638 
THE CRAMP IN HORSES. 
the animal only half his allowance of hay, no oats, and water 
whitened with oatmeal to drink. 
On the following* morning, the horse being no better, the pro¬ 
prietor added some spirits of turpentine to the camphorated 
tincture, but which so irritated the skin, and caused so much 
pain, that the animal refused to eat. When I saw the animal 
the temperature of the body was raised—perspiration was break¬ 
ing out in several places—the pulse was 49—the limb was 
swelled, hot, and painful; and a serous fluid was exuding through 
the pores of the skin. This state of the limb, which was the 
evident consequence of the irritating frictions that had been 
applied, did not at all diminish the muscular contraction. It 
was necessary to adopt a more soothing kind of treatment, in 
order to abate the irritation and inflammation. The horse was 
bled, the limb fomented with an infusion of elder flowers, and 
then embrocated with a liniment composed of olive oil, camphor, 
and opium. 
Thirty hours after this, there was a marked diminution of the 
intensity of the symptoms : the limb was then embrocated with 
a soap liniment, and the stiffness gradually wore off. The 
soap liniment seemed to be particularly beneficial. 
On the 3d of August the horse returned to his work ; but 
the use of the soap liniment was continued for some days after¬ 
wards. 
CASE II. 
On June 8th, 1822, I was consulted respecting a thorough¬ 
bred English horse, whose right leg was affected with 
cramp. When the animal was standing still, the weight of 
the body seemed to be equally supported by all the limbs; but 
when he moved, he walked on three legs only, and dragged 
the other leg after him, the whole of which seemed to be com¬ 
pletely stiffened. At the fourth or fifth step, however, he began 
to rest lightly upon the point of the toe ; at the tenth or twelfth 
he could put his foot flat on the ground : the lameness continued 
to diminish, and,when he had gone twenty or thirty paces, it had 
quite disappeared. He was then (although he was urged at the 
rate of twelve miles an hour, and that through along journey) no 
longer incommoded by this cramp, which, at his first starting, 
seemed as if it would have rendered him useless. IN T o part of the 
limb presented any heat, swelling, or tenderness. 
The same oil, camphor, and opium liniment was applied 
without effect: one composed of soap, camphor, and spirit of 
wine, was then resorted to, and was alike useless. We then had 
recourse to bandages firmly applied about the hock. They were 
