softening of the Brain is usually indicated by loss 

 of power in the muscles of the head and face, accom- 

 panied with more or less difficulty in breathing. When 

 one hemisphere only is affected the paralysis is confined 

 to one side of the head and face ; if both suffer, then 

 both sides of head and face, with the neck, and probably 

 some part of the body are also paralysed. Death usually 

 follows an attack of convulsions. A ravenous appetite 

 often exists during the later stages, and probably an 

 enlarged heart may be suspected during life, being asso- 

 ciated with valvular insufficiency, causing dropsical states 

 of the legs, sheath, abdomen, &c. There is no known 

 cure. 



Cerebral Apoplexy. — This disease is probably due 

 to some occult form of degeneration of brain tissue, pro- 



