PARTURIENT APOPLEXY. 
645 
and walked to the stable and stood up most of the day ; 
laid down at night and got up again in the morning ; ate a 
little mash and drank some water, and except for an inactive 
condition of the bowels seemed to be doing well until just 
before noon, when she suddenly sank down and died in a 
few minutes. These deaths 1 believe were due to thrombi* 
As will be seen, I may define my idea of the pathology and 
etiology of parturient apoplexy as a cessation of the functions 
of the digestive organs and a venous or arterial obstruction 
of the cerebral or other blood vessels by thrombi or embo¬ 
lism, and due to injudicious dietary and the pathological con¬ 
dition of the blood (excess of fibrine) peculiar to this period. 
This may not be very elegantly or scientifically “put ” 
but comes pretty near to expressing the idea I wish to convey. 
In studying the symptoms I have quoted largely from our 
text books, commented from personal observation, and com¬ 
pared them with those of gastric impactions. “ The secretion 
.of milk is stopped, the cow hangs its head, ceases to feed, and 
paddles with its hind feet.” And Prof. Williams in his “ Prac¬ 
tice of Medicine,” page 32;, says, “ By-and-by the breathing 
becomes hard and rapid ; it sways from side to side ; the 
hind legs double at the fetlock and at last it falls.” “ The 
ears, hoi ns and forehead are now intensely hot, the animal 
lies in a state of perfect stupor or coma, or dashes itself vio¬ 
lently about; the head is thrown from side to side, and there 
is danger of the horns being knocked off.” 
Now I think we will not find “ rapid breathing ” a symp¬ 
tom of any form of brain disease, but that it is slow and 
heavy, with deep inspirations, and this is as we see it in the 
later stages of the disease ; but in the early stages, when the 
stomach is the principal seat of trouble, the breathing is ac¬ 
celerated, as it is so apt to be in indigestions. Again, in 
many cases I have sought in vain for any perceptible in¬ 
crease of heat about the head. I do not consider that at all 
a constant symptom, but that it is misleading in symptomatol¬ 
ogy and pathology, for I am quite sure that much of the 
seeming delirium is a result rather of intense abdominal pain 
than of any brain affection. 
