194 DADL 8 VETERINARY MEDICINE ANI SURGERY 
abdominal walls are rigidly contracted. In the commencement 
of the malady, the pulse is usually hard and wiry, but varies as 
the disease progresses; and the same is true of the respirations, 
viz.: they are accelerated and laborious. The patient occasionally 
suffers much pain in consequence of retention of urine and over- 
distension of the bladder, which is the result of sympathetie spasm 
in the region of the neck of the bladder. Such are the notable 
symptoms of spasmodic colic. 
Treatment.—The disease being of a spasmodic character, requires 
the exhibition of medicines of an antispasmodic character, such as 
assafetida, lobelia, sulphuric ether, and copious enemas of warm 
water, or an infusion of lobelia. The latter is the most valuable 
antispasmodic now in use. Should the case, however, be a des- 
perate one, I advise the reader to follow the treatment indicated 
in the following case, taken from my note-book: 
On making an examination of the animal, the following symp- 
toms were observed: Pulse, very strong and wiry, averaging 
twenty beats above the natural standard ; membranes of the mouth, 
nose, and eyes very vascular, or highly reddened; the surface of 
the body was bedewed, in patches, with perspiration; there ap- 
peared to be much rigidity of the muscles, especially in the ab- 
dominal region. All at once the animal would throw himself 
violently on the floor, and throw his limbs about in the most wild 
and reckless manner. He would assume all sorts of positions, yet 
seemed to obtain most ease when flat on his back; still, if closely 
approached or touched, he would kick and strike with fury, as if 
he were intent on mischief. In short, the horse cut up such an- 
tics that # was almost impossible to approach him; yet I finally 
succeeded in delivering an antispasmodic drench while the animal 
lay on his back, in which position I also gave an enema, composec 
of warm water and lobelia. 
The animal kept growing more restive and uacontrollable, till, 
at last, it became very evident that convulsions had set in. The 
breathing had become fearfully laborious and rapid; his nostriis 
were dilated to their utmost capacity; the sight had become se 
affected, through temporary paralysis of the optic nerve, that tem- 
porary blindness had set in. 
There seemed to be little hope for the animal, and, fearing the: 
he might either kill himself by violence, or injure those in attend- 
anee, T con-luded tc chloroform him, and thus put a stop to his 
