Dourine 8i 



a flexed position or somewhat knuckled over. This knuckling 

 over, whether standing or during progression, is a rather common 

 symptom in trypanosomic, if not protozoan diseases generally. 



This imperfect control may appear in one or both hind limbs 

 or may alternate between the two and is subject to great varia- 

 tion from day to day. Sometimes this partial paralysis is of a 

 somewhat spasmodic nature, faintly resembHng stringhalt. At 

 times there may be swelling about an articulation and the animal 

 may seem to be decidedly lame in the joint. As the disease 

 advances, the paresis tends to increase until there is such com- 

 plete paralysis that the animal is unable to rise when down. 

 When the patient becomes unable to rise, a fatal termination 

 usually occurs in the course of a few days to several weeks, 

 largely hastened by the decubitis and the accompanying compli- 

 cations. In other cases, after being recumbent for days or 

 having had to be assisted in rising for weeks, the animal improves 

 and eventually recovers. 



With, and even before, the advent of the paretic symptoms, 

 there appears a very rapid emaciation, which is especially' prom- 

 inent in the posterior parts of the body. This emaciation is 

 noticeable from the fact that it occurs in spite of a good appetite, 

 and the allowance of abundant food with apparently good diges- 

 tion. It seems that both the paralysis and emaciation are largely 

 dependent upon changes taking place within the spinal cord and 

 that these symptoms naturally become most marked in those 

 portions of the body posterior to the locality in the cord where 

 the chief destruction has occurred. The symptoms of the dis- 

 turbances of the nervous system are not confined to any portion 

 of the body, and there is frequently observed a paralysis of an 

 ear or eyelid or of the lips or nose. In the stallion there is fre- 

 quently a well marked change in the voice so that he can not 

 whinny naturally. 



The sexual desire may remain unaffected throughout the dis- 

 ease, and, in many stallions, the power to copulate is but little 

 impaired, but in the earlier stages, during the tumefaction of the 

 prepuce and penis, either from excessive erection or other cause, 

 the stallion fails in many cases, to effect coition, giid, late in the 

 course of disease, the same inability may ari.se from loss of power 

 in the penis or from extreme paralysis of the posterior parts. 

 6 



