A CASE OF HEMIPLEGIA IN A MARE. 
By Mr. B. Bull, Launceston. 
My patient was a thorough, or nearly thorough-bred mare, 
the property of Mr. Smith, a respectable surgeon of Launceston, 
and a great amateur of veterinary science. He sent for me to 
look at her one evening, on account of a slight stiffness observ- 
able on the near side of her neck, which prevented her from 
moving it freely. 
On examining her, I could find no appearance of fever, or 
inflammatory excitement; but, on the contrary, a soft, full, and 
regular pulse, with other favourable symptoms. I therefore 
attributed it to suppressed perspiration, and thought that by 
warm clothing, and embrocating the part with volatile liniment, 
and with a dose or two of nitre in her mashes, it might soon pass 
away. In a day or two, however, after this, I found the bright- 
ness of her eyes had gone ; her pulse was quick and corded ; 
her tongue hot and dry ; besides other symptoms of fever. 
On this I abstracted a gallon of blood, and ordered mashes, to 
prepare her for fever laxative medicine. An hour or two after 
venesection, her countenance became bright again ; she win- 
nowed after the groom, and appeared sensibly benefitted by the 
treatment she had received ; but in the evening (fortunately for 
me, I had not yet given her any medicine, for that might have 
been thought the cause) I found her in an attitude of perfect stiff- 
ness. Her near eye was immovably fixed in its orbit, the pupil 
enormously dilated, and the whole extent of the iris of the colour 
of light green glass. The stiffness extended from the head to 
the hind-quarter of the near side, exhibiting a general state of 
spasm, or rather immobility of all the muscles on that half of the 
body, accompanied also with occasional transient convulsions. 
She supported herself by leaning her off side on the stall, and 
appeared, for a time, as if she must die in one of her paroxysms. 
There was no suspension of consciousness (she knowing all 
around her), nor any loss of sensitive influence in the muscles, 
for they felt very tender, and were unusually warm ; but their 
motive energies were entirely gone, she being as stiff as in 
death. 
I ordered her to be well rubbed by the groom and the smith 
for an hour, during which time we (Mr. Smith and myself) con- 
versed the matter over, as to the probable cause of this sudden 
change. He thought it attributable to a shock upon the ner- 
vous system, occasioned by the loss of blood. In this opinion, 
VOL. IX. 4 F 
