ADDENDA TO THE DISEASES OF THE KIDNEYS. 375 



On palpation of the paralyzed hind quarters we find the muscles 

 of the croup hard, distended, and sometimes painful ; the skin 

 is warmer and has lost its softness (œdematous infiltration of the 

 subcutaneous connective tissue and derma). The sensitiveness to 

 exploration by touch, pin-punctures, electric currents, is diminished 

 or abolished. 



Paralysis exists at times in other parts of the body : in the front 

 quarters, upon a posterior member, upon the muscles of the shoulder, 

 upon the superior muscles of the neck and shoulders, etc. ; but re- 

 corded facts of this kind are quite rare. Upon ten horses observed 

 by H. Bouley the left posterior leg was always paralyzed first. 

 Lippold has seen an extreme extension of the posterior members ; 

 the ergot was touching the ground, the sole of the foot was much 

 held up, and the shoes visible in front when supported. In some 

 oases the tail is high and stiff. We have several times observed 

 upon the muscular walls of the abdomen contractions which pro- 

 duced cries of pain. 



The second important symptom is hemoglobinuria. Formerly it 

 was looked upon as constant and pathognomonic ; but numerous 

 observations establish that urine does not contain hemoglobin in 

 benign cases, nor in those where the tiisease is abortive ; this shows 

 that the old denomination " hemoglobinuria'^ is improper. Urine 

 which contains hemoglobin or methemoglobin is of a dark-red 

 color, ruby red, dirty brown, or inky black, shades which are due 

 to hemoglobin ; later, if there is a nephritic complication, the urine 

 becomes albuminous, it contains cylinders, leucocytes, a few red 

 corpuscles, and sometimes abundant débris of desquamated renal 

 epithelium ; it is often rich in urea, and in extractive matters which 

 are similar to this in composition, but poor in hippuric acid. As 

 for its reaction, contrary to what has been advanced by some 

 authors, it remains alkaline in benign cases and even in the grave 

 form ; in twenty-five cases which were very carefully observed, 

 five of which were fatal, and which all deserved the name of 

 severe, we have found the urine acid but once (4 per cent.) ; this 

 reaction was due to a large proportion of phosphates. Its specific 

 gravity does not generally undergo any modification. Let us add 

 that the characters of the urine are far from possessing positive 

 diagnostic value in all cases. 



The temperature rarely increases, even in the grave form. It is 

 irregularly distributed and the extremities are cold. In twenty- 



