126 MR. youatt’s veterinary lectures. 
will ran at every thing which presents itself, but it is a sudden 
impulse. The former will, like the horse, plot mischief; he will 
endeavour to lure his victims vdthin his reach. A much greater 
quantity of foam will be discharged from the mouth of the rabid 
than the phrenitic ox. 
The causes are much the satne as those of apoplexy—too sti¬ 
mulating food and too great redundancy of blood, to which may 
be added some immediately exciting cause, as bard and rapid 
work in sultry weather, over-driving, &c. In the neighbourhood 
of London too many instances of phrenitis occur from the latter 
cause. It once used to be the sport of brutes in human shape to 
excite it by selecting a beast from the herd, and driving it furi¬ 
ously from street to street. 
The post-mortem appearances in the ox are always character¬ 
istic of the disease. The vessels of the cerebrum, the cerebellum, 
and the spinal chord, are highly injected—the membranes of the 
three are also loaded with blood. The lateral ventricles are dis¬ 
tended wuth a serous fluid. The fourth stomach and the small 
intestines usually exhibit the most decided traces of inflammatory 
action. To a certain extent, however, and sometimes to a degree 
almost inconceivable, the whole venous system is gorged with 
black blood. The ox has, comparatively, more blood in him than 
the horse. 
As to the treatment of phrenitis in cattle, there is some diffi¬ 
culty. Is any treatment practicable? Is human life to be ha¬ 
zarded ? Cases will occur in which the bullet will be the best 
remedy; but then the flesh may be in such a congested state 
that it cannot be sold. If the beast can be managed or ap¬ 
proached during a momentary remission of the symptoms, bleed¬ 
ing should be attempted ; and if a vein can be opened, it should 
be suffered to bleed on as long as it will. Physic, if it can be 
given, will be indicated. Sometimes the beast labours under an 
insatiable thirst; and as his taste is not very exquisite now, he 
may be cheated with water in which Epsom salts have been dis¬ 
solved. If there is time to get down a hornful of drink, a scruple 
or half a drachm of the farina of the croton nut may be admi¬ 
nistered, mixed with a little gruel, All other medicines are com¬ 
pletely out of the question. If bleeding and physic will not save 
the ox, nothing will. Use should also be made of any temporary 
respite to confine the animal; or, if possible, to get him into some 
place where he cannot do much harm to himself or to any one 
else. Some persons have recommended setons of the black hel¬ 
lebore root inserted into the dewlap, and when these begin to 
act, they do generally act most tremendously; biit the animal 
will have recovered, or he will be dead before the seton can have 
