TRISMUS IN A COLT. 
75 
from the whole. The subject of this case, however, had not 
partaken of food from the Thursday, and continued in the 
same condition over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and on 
the Monday I visited him for the first time. 
H aving ascertained this, I carefully examined my patient, 
who did not show, as I previously observed, any symptom of 
active disease. The bowels were very much constipated, the 
circulation feeble, and the artery easily compressed; he 
moved moderately free, but carried his head in a fixed posi¬ 
tion ; the respiration was normal, and the surface of the body 
cooler than natural. On examining the head and neck, the 
muscles of the face and the upper cervical muscles felt rigid, 
but not so much as we find them in acute tetanus. A little 
saliva drivelled from the lips, and he would make frequent 
attempts to gather up food, but was unable to collect more 
than a very small quantity, which he could not masticate, and 
it fell from his lips again. The mouth could be opened to 
the extent of about half an inch; and on the head being 
elevated, the membrana nictitans was projected over the eye 
quickly and forcibly. 
From these symptoms, coupled with the spastic rigidity of 
the muscles, it w 7 as clearly a case of trismus. 
Treatment .—This consisted in placing on the tongue Hyd. 
Chlorid., gr. xxx; a blister was applied to the throat, ex¬ 
tending to the cervical region and maxillary space. Orders 
were given that he was not to be moved from the box he 
occupied, and to be kept in a perfect state of quietude, sub¬ 
jected to moderate light, and have only one attendant; also 
plenty of thin oatmeal gruel to be allowed him. 
On the following day, August 7th, when I again visited 
my patient, there was not the slightest improvement ap¬ 
parent. The symptoms were as before reported, being 
neither aggravated or improved, and the anterior cervical, 
masseter, and adjacent muscles, were in the same spastic 
condition. 
A second dose of Hyd. Chlorid. w r as administered, and 
some of the following embrocation applied over the blistered 
surface and masseter region, three times a day: 
51 Lin. Sapo. Comp., ; 
Ext. Belladon., ^iij; 
Tinct. Opii, f^iij. 
The extract of belladonna was well rubbed down with the 
liniment, and the tincture of opium added. 
On my next attendance, August 9th, the first remark made 
w 7 as that the colt was better. His bowels had been freely 
unloaded, although they were not much relaxed ; his general 
