ECLAMPSIA—^PARTURIENT APOPLEXY 
105 
The etiology and pathology of neither of these diseases 
are thoroughly understood, and therefore we shall first brief¬ 
ly review those clinical phenomena that numerous accurate 
observations have shown to be constant results of these dis¬ 
eases. The premonitory symptoms of the disease known as 
eclampsia parturientum are given by Lusk* as “ headache, 
often limited to one side, vertigo, loss of memory, gloomy 
forebodings, flashes of light before the eyes, contracted 
pupils, amblyopia, sometimes amaurosis, ringing in the ears, 
dyspepsia, nausea, vomiting, dyspnoea, oedema of the face, of 
the labia majora and of the extremities, and finally, and of 
first importance, the presence of albumen and of casts in the 
urine.” If there are premonitory symptoms of parturient 
apoplexy in the cow they are usually observed. However, 
Fleming,f after saying that “ the disease sets in suddenly 
after calving and without any premonitory symptoms ,” states in 
the next paragraph that “ in some instances before the symp¬ 
toms commence, the lacteal secretion is either diminished or 
suspended.” 
Professor Williams^: says, that “ most commonly there are 
some premonitory signs. The secretion of milk is stopped, 
the cow hangs its head, ceases to feed, and paddles with the 
hind feet.” From the foregoing it is obvious that a compari¬ 
son of the prodromata can be of but little value in deciding 
the question at issue; but one or two points seem worthy of 
notice. The most important and, in fact, the only constant 
premonitory symptom of parturient apoplexy is a more or 
less extensive diminution in the lacteal secretion. This is 
not recorded as a premonitory symptom of eclampsia in 
women. Another point worthy of notice is that oedema of 
the face and extremities is one of the most reliable signs of 
approaching eclampsia in women, but in parturient apoplexy 
in cows this condition is never present. Again, amaurosis is 
quite a common premonitory symptom of eclampsia, but no 
record of it in such a connection is made by veterinarians. 
* “ Science and Art of Midwifery,” page 561. 
t “Veterinary Obstetrics,” page 657. 
t “ Principles and Practice of Vet. Med.,” page 495. 
