THE CHAMP IN HORSES. 
637 
chiefly the hinder extremities. In the human being cramps 
occasionally affect the muscles of organic life, as the sphincter of 
the bladder, the anus, &c. Buchan has given the name to a 
variety of gastralgia, in which there is a sudden and very pain¬ 
ful spasm of the stomach. Although cramps of this kind 
may, possibly, exist in the horse, they have not yet been observed 
or described. I shall principally confine myself to those of the 
extremities : only mentioning the others in order to attract the 
attention of practitioners to them. 
CASE I. 
On the 25th of July, 1819, I attended an entire horse, 
six years old, that for twelve hours had had an immoveable 
stiffness of one of the hind legs. It had travelled from Lyons in 
the morning, had performed the journey well, and appeared to 
be in perfect health. 
The animal rested equally on all his limbs—the temperature of 
the body and the respiration w T ere natural—the pulse 38—the 
membranes presented nothing particular, except that the con¬ 
junctiva was slightly red, which might have been occasioned 
by the heat and dust—the vertebral column was flexible; in a 
word, the horse, seen at rest, appeared to have nothing the 
matter with him. When, however, he was made to walk, he went 
on three legs ; the right leg, from the thigh to the fetlock, was so 
violently contracted, that it seemed as if it were all one piece : 
it inclined backwards; the point of the toe dragged on the ground, 
and, standing behind the horse, the sole was seen ; when he 
was stopped, he was obliged to back a little in order to support 
himself on that leg. There was neither swelling nor tenderness 
of the limb : if the limb was slowly moved, either forward or 
side way, the animal did not seem to suffer much pain ; but if these 
movements were suddenly executed, the horse evidently suffered. 
The only difference in the appearance of the leg was, that the 
muscles seemed to be hard and stretched. 
In despite of the most diligent search, I could not discover 
any cause of this affection. Should I say, with Garsault, that 
cramp proceeded from thick blood embarrasing and arresting 
the circulation of the animal spirits through the muscles ; or 
with Lafosse, that from some impediment in the circulation, the 
blood passed upon the nervous fibrils ? I could not determine : 
I only saw that the cramp endured longer than I had ever before 
thought possible, and I could form no opinion as to the result. 
Before I arrived, the proprietor had had the affected limb well 
rubbed with a wisp of straw, and had used frictions of camphor¬ 
ated spirit. I advised him to continue this treatment, to give 
