408 VETERINARY SURGICAL THERAPEUTICS, 
Among the post-hemoglobinuric symptoms, the most frequent is atrophy 
of the crural muscles, which is easily reproduced experimentally, as 
Goubaux did, in performing the division of the nerve “at the internal face 
of the thigh, on its superior portion, between the vastus internus and. 
the anterior straight, where it furnishes its terminal branches.”* This 
amyotrophy, generally evenly accused to the three parts of the triceps, is. 
neuritic and not myopathic in origin. , 
At any rate hemoglobinuria is not the only affection able to produce 
the paralysis of the femoral nerve and its characteristic symptoms. It is 
useless to repeat here the causes already mentioned in the chapter on 
paralysis in general: abscesses, tumors, exostosis, intoxications. The 
first observation of the report of Goubaux had his foot caught between 
two stones of street pavement; he made a violent effort, tore his shoes, 
and became suddenly lame. Like the lameness resulting from section of 
the femoral nerve, this did not give away to firing applied on the thigh. 
At post-mortem, lesions of the great psoas and inflammation of the 
femoral nerve were found. Schmidt related a case with similar etiology. 
The patient of the second observation was affected with paralysis after a 
violent effort, and that of Observation VI after a fall. The horse treated 
by Trasbot had kicked in harness with both legs; the right foot, held back, 
was carried in forced abduction; “the psoas torn at the moment of the 
accident brought on a severe neuritis which demanded several months to 
get well.” Gunther had already mentioned kicking backwards as a cause 
of femoral paralysis. Moller has seen six cases due to powerful muscular 
contractions. 
Whatever may be the cause, the lameness of femoral paralysis is in all 
cases very expressive: the sudden flexion of the stifle and hock joint, every 
time the animal rests on the leg. The atrophy of the patellar muscles, 
gradually manifested, is another unmistakable sign. 
The treatment of femoral paralysis which occurs as prodome or symp- 
tom of hemoglobinuria is connected with that of this last affection. To 
treat post-hemoglobinuric paralysis and those of other origin, all vesicating 
agents have been used. But cauterization is to: be preferred. It is one 
of the affections where lines firing is specially indicated. Goubaux has. 
tried electricity. A mare affected with this disease was cast; “two 
needles were thrust into the fleshy tissues, one on the anterior part of the 
croup pointing towards the lumbar region, the other at the lower extrem-- 
ity of the femur in the anterior femoral muscles. The needtes were con- 
nected with a galvanic pile, and the parts included between them 
submitted to electric current for twenty minutes. Under this influence 
1 Goubaux, Rec. de Med. Vet., 1844, p. 492. 
