THE HORSE—THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. dl 
the fit; falling down of the horse, and for irritation of the teeth, give bella- 
donna night and morning for a while; then at night for several weeks, to 
prevent a recurrence. Should belladonna fail, give stramonium for the 
same symptoms, but resume belladonna for several weeks after an attack, 
five to ten drops of the tincture at night. Nux vomica is desirable when 
indigestion or constipation is the cause of the attack. When the cause is 
teething, the gum may be lanced and belladonna be given. If the animal 
is excitable and robust, give less nourishing food, and more exercise; if 
weak, tone up the system with nourishing food. During the attack prop 
the mouth open with a stick, to prevent injury to the tongue, and allow the 
animal to inhale ammonia slowly and with the greatest caution. 
FITS.—VERTIGO.—MEGRIMS. 
This disorder is a congestion of the vessels of the brain, marked by 
sudden faintness and insensibility, without convulsions, and with speedy re- 
covery. One form (called megrims technically) is caused by pressure of 
the collar on the jugular vein, by which the blood is prevented from pass- 
ing out of the vein. This form is most common in horses with peculiarly 
shaped heads; in those which carry the head high, with stiff neck, the nose 
being stiffly held out, so that running is difficult (“star-gazers’’); and in 
such as carry the head on one side. Horses are predisposed to the com- 
plaint by the following (and perhaps these are the whole cause in some 
cases): Hot weather; high temper; hard work 
and bad feeding, or little work and high feed- 
ing; excessive exertion; pulling heavy loads up- 
hill; bearing reins; sudden and tight reining. 
Symptoms.—The horse may be in such good 
condition as to give no outward signs of liability WIN 
to the disorder, even to the practiced eye of the 
veterinarian, All at once, perhaps on a hill at 
a critical moment of work, he shakes his head, 
perhaps his whole body; lays back his ears; 
throws up his head, with twitchings in the mus- 
cles of the neck; looks wild, his whole body : Soa 
% Fi : : AFTER REPEATED ATTACKS 
trembling; nostrils and eyelids quiver; eyeballs 6a Siena ist 
are prominent; sometimes he then is quiet a 
moment and the fit passes away; at other times he reels, falls to the ground, 
lies nearly or quite insensibdle, and convulsed; urine and dung may be in- 
voluntarily passed; free sweating at the close of the fit. The attacks are 
periodical, and more often occur during hot weathe:, and at hard work, 
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