I 
REPORTS OF CASES. 701 
quiver and tremble as though palsied ; they are unable to 
keep the head quiet, it being in a constant quiver; their 
eyes have a peculiar, starry look and fixity of expression. In 
the movements, the animals simulate the gait of one af¬ 
fected with locomotor-ataxia, dhis is during the first stages. 
As the disease progresses, the tremulous motion of the head 
continues with much exaggeration. The gait changes some¬ 
what, the symptoms peculiar to an animal suffering from 1am- 
initis being added to that one already noted. These symp¬ 
toms continue to increase in severity, with additional ones 
added. Now, we have tetanic convulsions upon any excite¬ 
ment. Co-ordination becomes almost impossible, the animals 
falling over in a convulsion ; the muscles of the whole body 
become tense and rigid, the limbs entirely stiff, and should 
any motion be attempted the animal will topple over. The 
appetite is splendid, and usually digestion is good ; I have, 
however, since this outbreak heard of some that had diarrhea. 
This latter symptom has not occurred in any that came under 
my own observation. These symptoms increase, involving all 
the muscles of the body, and the poor animals will pass off in 
one of the convulsions. 
Distribution .—Not widely disseminated, yet it is not con¬ 
fined to one farm or community. Since the outbreak herein 
described, several more of such instances have occurred. 
Several persons in the same county have cited instances in 
their own herds, where a few have been and were affected. 
Again, this ^disease exists in several neighboring counties. 
The death rate so far being small, but little alarm has been 
taken, and for this reason we* have not heard of as many cases 
of this malady as do exist. 
Etiology .—Of this we are not able definitely to speak, for 
thus far we have been unable entirely to account for a cause. 
First, search was made to find if the animals that were in the 
neighborhood that was affected were not all related to those 
that were first affected with this disease. This was with a 
view to find out if the particular breed had anything to do 
with it, or any especial family were affected. This idea, viz., 
that of heredity, proved of no avail, for shortly animals of 
