4 
EDITORIAL. 
insisting on their comparative pathology, which the physician 
cannot afford to ignore. 
* 
* * k 
“ Although not having as immediate practical applications, 
the history of the non-infectious diseases does deserve also our 
attention. Animals are suffering with tumors, which, studied 
with activity in the last few years, have thrown much light upon 
the still dark question of cancer. Animals are also exposed to 
to visceral affections—-the heart, bloodvessels, respiratory appa¬ 
ratus, the digestive tract, the liver, kidneys and the nervous sys¬ 
tem are the seat of troubles and of lesions—comparable to those 
that human pathology shows us. It is difficult to reproduce ex¬ 
perimentally affections of that kind. But we can benefit by the 
cases that occurred outside all interference, to follow experi¬ 
mental researches, to explain the mechanism of the accidents, or 
to determine the action of medicamentous substances. 
“We must, however, bear in mind that analogous diseases 
may assume different characters, according to the species of ani¬ 
mals. For instance, what is observed with the nervous system? 
Contrary to what is noticed in man, paraplegia is much more fre¬ 
quent in animals than hemiplegia; the spinal cord is affected much 
oftener than the brain. That is a marked example of predispo¬ 
sitions connected with this function. This etiological condition 
is well known. But perhaps it is not sufficiently brought for¬ 
ward; and it seems to me as important to the morbid aptitudes 
created by anterior troubles acquired insufficiencies, whether 
hereditary or congenital. When studying comparative pathol¬ 
ogy, one will meet contradictions which have no other cause. 
Morphine is a cerebral poison to man. With dog, before reach¬ 
ing the brain, it acts on the spinal cord and gives rise first to 
paresia of the hindquarters. The walking of the animal is alto¬ 
gether peculiar, and recalls that of the hyena (hyenoid walk of 
Cl. Bernard). 
