578 
INDIAN HEMP IN TETANUS. 
that agent, and will give you a brief history of the case in 
which I used it. On the 30th March, a large chesnut, stud- 
bred trooper was admitted into hospital with all the symptoms 
of tetanus, viz., extreme rigidity of all the voluntary muscles ; 
erection and quivering of the tail; inability to move the head 
or bend the neck or body in the slightest degree; the legs 
planted stiffly, wide apart; distressed expression of face; ex¬ 
treme nervous excitement upon any person entering the box 
or approaching him, the membrana nictitans being protruded 
and the head thrown up on such occasions, accompanied by 
a groan of distress if approached closely or touched; the 
jaws, though not completely locked, were nearly so, it being 
impossible to open them beyond half an inch. The horse 
could drink water, or a thin, sloppy mash, when it was held 
up to him, but his doing so was accompanied by that pecu¬ 
liar sucking noise so common in cases of this kind. As there 
was no wound of any kind, and as the animal had received 
no injury, except a fall by which he had slightly injured his 
shoulder, three months previously, I came to the conclusion 
that it was a case (probably) of idiopathic tetanus. 
It was impossible to give medicine in the shape of bolus, 
and as any handling or an attempt to raise the head produced 
intense and painful excitement, I determined not to give 
drenches. After emptying the rectum with a common clyster, 
an enema was prepared, containing— 
Aioes, 5vj ; 
Extr. Eelladon., 5'j ; 
and administered. A blister was then applied along the 
spine, and the patient left in a dark, loose box, with instruc¬ 
tions that he should be kept as quiet as possible. 
On the second day, Ext. Belladonnae, 5iij, in solution, was 
administered per anum, and one drachm in solution applied 
over the blistered surface. The medicine of yesterday began 
to act, and an immense quantity of hard, dry faeces was 
voided. 
On the third day the blister was washed off, and one 
drachm of Ext. Belladonnae in solution applied. On this day 
I commenced the use of the Indian hemp. Twelve ounces of 
green hemp, pounded, were boiled slowly in five quarts of 
water until reduced to two and a half quarts, when the de¬ 
coction was strained and allowed to cool. This was then 
divided into three portions, one was ordered to be given as 
an enema in the morning, one at mid-day, and one in the 
evening. 
On the sixth day I had 5ij of Ext. Belladonnae in solution 
