36 
ANALYSIS OF CONTINENTAL JOURNALS. 
was being treated by the same veterinary surgeon, who declared 
the other animal had died without his being able to determine 
the nature of the malady. The owner also stated that as soon 
as this horse was dead he would inform Mr. Walravens of it, 
that he might make i\\e post-mortem examination.* Mr. W. 
did not wait for the death of the animal, but went immediately 
to see it. He found a six years old mare lying on her belly, 
with the head bent on the chest, the nose resting on the 
ground. She took no notice of surrounding objects; the ears 
were drooping; the coat staring; surface of the body cold; 
respiration slow, but regular; eyes closed, the head raised 
with difficulty to examine the mouth; lips injected and pen¬ 
dulous. A quantity of slimy mucus escaped from the 
mouth ; the membrane was pale and cold; the pulse was full, 
but soft. With great difficulty she was made to get up ; her 
standing was unsteady, and her walk tottering. She rested 
the nose on the manger and soon lay down again ; the ap¬ 
petite and thirst were gone. The animal was evidently affected 
with narcotism. The case terminated in death on the same 
day. The next day the author made the autopsy. He found 
the carcase lying on its left side; the subcutaneous veins were 
injected with thick black blood. On examining the abdominal 
organs the stomach was found to contain only a little slimy 
fluid, exhaling a slight tobacco-like odour; no alteration was 
observed in the mucous membrane of the left portion, while 
that of the right was strongly injected. In the small intes¬ 
tines the membrane was striped with a dark brownish-red 
colour. The large intestines were less injected. The other 
abdominal viscera were in their normal state. The lungs and 
heart w^ere gorged with black and thick blood. After the au¬ 
topsy was finished, the oats, hay and straw, and beans on 
which the horses had been fed were examined, but nothing 
was discovered to account for the malady. On entering the 
house Mr. W. inquired whether anything else had been given 
to the horses, when he was informed that they had had some 
balls of flax (balles de lin) mixed with the oats. Immediately 
a basketful of these balls was sent for, Mr. W. was struck with 
the tobacco odour they exhaled, and on plunging the hand 
to the bottom of the basket a leaf of the tobacco plant was 
drawn out. It was then stated that the balls came from the 
blacksmith of the place, and that he kept them in the granary 
where he also dried his tobacco. 
A month after, another farmer came to state that he had 
lost his best horse. That in the mornino; he had noticed the 
O 
* In all such cases Government Veterinary Surgeons are to be informed. 
If not, a penalty is inflicted on the owner. 
