388 BOVINE PATHOLOGY. 



of the animal, which must have a good bed and be 

 frequently turned to avoid bed-sores^ which are very 

 liable to occur under an aggravated form in these patients. 

 When the case is attributable to debility, we may expect 

 success in restoring the patient, but, as a rule, these are 

 protracted and doubtful cases. When fracture of the 

 spine exists, or we surmise that tumours compress the 

 nerves and cannot be removed, we must anticipate a 

 prolonged course of treatment, loss of condition, and 

 want of success. It is better, therefore, to at once 

 have the patient destroyed. When the pressure is due 

 to inflammatory deposits, we may expect these to become 

 absorbed in time, and the process of removal will perhaps 

 be accelerated by the use of such agents as the iodide ol: 

 iron, which is at once deobstruent and tonic ; also by the 

 external application of biniodide-of-mercury ointment. The 

 food should always be as nutritious as the digestive appa- 

 ratus is able to bear, and also of a laxative nature. The 

 urine may require to be removed frequently by means of the 

 catheter. Lastly, treatment of chronic cases by strychnia in 

 two-grain doses, gradually increasing and continuedfor some 

 time, may lead to return of nerve force to a portion of 

 the spinal cord, which has had its powers reduced by 

 some influence. Hand-rubbing of the affected parts, and 

 mild stimulation and clothing, are useful adjuncts. The 

 muscles of the paralysed part decrease in size, and some- 

 times degenerate into masses of fibrous tissue ; this is 

 an advanced stage. The muscles less affected are found 

 in the stage of fatty degeneration. This is well seen in 

 cases of progressive lipomatous paralysis, such as is 

 noticed in the ' Veterinarian ' for 1880. We have often 

 observed this in our dissection of monstrosities, in which 

 the nerve centres have been destroyed after due develop- 

 ment of the muscles, or in which muscles and nerves 

 have developed independently of nerve centres. It seems 

 that as long as they are involuntary the skeletal muscles 

 develop without the aid of nerve centres, but when they 

 become striated, unless used they degenerate, and they 



