WEST OF SCOTLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 811 
along the spine, and gave tonic medicine daily; but finding 
my patient not improving as fast as I wished, 1 purposed to 
try strychnia, but desired the consultation of another veteri¬ 
nary surgeon. The proprietor consenting, Mr. Aitken, of 
Kilmarnock, was informed of it, and a time was fixed for us 
to meet, but unfortunately he did not get there till ten hours 
after, so that I had left. His opinion and orders were to 
take the horse home, turn him out to grass, and give a feed 
of corn daily, assuring the owner that he would be ready for 
the carriage in six weeks. To this I would not agree, and 
Mr. Aitken was again called in to meet me; but the second 
time was like the first. In a few days the horse was taken 
home, turned to grass, and attended to by Mr. Aitken. The 
animal got powders daily for a time, and was twice severely 
blistered along the spine. However, six weeks passed, and 
even many more, and the horse was still unfit for work, even 
on the farm. 
February 9th, 1860.—I was again sent for to see the horse, 
and requested to take and treat him, or, if I thought he 
would not recover, to destroy him. I had him brought to 
ray place with difficulty, as he threw his legs about as if 
they did not belong to him. I first gave a dose of physic, and 
then commenced with strychnia, giving it in one-grain doses 
twice a day, made into a ball with ginger and gentian, and 
increasing the strychnia one grain daily till he had given him 
six grains at once. Two hours after this dose I entered the 
stable quietly; he sprang forward in the stall with his head 
in a corner, blowing, and in a fearful state of excitement, 
scarcely able to steady himself, his back arched and tail 
erect. I remained about two hours pacifying him, which he 
seemed fond of; but when anything stirred he was again 
thrown into a sort of tetanic spasm. Next day he was led 
out, and I fancied him much better. The strychnia was 
gradually reduced to two grains per diem, and I allowed a 
few days to pass without any. I now gave exercise daily in a 
field, and again commenced with strychnia as before, till he 
had got two six-grain balls. Two hours after he got the last 
I was surprised to find him on his broadside, smashing 
desperately and unable to rise; and I again tried to pacify 
him, which kept him much quieter, although at times severe 
spasms came on. In less than two hours he rose and seemed 
all right, with the exception of a few abrasions. The medi¬ 
cine was again reduced gradually, and exercise increased. I 
could now run him across a ploughed field with safety. 
Once more I increased the strychnia till he got twice seven 
grains, the last dose bringing him on his broadside as 
