25 
CASE OF PARAPLEGIA, PRODUCED BY A LARGE 
TUMOUR PRESSING ON THE LUMBAR AND 
SACRAL NERVES. 
By Mr, W. C. Spooner, Southampton. 
In April last, I was requested to attend at Broadlands on Mus¬ 
cat, a grey Arabian stallion, belonging to Viscount Palmerston. 
He was an aged horse, about fourteen years old; had been many 
years in this country, and several years in the possession of his 
lordship, during which time he had been used as a stallion. He 
had been attacked two days before I saw him with symptoms of 
colic, for which he had been bled, and had some medicine, and 
afterwards a strong dose of physic. When I saw him, he ap¬ 
peared suffering, in some measure, from the too violent action 
of the physic. The symptoms were a total loss of appetite—a 
somewhat quickened but very feeble pulse—fseces watery, and 
great irritability manifested previous to their expulsion—extremi¬ 
ties rather cold, and general aspect heavy and dull. My treatment 
consisted in the administration of gentian, opium, and chalk, in 
thick gruel, with spt. nit. ether.; and, under this treatment, occa¬ 
sionally varied, he soon began to amend, and in the course of five 
or six days he was convalescent. 
About six weeks afterwards, I was requested to see Muscat 
again. He had fed well since his last attack, and had appeared 
generally well; except that for the last fortnight he had manifested 
considerable weakness in the hind-quarters. On his being led out 
he somewhat reeled in his walk, and, when made to trot, he did not 
advance his legs under his body as he ought to have done. His 
weakness was most perceptible in turning. He staled freely and 
without difficulty, and his urine presented the usual appearance. 
I forgot to mention, that, about a fortnight before this last visit, 
a mare was brought to him, when he evinced as much desire as 
ever; mounted her, but could not advance far enough to effect a 
penetration. It was this that first directed observation to the lum¬ 
bar weakness ; and, on the circumstance being mentioned to me, I 
thought it* possible that the horse might have failed from weak¬ 
ness, and, perhaps, injured the muscles of the loins or ligaments of 
the spine in making the attempt. With this idea, I prescribed 
mineral and vegetable tonics, to be administered internally for some 
time, and a vesicating liniment to be applied to the loins, and re¬ 
peated from time to time. This treatment was continued during a 
few weeks, and the horse certainly appeared stronger and better, 
but still his action was not as we could wish. In the course of 
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