DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 1 1 1 



These symptoms in an acute attack become rapidly worse till the muscles 

 become hard — in a state of rigid spasm — with a tremble continuously 

 running through them; cold sweat breaks out on the body; breathing 

 becomes painful; jaws are set; eye-balls drawn back; lips drawn tightly 

 over the teeth; nostrils enlarged; and the animal showing extreme 

 agony till death comes. 



In the sub-acute cases the jaws are never entirely locked; the muscles 

 are not so rigid; the nerves not so excitable. There is some stiffness of 

 the neck or spine, which is shown when the animal is turning or mov- 

 ing; the haw is turned over the eye-ball when the nose is lifted. All 

 symptoms gradually increase for about ten days and then gradually di- 

 minish under careful treatment, or otherwise they go on to the most 

 severe type and end in death. 



Tetanus may be mistaken for spinal meningitis, but the peculiarity of 

 the spasm-locked jaw; the peculiarity of spasms due to swallowing; the 

 haw over the eye; and the eye-balls drawn back into the head should 

 easily note the difference. 



Treatment. Put the animal in a dark box stall without bedding, 

 as far away from other horses as possible; cover with sheet in fly time; 

 keep every noise away from the animal. 



Give at once aloes, six to eight drams; mixed with solid extract of 

 belladonna, two drams. Give in form of ball; but if the animal is too 

 much excited or can not swallow, mix it with two ounces of olive oil 

 and throw on the back of the tongue with a syringe. If the jaws are set, 

 or nearly so, do not try to give medicine by the mouth. In such cases use 

 hypodermic injection under the skin of one-quarter of a grain of atropia; 

 and five grains of sulphate of morphia; dissolved in one dram of pure 

 water. Repeat often enough to keep animal under its influence all the 

 time. Good results may be obtained by injecting per rectum the fluid 

 extract of belladonna and of cannabis indica, of each one dram, every 

 four or six hours. This may be diluted with a quart of milk. If un- 

 able to swallow liquids give rectum injections of oatmeal gruel and milk. 

 This will help sustain the strength of the animal. Good results may be 

 obtained by putting woolen blankets over the upper part of the head 

 and neck and the greater part of body, and keeping them wet with very 

 warm water. Continue this for several hours at a time. 



Hydrophobia or Rabies. This is the result of a bite from a rabid 

 animal — generally a dog or a cat. The disease follows the bite in from 

 three weeks to three months — very rarely in twelve or fourteen days. 



