16 
TUMOUR IN THE BRAIN, AND DEATH FROM IT, 
IN A HORSE. 
By Mr. Webb, London. 
Sir, — The following case appears to me somewhat singular. Not 
having met with any thing of the kind before, nor having heard of 
such a one from any other person, is the inducement to send it to you. 
If you consider it worth a corner in The VETERINARIAN, it is quite 
at your disposal ; at the same time, should I not be considered an 
intruder, 1 should much like your opinion concerning it. 
The patient was a compact chestnut cart-horse, five years old, 
the property of Mr. Batty, a dealer at Whitechapel. Mr. B. had 
purchased him at a fair two days previously, and had sold him. I 
was sent for at 9 A.M., the messenger saying, I must come directly, 
for one of the horses had the mad staggers. When I arrived, the 
following symptoms presented themselves: Throwing himself about 
in all directions — the respiration greatly increased — his eyes hav- 
ing a wild appearance — and once he threw himself under a cart 
that was standing near. I then thought he was fixed; but he soon 
cleared himself, and plunged against the counting-house door, and 
broke it. He then recovered himself, and became calm for a few 
minutes. During this intermission I plunged my lancet into the 
jugular vein, took a great quantity of blood from him, and gave 
aloes 3x. After this he became more furious, and died in about 
an hour. 
Post-mortem Examination. 
Stomach perfectly healthy — the intestines likewise : within the 
large intestines were found about one hundred small pebbles. Con- 
ceiving that nothing of this kind could cause him to be rabid, I 
examined the brain; and was surprised to find a hard tumour, 
about the size of an egg-plum, within the lateral ventricles. The 
corpora striata and hippocampi are much flatter than I had ever 
seen them, being made so by this hard substance. 
There was another tumour in the cerebrum of the same descrip- 
tion, but of smaller size. I was asked if this horse was sound when 
Mr. B. bought him. I said he could not be. And as the seller 
was not aware of the unsoundness, he ought to, and did, refund the 
money. Now, the seller had bred the horse, and he said he never 
had any thing the matter with him before in his life. 
P.S. — Perhaps the two following cases are also worthy of 
record : — 
