146 
EDITORIAL. 
atively common affection, and the published writings of Profes¬ 
sors Large, Law and others are familiarly known and well ap¬ 
preciated in our veterinarian circles. Its symptomatology is well 
understood, as are also its various sequelae, with their complica¬ 
tions and their treatment, all of which, we may confidently say, 
are matters possessing no interest for us as novelties, and only 
become specially remarkable when associated with possible differ¬ 
ences in the severity of an attack, or irregularities in the symp¬ 
toms, or the duration of some special outbreak. 
The point least clearly comprehended is that of the true 
origin, or what may be denominated the final cause of the dis¬ 
ease. It is quite true that the initial moment of its appearance 
has been narrowly watched for by probably every veterinarian, as 
its encounter has been expected in the course of his practice at 
peculiar seasons of the year, but that has usually ended the mat¬ 
ter—the point has evaded the scrutiny. And still, there has been 
a patent fact within easy reach, which, though of primary impor¬ 
tance, has seemed constantly to invite interpretation, and which 
perhaps only requires due collation and adjustment to furnish all 
the solution needed. This fact is the common co-existence of 
cerebro-spinal meningitis with the peculiar typhoid affection 
which veterinarians designate as influenza, and which, in the esti¬ 
mation of some observers, is simply a nervous form of the latter 
disease. 
We have for some years past been persuaded that the names 
employed to designate that form of disease were lacking in cor¬ 
rectness, and now, in acknowledging the error of our former 
theories of the supposed pathology of the affection, as we then 
considered it, we wish to be understood as rather stating an 
opinion which we would express tentatively, with a desire that 
some of our pathologist friends would bring it under their criti¬ 
cal scrutiny with a view to ascertaining to what degree it may be 
borne out, or wherein it may need modification and correction. 
We consider the paraplegia which is observed in the affected 
animals to be simply the result of the presence of certain germs 
in the organism, whose nature and mode of introduction should 
become the special aim of pathological research, and the discovery 
