NEPHRITIS AND PARAPLEGIA. 
485 
they made violent but ineffectual endeavours to rise. They cried 
and groaned continually — they were covered by a cold sweat — 
yet, sometimes, they retained their appetite. The intensity of 
the symptoms increased, until death soon closed the scene. 
M. Mannachast, who has seen a great many cases, and has 
had much opportunity to study the disease, considers it to be 
almost invariably mortal, and that no medicine has been of es- 
sential service. In several examinations, carefully conducted by 
him, the envelopes of the spinal cord at the lumbar portion con- 
tained a considerable quantity of serosity of a citrine colour, and 
somewhat gelatinous. He considered the pressure of this fluid 
to be the cause of death. Sometimes, but more rarely, he found 
an effusion of blood in these regions. 
At the same time many horses, well fed and hardly worked, 
died, in consequence of gangrenous perforation of the posterior 
extremity of the colon on some part of the rectum. 
The symptoms were extreme anxiety during the whole period 
of the disease, with very short remissions — laborious respiration, 
precipitate and short — the pulsations of the artery and the beat- 
ings of the heart isochronous with the movement of the flanks — 
the eyes protruding from their orbits — the alse of the nose ex- 
panded and fixed — obstinate constipation — violent efforts to eva- 
cuate the faeces, but without any being expelled — the anus hot 
and projecting — infiltration, in many cases, through the peri- 
toneum, the sheath, and the integument of the thighs — cold and 
abundant sweating from these parts — stiffness of the loins — the 
penis protruded and pendant — violent efforts to void a few drops 
of brown-coloured urine — impossibility of retaining the smallest 
quantity of fluid injected into the anus. The patients were con- 
tinually looking at their flanks — lying down, and getting up 
again immediately — when up, they walked with tolerable ease — 
their loathing of food was intense — the attack of the disease was 
sudden, and its progress rapid. Death occurred in 24, or 48, 
or, at most, 72 hours. All treatment was useless. 
The post-mortem appearances were gangrene of all the mem- 
branes of one part of the floating portion of the colon or the 
rectum, as large as a hand or more, and a citrine serosity vari- 
able in quantity in the abdomen — the peritoneum and mesentery 
were of a deep red, with a slight tint of yellow — the cortical 
substance of the kidneys was softened, and of a deep black 
colour externally — the ureters, the bladder, and the urinary canal, 
were in a normal state. 
Such were the circumstances which attended the progress 
of the disease in the town and neighbouring country ; but the 
malady soon began to attack the horses in our regiment. 
VOL. XV. 3 T 
