764 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
“ Careful observation makes a skillful practitioner, but his skill dies ivith him. By 
reco7'ding his observations, he adds to the knowledge of his profession, and assists by his 
facts in building tip the solid edifice of pathological science 
CHRONIC HYDROCEPHALUS IN A* HORSE.* 
By Wilfred Lellman, V. M. D., 
Professor of Parasites, Parasitic and Canine Diseases, N. Y. College of Veterinary 
Surgeons. 
On August ist of this year I was requested to examine a 
horse which had been sick for several months. The owner told 
me that the animal had been treated by several veterinarians, 
but without success. The owner also told me that the diag¬ 
noses of the veterinarians differed altogether. The history of the 
case did not amount to anything. 
Bay gelding, trotter, eight years old, with a record of 2:30. 
The animal being in a rather poor condition, lustre of the hair 
somewhat dull, skin very scaly, visible mucous membranes of 
normal rose color, the pulse is rather soft, somewhat irregular, 
subnormally slow, beating 28 to 32 times per minute; tempera¬ 
ture per rectum normal ; auscultation of the heart region reveals 
a rhythmic heart beating with intermission of 3 to 4 heart shocks. 
The first heart sound appears not quite distinct, rather lower 
than normal, whole ten second is rather abnormally strong; 
venous pulse quite high ; respiration is performed nine times 
per minute, the horse taking off and on a deep breath. 
Thorough examination of the digestive tract reveals slow 
peristaltic movements, faeces being small balled, containing un¬ 
digested grains of oats and being covered with an abnormally 
thick coat of mucus. The appetite appears to be capricious. 
Examination of the urine shows remarkably low specific 
gravity (1008). The urine is of light color and rather watery. 
The quantity o-f urine, however, seems to be within normal 
limits. The urine is slightly acidulated, which is most proba¬ 
bly due to chronic intestinal catarrh ; albumen and sugar are 
not present. Microscopical examination does not reveal any¬ 
thing important. 
Examination of the eyes shows considerably dilated pupils. 
By means of an ophthalmoscope I find the optic papilla rather 
ansemic and somewhat atrophied. When watching the animal 
closely I noticed that the attentiveness is not normal, the eye is 
* Read before the December meeting of the Veterinary Medical Association of New 
York County. 
