.AZOTURIA. 
239 
Of the pathology I do not know that I can say anything 
that will interest you. I should, however, like to say in this 
connection, that it is a matter of conviction with me that the 
helpless condition is a result of tonic spasm of certain of the 
voluntary muscles, more particularly and ordinarily of those 
of the gluteal and posterior lumbar regions, but rarely the 
anterior part of the body or of both these together. 
Paralysis , so far as this condition is understood to mean 
inactivity of the muscles because of pressure upon some part 
of the cord or brain, in my opinion is not in it. The trouble 
is in the blood and must be eliminated from it. This office is 
naturally performed by the kidneys mainly. If the amount 
of the poison in circulation is not too great for them, the kid¬ 
neys will strain it out and the animal will recover. If it is 
too great they will be over-worked, congested or even soft¬ 
ened, and the animal will die. 
A discussion with you of the treatment of azoturia is the 
real reason for my having written this paper, for I believe 
that some of my ways are somewhat different from those 
usually pursued. Bearing in mind what I have stated to you 
as being my pathological convictions, my whole aim is to re¬ 
lieve the kidneys as much as possible from the tremendous 
strain put upon them, and to so preserve them to the vital 
necessity of the disorder. 
In the milder cases I give a ball of eight or ten drachms of 
aloes, and keep the animal as quiet as possible, with the slings 
loosely under him, unless he is fretted by them, and generally 
a good hot blanket over the lumbar region. 
In the more severe cases I think it best to insist* more 
firmly upon the slings, and with them my first treatment is 
to put the animal on his feet and keep him there if it can pos¬ 
sibly be done by means of any known method. I then give a 
ball of ten drachms of aloes (and it should be remembered 
that these doses are not particularly large ones). The aloes 
is followed by the administration of sulphate of magnesia in 
eight ounce doses. In very severe cases the salts are re¬ 
peated three times in twenty-four hours. They may be given 
in the drinking water or generally as a drink dissolved in 
