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PROF. LIGNIERES. 
From my^first researches upon the etiology of paraplegia, I 
have observed that it was indispensable to have recourse to very 
fresh cadavers and from those of animals,whose death occurred 
rapidly. Indeed, most ordinarily, if the patient has remained 
lying down two or three days, he becomes feverish and'his 
organism is filled with various intestinal microbes which modify 
the results. 
In all my attempts, I had specially for objective of inves¬ 
tigations the nervous centres of the kidneys, as long as the ob¬ 
served symptoms indicated an alteration of those organs. 
I had already made post-mortems and studied on several 
animals without result, when on January 4, 1895, one of my 
friends, Mr. S., gave me the opportunity to follow in his stable 
a very serious case of paraplegia. On account of bad weather, 
the animal, a superb Percheron, extremely vigorous, had been 
kept two days without working. Put in harness January 3, at 
10 p. M., towards one o’clock in the morning he suddenly 
dropped down and, notwithstanding powerful efforts, was unable 
to move his hind quarters. I had him brought to his stable, 
where he was submitted to the classical treatment. All kinds 
of interference seemed useless, the animal kept struggling, was 
in a pitiful condition, his body covered with perspiration, the 
respiration and pulsation very accelerated, the mucous mem¬ 
branes congested, the urine very red, and the temperature evi¬ 
dently elevated, 39°9 C. 
The same day, at 3 p. m., he died, and I immediately began 
a minute post-mortem, which lasted not less than five hours. 
I will not make this communication uselessly long, and will 
pass upon the lesions, which, however, were classical. I took 
specimens of the blood, pieces of the spleen, liver, kidneys, bony 
marrow, rachidian bulb, spinal cord on the level with the loins, 
subarachnoid and cephalo-rachidian fluids in various parts of 
the spine and as far as the bulb. 
Only one of those, the subarachnoid liquid collected on the 
level with the bulb, gave me a very rich culture, formed by a 
splendid streptococcus, taking the Gram well. 
