DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 119 



free from noise or other cause of excitement. All the cold water the 

 animal will drink should be allowed, but food must be withheld, except 

 bran slops occasionally in small quantities, or grass, if in season, which 

 may be cut and carried fresh to the patient. 



During the convulsions all possible efforts should be made to prevent 

 tin- animal injuring itself; the head should be held down on the ground 

 and straw kept under it. Cold water may be continuously poured on 

 the head, or bags filled with ice broken in small pieces may be applied 

 to the head. Different authors recommend different remedies to allay 

 the convulsions, but for two reasons it will be found extremely difficult 

 to administer medicines during the convulsions: (1) While the animal 

 is unconscious the j>ower to swallow is lost, and therefore the medicine 

 is uiore liable to go down the windpipe to the lungs than it is to go to 

 the paunch. (2) The convulsions are often so violent that it would be 

 utterly useless to attempt to drench the animal. And furthermore it 

 must be borne in mind that during this stage the functions of digestion 

 and absorption are suspended, and as a consequence the medicine (pro- 

 vided it finds its way to the paunch) is likely to remain there un ab- 

 sorbed and therefore useless. 



A blistering compound, composed of mustard, 1 ounce; pulverized 

 c MMtharides, one-half ounce; hot water, 4 ounces, well mixed together, 

 may be nibbed in over the loins, along the spine, and back of the head 

 on each side of the neck. This is occasionally attended with beneficial 

 effect, and especially so in those cases when paralysis is present. 



If the purgative acts, and the animal shows signs of improvement in 

 th- course of two or three days, 2 drams of iodide of potassium may be 

 a every night and morning, dissolved in a half bucketful of drink- 

 ing water, if the animal will drink it, or it may be dissolved in a half 

 pint of water and given as a drench. Great care must be observed in 

 regard to the food, which should be nutritive but not coarse, and at 

 first in small quantities, gradually increased as the patient improves. 

 After soiue progress is made towards recovery 1 drams of pulverized 

 mix vomica may be given twice a day. added to the iodide of potassium 

 drench. This should be administered so long as a staggering gait con- 

 tinues. 



In those rare caeea when recovery takes place, it is only partial as a 

 rule, as there is generally a sequel which remains, such as partial pa- 

 ralysis; however, this is but a slight drawback in cattle, because when 

 it is seen to persist, the medicine should be stopped and the animal 

 fattened for butchering. 



Postmortem examinations discover congestion of the brain and its 

 membranes. The pin mnlrr (the vascular membrane) is most congested. 

 In those cases which have exhibited much paralysis before death, the 

 pin mater of the cord is congested in the lumbar region (loins). When 

 the disease has been causod by injury to the head tlie congestion and 

 extmvasated blood may bo found inside of th<> ravitv in the location 



