518 
LOCAL PALSY IN THREE HORSES. 
medical treatment; and on the sixty-first day the animal returned 
to his ordinary work. 
CASE III. 
The horse which forms the subject of this last narrative had 
also been confined to the stable for upwards of eight days by an 
inflammatory swelling on the chest. 
December 11 th, 1826.—The animal was better, and he was 
put with some others to draw a waggon load of grain. After 
going about three or four miles, his hind limbs began suddenly 
to give way; and he dragged them after him ; the waggoner 
perceived it, but ere he had time to unharness the horse, he fell. 
This accident happened within a few doors of me, and I was 
immediately called out. 
He was an entire horse, in tolerable condition, six years old, 
and about sixteen hands high; and they told me that he belonged 
to M. Rivet, farmer, at Mervillier, in the district of Eure et 
Loir. 
He was lying quietly on his right side. I should not have 
perceived any thing extraordinary had it not been for the quick¬ 
ness and hardness of the pulse. I tried to raise him ; he did not 
refuse, but on the contrary, got on his fore legs and tried to rise ; 
he struggled with his hind legs, and then fell down, as if tired. 
At length, after fruitless trials, I got assistants, and succeeded in 
placing him on his feet. His position was exceedingly singular; 
his fore legs were straddling, and far from the centre of gravity ; 
the animal earnestly tried to balance himself, but if our support 
was withdrawn for an instant from his hind limbs, he vibrated 
from right to left like the pendulum of a clock. During these 
involuntary motions the head was depressed, the eyes fixed and 
haggard, the loins stiff and insensible, and the appearance of 
the animal sufficiently announced that he was labouring under * 
some great disorder, and suffering very acute pain. In order to 
get him along, I was obliged to place four men, one at each hind 
extremity, and one at each flank ; so that as the fore quarters 
moved forward two of the men pushed and lifted the hind legs 
forward, while the other two sustained the equilibrium; but in 
spite of all these precautions he fell several times. At length, 
after toiling for nearly an hour and a half, we got him into my 
infirmary. 
I had him put on good litter, and left him alone for an hour 
before I examined him; nevertheless, I expected to find para¬ 
lysis of the lumbar muscles. I observed the following symp¬ 
toms, which confirmed me in my prognostic:—The horse was 
lying on his right side, covered with sweat; the respiration was 
