COMPRESSION OF THE BRAIN. 303 



of the circle. At first he is conscious of surrounding 

 objects; he stops for a moment when spoken to; but 

 immediately afterwards resumes his perambulations, 

 carefully steering clear of every impediment in his 

 way. After the first or second day he usually be- 

 comes both blind and deaf; yet he marches round ; 

 at length blundering against every thing; and thus he 

 continues until he is fairly worn out, when he dies in 

 slight convulsion. 



On examination after death, there will generally be 

 found pressure on some part of the brain, and on the 

 side towards which the animal inclined his head. The 

 nature of that pressure is variable. Spiculae of bone 

 have been seen pressing upon, and entering into the 

 substance of the brain ; sometimes effusion of blood on 

 the brain has been found; and, oftener, an accumula- 

 tion of serous fluid in the ventricles. 



This is a disease which has been uniformly fatal, 

 and the dog labouring under it should be at once 

 destroyed. For the best efforts of the Veterinarian can 

 hope only to prolong a miserable existence. The 

 most profound science can never expect to re-establish 

 the lost health. Effusion upon the brain too often 

 sets the human physician at defiance, and what medi- 

 cine has hitherto been discovered which will remove a 

 spicula of bone from the interior of the cranium? 

 When medicine cannot always cure a dropsy, which 

 is a superficial effusion of serum, and time generally 

 removes the discolorization of a bruise, which is blood 

 thrown out under the skin, what can science hope to 

 accomplish when either fluid is enclosed within the 

 bony cranium ? 



