183 
EPILEPSY IN THE HORSE. 
horse now lay upon the ground, to all appearance totally 
unconscious; violently convulsed in every limb; the eyes 
staring, as though ready to start out of his head ; the mouth 
foaming with saliva, and the head and neck partaking 
of the violent convulsions that had seized his whole frame. 
The animal lay in this condition, as near as I can judge for 
about ten minutes, after which consciousness slowly re¬ 
turned to him. I did not notice whether the urine or fgeces 
were discharged during the paroxysm, as is frequently the 
case during an attack of epilepsy in the human subject. I 
waited until the driver could walk the animal slowly back; 
I say slowly back, for the horse was evidently exhausted 
and weakened by the violence of the spasms he had under¬ 
gone. On questioning the driver, he told me the present 
was the second or third attack of the kind that his horse had 
had; and, although not accustomed to veterinary practice, I 
directed him to tell his master, the horse should be kept 
quiet for some days, and well purged. This terminates my 
acquaintance with this particular case. I will now offer 
some remarks upon this disease, by way of comparison 
chiefly as it may occur in the horse and in man. 
In the first place, as to the exciting cause or causes. It 
is well known, that amongst the exciting causes of epilepsy 
in the human subject, mental or moral emotions have long 
been considered as holding a foremost rank. Without going 
into detail on this subject, or offering illustrations of this 
statement, it will suffice to remark, that the experience of 
all, adequately acquainted with medical literature, or toler¬ 
ably familiar with medical practice, cannot fail to supply 
them with numerous instances wherein this class of causes 
has been in operation as concerned in the production of the 
disease in question. Over and over again I have myself 
witnessed cases of epilepsy, either during or after the 
paroxysm or fit, in which I have had good reason for enter¬ 
taining the opinion that certain mental or moral emotions 
had largely, if not entirely, contributed to this result. Now, 
without denying that, in some instances, fright may so far 
affect the horse, as to prove an exciting cause of epilepsy in 
that animal; still, I think, that almost as a general rule, the 
class of causes now under consideration may be excluded 
from further notice, as tending towards the production of 
this disease in the horse. 
Assuming this position for the sake of argument, we thus 
eliminate at once, so far as concerns this animal, most of 
such cases of epilepsy, as, if speaking in reference to the 
human subject, would be regarded as cases of epilepsy of 
