4 
PARALYSIS IN THE HORSE, 
partially broken-up blood, thus forming a dirty-brown, 
muddy-looking mass. That part of the cord which occupied 
the lumbar and sacral regions presented a somewhat different 
aspect, but, nevertheless, showed many of the same patholo¬ 
gical changes, although in a less advanced stage. The 
surface of this part of the cord was not enlarged like that 
before described, nor had the dura mater given way at any 
point; neither did I detect any indication of pus, but the 
cord was evidently swollen, its vessels being engorged with 
black blood, and there were a few T ecchymosed spots, giving 
to its surface, as before stated, a speckled appearance. A 
transverse section of this part of the cord explained, to a 
certain extent, the cause of its being larger than natural. In 
the centre there existed a clot of black blood as large as the 
holder of a pen, and the vessels of its interior were likewise 
much engorged. The superior and inferior longitudinal 
fissures, and the nervous tracks of which each half of the cord 
is composed, were more or less separated from each other 
by effused serum. It was also found that the black coaguluni 
observed in a transverse section extended nearly to the ter¬ 
mination of the cord, thereby materially increasing its 
circumference : the connecting commissures had likewise, no 
doubt, become ruptured. Such is a brief, but, I believe, 
tolerable correct description of this to me remarkable and 
interesting morbid specimen. 
Any views I may offer in attempting to explain the cause 
of this disease must be regarded as hypothetical, as I have no 
direct data to guide me. It is not known that anything 
particular occurred to the horse at the time he was first taken 
lame which would satisfactorily account for the disease. If it 
had been known that the horse had at any time cast himself in 
the stable, or that he had fallen while drawing a heavy load, 
or that he had had any illness likely to give rise to effusion 
into the structure of the spinal cord, or into its theca, a clue 
would have been obtained, and the difficulty in account¬ 
ing for the lesions w’ould have been much lessened. As the 
case now stands, I can only conjecture that the controlling 
power of the blood-vessels was either W 7 holly or partially 
w ithdrawn, and that in consequence they became congested, 
which congestion w T as followed by effusion into the structure 
of the cord, and also into its sheath. These changes I can 
conceive to have been only slight at first, but afterwards they 
became more extensive, until at last the engorged vessels 
gave way, allowing the blood to escape, w 7 hen, as we can 
easily imagine, the results which would follow would 
be similar to those I have described. I will not specu- 
