PARALYTIC AFFECTION IN HORSES. 403 
the death sentence to hundreds of valuable horses yearly, I feel 
no apology due for asking information and assistance from all my 
“ confreres ,” in a cause both scientific and humane. 
Having for years used strychnia in paralytic affections of my 
fellow-men with great success, I was induced lately to give nux 
vomica in powder (having no strychnia) to a high caste Arab horse, 
the property of a friend, which for three weeks had lost both motion 
and sensation in its hind quarters and legs, and was, when I saw 
it, sitting like a cat on its rump. I began with but three grains 
thrice daily, and am convinced I lost much valuable time by so 
doing, and that it would be better practice to have begun with 
scruple doses : the medicine was gradually increased, in the course 
of about seven weeks, to three drachms daily, and was interrupted 
every fifth day, and a drastic cathartic of croton oil beans given. 
I also had the horse slung in its stall and <f fired” on the loins and 
dressed the scores with the nux vomica powder : it regained sensa- 
tion in its hinder quarters, recovered sufficiently to stand by itself, 
and, when led out, to drag and stagger through a short walk. Its 
general health, appetite, and condition, improved ; the twitchings 
so peculiar to the action of strychnia and brucine were produced 
by the remedy, and despite a relapse, produced, I fear, by inter- 
rupting the action of the nux vomica with purgatives, I was very 
sanguine as to the result, when the experiment and the horse’s life 
were alike cut short by a heroic dose, given at no suggestion of 
mine. 
A very great objection is, I know, to be raised “ in limine” tc 
this my experiment, — that I could not be sure that over-action might 
not be going on in the brain and spinal cord, and, moreover, that 
I was very ignorant of the anatom}'’ and diseases of the horse ; 
and therefore I would especially beg those who are better qualified 
to speak on the subject than I am, to state their experience in 
“ Kumree” — its nature — the course it runs — the morbid alterations 
attending it — the exemption of any particular race of horses from 
it, whether it affects mares and geldings, and in what proportion — 
the supposed connexion between it and filaria in the eye, and the 
power of any medicine, especially strychnia, in its treatment. 
Many men in our service possess qualifications, and, by their 
position, peculiar advantages in carrying out inquiries and expe- 
riments in this matter, which I do not ; so I prefer flinging out a 
hint to them to waiting till very uncertain and probably limited 
experience enables me to investigate it further. 
I laugh at any one who may call my evincing interest on behalf 
of almost the noblest servant man has acquired, unprofessional, but 
fear no sneers from those who have already lost a horse by this 
disease; and am sorry to say few men have served any time with- 
