LIVERPOOL VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 311 
condition ; the animals did not show any indications of acute dis- 
ease, but when they were down they were unable to rise ; of these 
horses three died, one was killed, and three recovered after a long 
course of treatment. Six horses out of twenty had to stand in 
slings. It was my opinion this state was caused by the horses 
eating some over-grown, almost colourless hay ; the use of this hay 
was discontinued, and no further cases occurred. Paralysis is 
occasionally caused by some injury to the brain, spine or nerves. 
Cold combined with moisture, or an injury to the medulla spinalis, 
has been known to produce it. Percivall says : “Reflected irrita- 
tion caused by a disease or derangement of organs unconnected 
with, or remote from, the seat of palsy, must be ranked amongst its 
causes. The cause of irritation whatever or whenever it may be is 
first developed in the nervous centres, whence by reflex action it is 
transmitted to and along the nerves of voluntary motion producing 
similar effects upon them and the parts to which they are distri- 
buted, as though the nervous centre itself had actually been the 
subject of lesion or compression.” 
There are diseases, such as megrims, tetanus, fits, syncope, 
milk fever, string-halt and others, the phenomena of which are 
attributable to a diminution or suspension of nervous influence in 
one division or another of the nervous system. 
I will next call your attention to — 
Paraplegia . — The pathology of paraplegia is very imperfectly 
understood, and for want or neglect of opportunities of dissection 
we have added but little recently to the slight knowledge of the 
subject. Mr. Bouley says : “ The paraplegia is awfully sudden in its 
attack ; no warning or sign of its approach is observable ; it comes 
on during or immediately after work, draught work in particular. 
The horse evinces, on a sudden, extreme lameness in one hind 
leg, for which no cause is apparent, and so great is the pain that he 
cannot for two minutes together put the limb in the same position. 
Soon afterwards the corresponding limb is attacked, and now the 
suffering of the animal reaches its highest pitch, he crouches 
behind, throws his weight forward, becomes more and more unstable 
on his legs, until at length his hind quarters sink down and he 
falls altogether. When down, he ineffectually struggles to rise 
again with his fore limbs, they alone retaining the power of motion.” 
Mr. Bouley’s opinion is, that these cases are dependent on spinal 
lesion. I will now describe a few cases of my own : they are five in 
number, though, as I believe, one and the same in their nature. 
They are rather rare cases ; were accompanied with an immense 
amount of suffering, and terminated fatally in three or four days : 
such cases must always be deeply interesting to the veterinary 
surgeon. I have taxed my memory, and at present can only bring 
to mind five cases during about thirty-seven years practise, though 
it is possible others have occurred. 
Case First . — About twenty-eight or thirty years ago, I was called 
late one night to a farmer’s house, about seven or eight miles from 
Manchester. The animal was said to be suffering from lameness, 
