ON THE KUMREE. 
254 
incapable of walking, but the powers of retaining or discharging 
the feces are impaired, and the penis is incapable of erection; 
in kumree they have a sense of feeling, and can not only put their 
hind legs in motion, but we daily see such horses work, and 
some even severely; they pass their feces regularly, and which 
seems under the controul of the will; they retain the powers of 
erection, as was observed in the roan at Balligunge, which, 
though on the ground and undergoing a severe operation, still 
had his penis erected. This horse belonged to the Governor 
General's Body Guard : he had kumree in a slight degree, and was 
castrated by me for vice : during the removal of one testicle, and 
till the clams were about being tied on the cord of the other, 
he actually had his penis erected. In the disease of the spine 
there is a disease of one or more bones of the spine, with a cur¬ 
vature, however, you may say a disease of the spine might exist 
without any curvature: neither is it necessary that there be a 
curvature to produce these effects; but you must allow that these 
symptoms cannot exist without the bones being diseased. In 
dissecting kumree horses this has nob been observed; in fact, 
there is no analogy between them. 
“ Another intelligent gentleman compares kumree to chorea 
sancti viti, but the absurdity of which I will not tire you by 
pointing out; for, no doubt, you are perfectly aware of the 
symptoms of that disease, and will agree with me, that it does 
not bear the slightest resemblance to it. 
“ I am of opinion that kumree is a weakness of the hind* 
extremities, produced by pressure on the nerves going to the 
parts, and is a symptom, or rather a termination of inflammation 
of the brain or its membranes, which, in the human, would pro¬ 
duce hydrocephalus; but probably, from the peculiar structure 
of the horse, the accumulation of the effused fluid in the head 
is prevented, and it passes down between the theca when effused. 
This inflammation is in a minor degree ; were it greater, it would 
produce phrenitis. The causes that produce it are heat, sudden 
changes from heat to cold and from cold to heat, and plethora : 
severe blows on the head might occasion it. Mr.W. M. says, that 
4 the immediate cause seems to be inflammatory action of the vessels, 
or deposition of pure blood, or of some of its constituent parts, 
within or upon some very important portion of the nervous sys¬ 
tem/ In another place he remarks, that, ‘ when the effusion 
takes place to a considerable degree in any of the cavities of the 
brain, or upon its surface, or upon the sheath of the spinal 
marrow, or the sacral nerves, or of the large nerves of the legs, 
soon after their leaving bony cases, some of the effects caused 
thereby are precisely such as might have been expected from 
pressure/ This perfectly accords with my opinion on it; and I 
