376 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PATHOLOGY AND 
longed labour ; it seldom, or perhaps never, manifests itself when 
the parturient function is quickly and easily gone through, unless 
the animal is unnecessarily exposed, or subject to violent or impro- 
per treatment. By the long-continued action of the uterus, its 
nervous and vascular energies become exhausted ; inflammation 
rapidly supervenes upon the already congested tissues ; hence we 
have fully established one of the various forms under which this 
many-headed affection develops itself. Cases 3, 4, 5, and 7, pre- 
sent in every one that assemblage of symptoms which mark what 
is commonly understood by veterinary surgeons to be the nervous 
form of puerperal fever. Now, I am of opinion that a mistake 
lurks at the bottom of the notion respecting the nervous centres 
being the primary seat of this form of the malady in question. In 
the post-mortem appearances presented by Cases 3 and 7, the great 
nervous centres were unquestionably affected, but not affected pri- 
marily ; the primary disease, in both of them, resided in or was 
confined to the membranes investing the nervous masses. Take 
Case 7, in which the puerperal disease alone destroyed the life of 
the animal: in this case the investing membranes were intensely 
congested, attended with softening of their fibres and a copious effu- 
sion both between the tissues themselves and the tissues and the 
nervous masses ; while the nervous masses were not only firm in 
structure, but also unchanged in colour, facts which are too im^ 
portant to be passed over in silence : the loss of motor power in 
this case, the state of deep coma which gradually supervened, to- 
gether with the other attendant phenomena, were all, without 
doubt, produced by the congestion of the vessels of the investing 
tissues, and consequent effusion therefrom. In speaking thus, I 
would be distinctly understood. I do not mean from the above 
observations to imply that the great nervous centres are never pri- 
marily affected, I simply mean, that these peculiar symptoms 
(symptoms which are usually considered as being the immediate 
result of a primary affection of the nervous centres) in some cases 
may result from primary disease of the investing membranes only ; 
while, in other cases, they may be the result of a direct or primary 
affection of the nervous centres themselves, or probably from a 
combination of the two. This is a distinction which it is important 
to bear in mind if we wish to possess accurate knowledge respect- 
ing its site ; and, simple as it is, it appears hitherto to have 
escaped the observation of those practically engaged in its investi- 
gation. 
It is not my present intention to enter into any very elaborate 
consideration of this disease, as I propose saying something upon 
matters of a more popular nature : ere I commence, however, I 
would write a few words respecting the nature of the affection pre- 
