PARTURIENT APOPLEXY. 
1G7 
fectly understood, generates a poison wliicli produces the 
disease. Like azotnria, too, it is very rapid in its inception, 
the offspring showing no sign whatever of any disturbance 
previous to birth, while the mother may within ten or twelve 
hours afterwards, in quick cases, be down and unconscious. 
The symptoms of parturient apoplexy are too well known to 
need any lengthy description here. There is generally a slight 
restlessness, with occasionally abdominal pains ; stoppage of the 
secretions, then weakness of the posterior extremities, then 
paralysis, more or less marked and general. Extreme restless¬ 
ness by this time, with great pain in the head, due to a con¬ 
gestion of the brain, deglutition and micturation difficult, if not 
impossible,, then coma and death, unless a change for the better 
occurs. 
My treatment of this disease has changed considerably of 
late, and I find myself more successful than formerly. 
I have never bled any of my cases—so cannot say how it 
would act; but bleeding would seem to be indicated many 
times. Nor do I now give a “ large cathartic dose,” as is gen¬ 
erally advised in our text-books on the subject. The secretions 
have stopped or nearly so, as I have said, and it seems to me 
unnecessary to pour a quantity of medicines into the stomach to 
lie there and perhaps be changed in their action by fermenta¬ 
tion and other changes going on there. 
If tympany is present, as is sometimes the case, calcium sul¬ 
phate I have found is the best remedy, shaken up with some 
little force through a canula into the rumen. Three or four 
ounces in as many quarts of tepid water, is my rule. To relieve 
the congestion of the brain and spinal cord, which is undoubt¬ 
edly present, I use either cracked ice or ice-water, generally the 
latter, as it can be kept in place better if the animal is uneasy. 
Bind two large sponges upon her head and cover the body with 
warm blankets, and at least every half hour pour ice water into 
the sponges and squeeze a strip of woolen blanket out of the ice 
water and lay along the back and keep well covered with the 
blankets. Prop the animal up into as near a sitting posture as 
