CHAP. III.] CHARACTERISTICS OF MEGRIMS. 419 



effort, ill others it drops instantaneously ; so the 

 reader may perceive that he does not " stagger" at 

 all : and we infer that a manifest difference exists 

 between the two, although both arising from the 

 same cause ; for, the one we may afford some assist- 

 ance to, and usually succeed in performing a cure ; 

 in case of apoplexy, the only symptom is reme- 

 dyless — death, To prescribe for such an event 

 would be utterly useless. 



Under the head of " costiveness" we have already 

 considered the origin of staggers, and prescribed 

 the remedy, at page 199; because that is the (lis- 

 ease, whilst staggers are but accompanying symp- 

 toms. 



The megrims is an occasional attack on the 

 sensorium or brain, in which the animal drops 

 down as if shot, lies motionless awhile, recovers 

 slowly, and is prepared to go and do the same thing 

 again next day, if pushed in his work. This disorder 

 originated in a foul stomach, in one case that came 

 under our care, and was at first a fit of the sleepy 

 kind, which afterwards degenerated into megrims ; 

 the morbid state of the head, it is apprehended, con- 

 tinued in a trivial degree, which any great exertion 

 brought into activity. Sometimes these megrims 

 are preceded by a short warning, when the animal 

 rears up before it falls, or rambles like a drunkard ; 

 it then tumbles and plunges about with consider- 

 able danger to those who may collect around it. The 

 muscles of the eye are usually affected, much in 

 the way of horses in locked jaw, or the human 



t 6 



