TETANUS. 
27 
and some of the small intestines were inflamed; red patches 
were observed on the latter, at different places. The liver was pale, 
and its texture loose and broken; and the bladder contracted. 
This was the first case of tetanus that I ever met with in my 
own practice, and 1 believe I may say with certainty, that I 
never met with any since in w'hich the brain shev*^ed so much 
inflammation, and so much organic lesion. 
In the case that I alluded to, as proceeding from a slight 
wound produced by a blow from a lash of a whip underneath the 
eye, the vertebral canal was filled with a fluid of a yellowish co¬ 
lour, and the investing membrane of the cord was considerably 
inflamed ; but the brain appeared perfectly healthy, except a 
slight vascularity of its investing membranes. In this case the 
sympathetic nerve, wuth its ganglia, were decidedly inflamed. 
The stomach and bowels likewise bore marks of inflammation; 
and the lungs were gorged with florid blood. 
The following are the observations made in examining a horse 
nearly thorough-bred, belonging to a merchant of this town, that 
died of idiopathic tetanus:— 
Bay horse, aged, 1830, June 5th. I wall pass over the treat¬ 
ment that was pursued : being a very irritable horse, he died 
on the 6th day. He was treated by an empiric, for two days, 
for a cold in the loins. 
Sectio Cadaveris .—The viscera of the abdomen, with the ex¬ 
ception of the bladder, which was considerably contracted, were 
inflamed ; in some places very highly so, particularly the duo¬ 
denum. The lungs were rather more than usually red, and 
gorged, as it were, with blood. The membranes of the larynx 
and bronchial ramifications were considerably inflamed, and the 
sympathetic nerve and its ganglia on the thorax were decidedly 
more than usually vascular. The brain appeared healthy in 
every respect, except some increased vascularity in its investing 
membranes. The spinal chord was firm and healthy, but its 
immediate covering was slightly vascular. 
In another case, I found the brain perfectly healthy; the spinal 
envelope slightly inflamed ; but the stomach, at its pyloric orifice, 
possessing a high degree of vascularity. The duodenum was 
likewise vascular, and the branch of the sympathetic that sur¬ 
rounds the stomach considerably so. 
The conclusions which appear-to me naturally, or almost ne¬ 
cessarily, to result from these cases, must form the subject of 
another communication. 
portion. 'Flic (luodcniiin and jojiinnm were much indamed, and the lung 
gorged witli hlood. 'That, however, which allraetcd tny attention inoro 
particularly was, the iinnsnally vascular appearance of the large sympa¬ 
thetic nerves through their various ramifications in the chest aiid abUoincn. 
