PARTURIENT FEVER. 
705 
believe in cases of plethora that this command of cessation be¬ 
comes one of severe exertion, and in the instances of disease it 
results in over-exertion, or in that old hackneyed phrase u loss 
of reflex action,” which means loss of the vaso-inotor control, 
which is the controlling mechanism of the blood vessels through 
its reflex nerves, which communicates the impulses to other 
nerve elements, thus giving rise to some new force, without any 
perception of the stimulus, the loss of which means the loss of 
excito-motor, excito-secretory and excito-inhibitory, the result 
being partial paralysis, functionary cessation of both, excretory 
and secretory organs and coma by dyspnoea, and in this condi¬ 
tion of total collapse the toxic effects (or death) are due to an 
over-accumulation of caj'bon-dioxide in the blood. Yet this 
condition may be augmented by septic intoxication, such as an 
over amount of undigested and fermenting food stuffs in the 
alimentary tract, etc. And I am thoroughly impressed that 
the duration and intensity of the disease depends almost entirely 
upon such conditions, for I find those cases where flatulency and 
regurgitations prevail, the least hopeful; and I have noted with 
marked interest the symptoms from the onset, as the poor ani¬ 
mal becomes weaker and weaker, and finally goes off into a 
coma, and total collapse in some instances. Also, the gradually 
returning of consciousness in ratio of the excretions and secre¬ 
tions. Whether they are the cause or result of regained vaso¬ 
motor control, I am unprepared to say, but I do know this, that 
when I find an animal comatose, I never look for regain of con¬ 
sciousness until I have a response of peristalsis, by having a 
natural action of the bowels, and in cases of prolonged and obsti¬ 
nate constipation I have prolonged and obstinate paralysis of 
limbs, etc. And I venture to say that we all agree that to 
promote glandular action is essential in all cases; and, while 
reviewing the accounts from time to time of other veterinarians’ 
reports of their successful and unsuccessful treatment, I feel that 
I have been more successful than the majority of practitoners, 
and yet my mode of treatment has been nothing more than what 
is indicated and prescribed by most of our authorities upon the 
