NORTH OF ENGLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 495 
in the ventricles, similar to the one described at commence¬ 
ment. Others might be adduced, hut sufficient has already 
been cited to establish the fact of the existence of two kinds 
of disease of the brain; hut symptoms indicative of such are 
by no means regular. Our first case is characterised by 
violent actions under certain conditions, with a constant and 
peculiarly excitable nature, blindness gradually but com¬ 
pletely setting in. The Cf Shiverer,” however, with a greater 
amount of softening, displayed no symptoms of such a nature. 
We should be apt to consider such an unerring indication 
of disease involving the optic nerve, its commissure, origin, 
or perhaps entirety, and in the absence of those impetuous 
bursts of violence, might infer softening had taken place, 
yet there is no paralysis, or loss of sensation in the body ) 
which so eminently characterises the second case, and how 
the functions of respiration, digestion, &c., in this instance 
was carried on is a matter of no little perplexity, without 
naming the great dependence upon that wonderful object the 
sympathetic nerve, which Sir Charles Bell has considered to 
be a nervous system in itself. 
There are other cases also which, being characterised by 
sypiptoms of violence at periodical times during life, have 
shown no indications of the presence of tumours within the 
organ after death; but ■when a termination has suddenly 
resulted, an attempt has been made to account for it, from 
the detection of sanguineous suggillations, which are regarded 
as capillary haemorrhage within the softened portions, under 
which circumstances the blood-vessels, probably containing a 
material deficient in elaborating properties, themselves want¬ 
ing in integrity, in common with the surrounding parts, 
are rendered more liable to the effects of an over-distended 
stomach, tight collar, &c., and other causes by which the cir¬ 
culation within the brain is accelerated, and the quantity of 
blood increased, whereby rupture takes place, producing re¬ 
sults of various degrees of importance. 
We have the authority of Dr. It. B. Todd, F.R.S., for the 
following statement in reference to softening of the brain : 
ff Without waiting,” says he, “ to decide upon this point,” i. e. 
whether the disease depends upon a depraved condition of 
the brain-fibre, or brain-cell, or otherwise, or a presence of 
atheromatous deposits within the minute vessels, “ we may, 
then, lay it down that, whether in consequence of disease of 
the blood-vessels, or otherwise, the nutrition of the brain 
becomes impaired, and this shows itself mainly in an altered 
consistence of the nervous matter. Its colour does not un¬ 
dergo any appreciable alteration; and if you look at a portion 
through the microscope, you will not detect any obvious 
