WEAKNESS OF THE LOINS. 
69 
most so when the horse is going in the circle. In both 
countries the immediate cause is the same, viz., pressure on 
the spinal chord within the lumber vertebrae. In England, it 
arises from injury to this part of the spine, and it may some- 
times be the same in India; but the cases in India are more 
numerous, and are the result of fever, which, in severe cases, 
leaves an increased quantity of fluid in the ventricles of the 
brain, and in the spinal canal leading from the fourth ventricle. 
To convince yourself that this is the proximate cause or 
state of the parts, you have only to open the frontal sinus of 
a horse of this description, and, with a spile gimlet, bore a 
small hole in the bone beneath, over the olfactory nerve ; then 
pass a small trocar or probe into the ventricle or hollow olfac- 
tory nerve, the superabundant water will flow out ; and upon 
trying the horse by the afore-mentioned test, you will find you 
have got rid, at once, of the lameness. I need scarcely tell the 
operator that by such an operation he may again cause in- 
flammation and fresh deposits of fluid. This, however, he 
must run the chance of. Many of these horses are not use- 
less, but you are liable to meet with accidents from their use, 
because the nose of such a horse cannot be raised, but the 
fluid in the spinal canal is increased ; this produces pressure 
on the extremity of the spinal chord; the horse backs, goes 
down on its quarters, perhaps on the side, and, if in a 
gig, the shafts are broken. At auction, you may go to look at 
the age of such a horse, and down he goes upon your friend, 
who, wishing to purchase, is at the same time admiring the 
beauty of the quarters. A bold rider will take leaps after 
hounds with such a horse, sell him to a spooney, who the 
next day, in attempting to lead this horse over a leap, will see 
him sit down like a hound. I have always considered I was 
indebted to Mr. Sewell’s kindness in having particularly 
pointed out this canal, for my knowledge of the proximate 
cause of this weakness of the loins (kumuree). It will be 
seen, from what is stated below, that Mr. Moncroft con- 
sidered it the effect of deposit, but he never explained 
where or how it produced pressure ; and his assistant, Mr. 
Gibb (both were surgeons), said they could not, on post- 
mortem examination, discover anything to account for this 
loss of voluntary power, although they knew from the effect 
it was from pressure of some deposit. 
When a horse is attacked with this fever, the native will 
come and say, he is laying down with a stroke of the wind 
\Jiawa (wind) mara (stroke) geeah ]. The symptoms of brain 
affection are very evident, from the extreme irritability, pros- 
tration of strength, great heat of skin, redness of the con- 
