PARTURIENT ECLAMPSIA IN THE MARE. 
567 
“In one case that 1 saw, the two fore shoes and one hind 
shoe had been thrown off by the violent kicking and stamp¬ 
ing. Attempts were made to remove the remaining one, 
which was loose; they were, however, unavailable, as the 
slightest touch caused the most violent kicking. The animal 
would fall, the whole trunk and neck being perfectly rigid, 
whilst the limbs continually moved in a violent and spasmodic 
manner. The power of volition seemed to be completely 
lost. The gluteal muscles were exceedingly hard and promi¬ 
nent. The rapid opening and closing of the vulva and its 
highly injected mucous membrane indicated the hyperassthesia 
of the genital organs. Urine was passed abundantly, at first 
pale and watery, but afterwards highly colored, and loaded 
with solid matters. 
“In another case the symptoms were rather different. The 
animal was prostrate, rigid, with the eyes turned upwards, as 
if in a trance. They were both bled, and an endeavor was 
made to nauseate them with aloes, and to allay the nervous 
irritability with opium. One recovered, the other died. For 
the prevention of this condition I can only suggest that the 
sexual desire be gratified, if possible, whenever such a state of 
excitement short of the above presents itself.” 
Prof. Williams fails to inform us if his cases had foals at 
their sides and had passed through the same conditions as 
those I have observed. I do not recall the appearance of 
oestrum in any of my cases, which he relates in his; surely it 
was not marked in any of thenl, or I should have noted it. 
How he manages to call the affection hysteria without 
drawing heavily upon his imagination, is more than I can 
comprehend. The principal factors in the causation of so- 
called hysteria in women, such as “ sudden fright or horror, 
powerful religious impressions, disappointed love or hope de¬ 
ferred, grief, jealousy and the like, unhappy marriage, etc.,’’ 
rarely if ever enters as an essential factor in the etiology of 
this disease in mares. 
A careful study of the causation, history, symptoms, 
course and termination of hysteria in women fails to afford 
the slightest resemblance or parallelism in any respect with 
