ATROPHY OF THE MUSCLES OF THE HIND QUARTERS. 589 
a careful examination of the affected limb, I discovered 
a slight depression of the muscles of the thigh; but no 
unusual heat of the part was to be detected. My dia¬ 
gnosis was a lesion of some of the muscles in the vicinity 
of the acetabulum-joint. The treatment was preceded by 
the exhibition of a dose of physic, and the almost constant 
application of hot water, from the hip downwards. The 
fomentations were continued for four or five days, after 
which I inserted two setons over the apparently affected 
muscles, and blistered repeatedly. 
At the expiration of one month the mare trotted nearly 
free from lameness, but there still remained a visible depres¬ 
sion of the muscles. I withdrew the setons and allowed her 
full liberty in a loose box, and on August 25th I discharged 
her as fit to resume her work. She continued to do her 
ordinary labour, but had a slight difficulty in bringing the 
leg forward. She was again admitted on the 14th January, 
I860, being now very lame. The atrophy of the muscles 
was more conspicuous, and it was with very great difficulty 
that she could progress. 
My former treatment being so successful, I again had 
recourse to similar remedies. On February 25th, she gave 
indications of tetanus ; and immediately on my observing this, 
I withdrew the setons, placed her in a dark box, and adminis¬ 
tered Aloes Barb., ^vi, which purged her freely the second 
day. The mare’s appetite continued pretty good, with but 
little increase of her general symptoms, until March 2d, when 
she hourly grew worse. On the following day, the mare 
being in extreme agony, and having lost all hopes of her 
recovery, I had her destroyed, as it is but seldom that an 
animal recovers from traumatic tetanus in India, notwith¬ 
standing the frequent use of cannabis Indica, strychnine, 
opium, and other boasted remedies. 
Post-mortem Appearances .—The muscles surrounding the 
acetabulum were converted into a fibrous mass, intersected 
with turgid vessels and spiculi of bone detached from the 
ischiatic portion of the os pubis. The conversion of the 
muscular tissue into a fibrous material was, in mv opinion, 
owing, in all probability, to a previous injury of the os pubis. 
The tetanic attack most likely was the result of the inser¬ 
tion of the setons, or pressure on some of the nerves. 
XXXIII. 
61 
