Diseases of the Nervous System. 235 
having the object of preventing the recurrence of in- 
flammation. 
Wher L£xcephalitis has set in, the applications of cold 
water to the head should be: diligently pursued ; the 
bowels should be moved by mild aperients and enemas, 
the violence of the attack being controlled by aconite, 
prussic acid, &c. Chronic states should be met by blis- 
ters or setons externally, and internally by the bromide 
of potassium. 
Hydrocephalus, or Dropsy- of the Brain, usually ; 
common in delicate, highly-bred toy dogs, as terriers. 
and French poodles, is doubtless due to a senseless plan 
of mating without regard to stamina of constitution. The 
result is either a monstrosity or weakly and attenuated, 
never useful, but always worthless and positive pests in 
the household. Such creatures are fit subjects of dropsy 
of the brain, and after suffering from confirmed lethargy, 
somnolence, inability for any exertion, paralysis of a 
partial or complete nature sets in, and the owner dis- 
covers he is possessed of an object of real misery, which, 
however, soon terminates in death. 
Paralysis in the dog more frequently arises as the 
result of other diseases or injuries than as a distinct 
affection, the usual course being through their serious 
effects upon the spinal cord. 
Symptoms.—Weakness, unsteady gait, crouching and 
reeling of the hind quarters, accompanied with twitchings 
of the muscles locally or generally. The acute form pro- 
gresses rapidly, all power being lost in a few hours or less, 
and the animal falls, and lies in a helpless condition. 
Palsy or paralysis signifies disablement by loss of power, 
of sensation, or of both. In chronic cases the weakness 
continues, other signs are delayed, and the animal loses 
flesh and becomes a spectacle of misery and suffering. 
Complete paralysis is common when the brain is the seat 
of the injury or disease as the exciting cause. Partial 
paralysis arises from disease of one side only, and it is in 
the reverse side of the body. In injuries or diseases of the 
spinal cord the paralysis is limited to the parts behind the 
seat of disease. Vomition is a conspicuous sign in acute 
