OF V^ETERINARV MEDICINE. 239 



usually lost, partly due to fever and partly due to the loss of 

 sense. After a time, both in cerebritis and meningitis, the ani- 

 mal will lose his power of co-ordination, does down and is un- 

 able to get up again ; he will lie prone and keep his legs going. 

 Put your finger in the eye or ear and no resistance is offered. 

 Death usually takes place in two or three days. 



Cerebral meningitis runs a very rapid course compared w'th 

 the human, terminating in the lower animals sometimes as 

 quickly as the end of the first day. The differential diagnosis 

 between it and blind staggers is quite simple : in blind staggers 

 there is no fever, no congestion of the mucous membranes and 

 the eyes are not bloodshot, while the very opposite occurs in 

 mad staggers or cerebral meningitis, the bloodshot eyes being 

 a special characteristic. Blind staggers usually yields to treat- 

 ment while mad staggers does not. 



Treatment. — Purge the animal with aloes and give diuretics 

 — potassium salts. Allay the nervous irritability with gelsemium, 

 aconite, belladonna or acetanilid. Belladonna is particularly in- 

 dicated on account of its contracting the arterioles. An ice 

 poultice to the head is good, but the horse is dangerous to 

 handle so do not get caught in the stall in trying to apply the ice. 

 It is very difficult to do much for the horse in this disease and 

 recoveries are rare. In case of recovery give the animal three or 

 four months' rest at pasture. 



It is difficult to diagnose this disease with any degree of cer- 

 tainty. At autopsy the meninges are thickened, with adhesions 

 here and there. You will find coagulated lymph in the ventricles, 

 also in the sulci and other parts of the brain. 



Cerebral softening. — In this disease there is a softening of 

 the brain substance, which is altered in color. It is sometimes 

 quite liquid and is softened always, especially in spots. It looks 

 like abscesses and the color varies from dirty pink to white. 

 Many cases have been seen where the cerebrum looked like pus. 

 Cerebral softening is known among horsemen as a "dummy." 

 Such cases are quite common. It is hard to say what is the 

 cause, but we think that the condition comes from acute or sub- 

 acute attacks of cerebritis or from interrupted circulation in the 

 brain. In the human it is caused by long-continued use of alco- 



