2 
PARALYSIS IN THE HORSE. 
loose box, and although lie did no work, lie nevertheless lost his spirits, 
and the lameness became gradually worse, assuming a different character. 
At first it was not marked by any peculiarity, but afterwards the animal 
seemed to lose the power of advancing the limb, and dragged it after him, 
with the foot turned outwards, thus indicating that the whole of the 
muscles of the hind quarter and leg were paralysed. When lie moved, it 
was in a sidelong direction. On the 29th of September I sent the horse 
to the College, thinking the case might be of some interest to the pro¬ 
fession. I have never been able to ascertain that he had had a fall, nor 
that he had ever been thrown out of work, excepting for a few days only, 
and then on account of a sore throat. 
I am, my dear Sir, 
Yours truly, &c. 
In commenting on this affection I would observe that I 
am not about to write an elaborate paper on paralysis 
clue to spinal apoplexy, although the subject is a very 
inviting one, but simply to record a few facts relative to 
the history, symptoms, and post-mortem appearances of the 
two following cases. The first I shall describe will be 
that of the horse referred to in the foregoing letter. I 
first saw him as he was being led into the College yard, and 
was at once struck with the idea that his lameness was not 
of an ordinary character. The symptoms, although unusual, 
nevertheless carried the mind at once to the seat of the disease. 
There could be no doubt of its being an affection of the pos¬ 
terior half of the spinal cord; but to what extent or of 
what nature it might be, I could form no definite con¬ 
ception. The muscles of the lumbar region of the side im¬ 
plicated, as well as those of the hind extremity, were appa¬ 
rently paralysed; so that when the horse was made to 
progress, the affected limb was drawn after him in a way clearly 
indicating a total loss of muscular power. The muscles of 
the same region of the opposite side of the bod} 7 , from not 
being affected, or at least not to the same extent, produced a 
peculiar curve of the spine which gave the horse a strange, 
grotesque appearance. The animal was placed in a large 
loose box, not with a view, however, of putting him under 
treatment, for I considered the case hopeless, but for the 
purpose of watching the progress of the disease. On the 
second day after his admittance he either lay or fell down in 
the box, and was evidently unable to rise again of himself. He 
was therefore assisted, hut when placed upon his legs he could 
not maintain a standing position. Both hind extremities had 
now become similarly affected, so far as loss of muscular power 
was concerned; hut the side first paralysed presented a 
condition quite different to the other. From the fifteenth 
rib quite down to the hock the integumental covering of the 
