DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 239 
may remain unchanged for two or three days and then gradual im- 
provement may take place, or the power to swallow may become 
entirely lost and the weakness and uncertainty in gait more and more 
perceptible; then sleepiness or coma may appear; the pulse becomes 
depressed, slow, and weak, the breathing stertorous, and paroxysms 
of delirium develop, with inability to stand, and some rigidity of the 
spinal muscles or partial cramp of the neck and jaws. In such cases 
death may occur in from 6 to 10 days from the commencement of 
the attack. In many cases there is no evidence of pain, spasm, or 
fever at any time during the progress of the disease, and finally 
profound coma develops and death follows, painless and without a 
struggle. 
In the last or mildest form the inability of voluntary control of the . 
limbs becomes but slightly marked, the power of swallowing never 
entirely lost, and the animal has no fever, pain, or unconscious move: 
ments. Generally the animal will begin to improve about the fourth 
day and recovers. 
In a few cases the spinal symptoms, manifested by paraplegia, may 
be the most prominent symptoms; in others they may be altogether 
absent and the-main symptoms may be difficulty in mastication and 
swallowing; rarely it may affect one limb only. In all cases in 
which coma remaing absent for six or seven days the animal is 
likely to recover. When changes toward-recovery take place, the 
symptoms usually leave in the reverse order to that in which they 
developed, but local paralysis may remain for some time, rarely 
persistent. 
On post-mortem the number of lesions observable to the naked 
eye is in marked contrast to the severity of the symptoms noted. 
The pharynx and Jarynx are inflamed in many cases, and sometimes 
coated with a yellowish-white glutinous deposit, extending at times 
over the tongue and occasionally a little way down the trachea. The 
lungs are normal, except from complications following drenching or 
recumbence for a long period. The heart is usually normal in appear- 
ance, except an occasional cluster of hemorrhagic points on the outer 
surface, while the blood is dark and firmly coagulated. The lining of 
the stomach indicates a subacute gastritis, while occasionally an 
erosion is noted. An edema is observed in the submucosa of such 
cases. The first few inches of the small intestines likewise may show 
slight inflammation in certain cases, while in others it is quite se- 
vere; otherwise the digestive tract appears normal, excluding the 
presence of varying numbers of bots, Strongylus vulgatus, and a 
few other nematodes. The liver is congestéd and swollen in some 
cases, while it appears normal in others. The spleen is, as a rule, 
normal, and at times the kidneys are slightly congested. The bladder 
is often distended with dark-colored urine, and occasionally a marked 
