560 LIVERPOOL VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
the affections do not appear to interfere with the present usefulness 
of the animal, yet they render him less capable of attaining that 
degree of condition so characteristic of perfect health. 
Now, gentlemen, I feel that I have already too long and un¬ 
worthily occupied your time, and am aware that you cannot but 
feel disappointed that these subjects have been so imperfectly 
treated in this paper; and perhaps the more so, in that I have 
elected that the subjects should receive at my hands a theoretical 
rather than a practical introduction. If the hypothetical tenor of 
this paper has wearied you, the seductive influence of speculation 
upon the functions of organic structure involved in abnormal actions 
must be my apology for entering so minutely upon theory. 
In the course of the discussion which followed the reading of the 
paper— 
The President related a bad case of stringhalt that some years ago 
was placed under his care. The paroxysms were very violent; the 
horse appeared to suffer much pain, perspiring profusely, and 
involuntarily stamping in a violent manner with both hind legs. 
He bled, gave internally and applied topically sedative agents, 
without alleviating the violence of the symptoms. On the following 
morning administered a cathartic, after the action of which had 
become fully established the urgent symptoms subsided. The 
horse was put to work, and continued well for six months, when 
he was again suddenly attacked with violent paroxysms, and was in 
consequence destroyed. At that time the cause of stringhalt was 
supposed to be located in the hock-joint. Mr. Greaves made post¬ 
mortem examination, but found all the joints and muscles of the 
extremities in a perfectly healthy condition, nor could he detect 
discoloration of the nerves in any part of their course. He nmch re¬ 
gretted he had not an opportunity of examining the medulla spinalis. 
Mr. Peter Taylor said it was rare indeed that veterinary surgeons 
were called upon to treat the diseases stringhalt and shivering ; but 
they not unfrequently had to exercise their skill in detecting them 
when examining horses for soundness. He advised young prac¬ 
titioners to be especially vigilant in endeavouring to discover even 
slight indications of their existence, and to remember that once a 
shiverer, always a shiverer. 
Mr. Taylor had seen colts three or four years old affected with 
stringhalt, and believed it sometimes resulted from castration. He 
could not subserve to the opinion enunciated by the late Professor 
Dick, that shivering was invariably caused by the presence of 
cerebral tumours. With regard to treatment, he thought that in 
some diseases, in which there is evidence of highly exalted nervous 
action, the subcutaneous injection of sedative agents might prove 
beneficial. o o i 
Mr. Ileyes called attention to the operation of dividing the 
popliteal nerve for the cure of stringhalt. This operation was per- 
tormed at the College in London ; and although by it the halt w’as 
