254 
JOSEPH PLASKETT. 
tinned or severe ; it weakens the circulation, especially that of 
the surface of the body, causes internal congestion, and directly 
lowers all the vital energies. 
In conclusion, I will call your attention to the fact that of 
all the disease-producing causes, there is no single factor which 
has so much influence as the quality of the food, and I be¬ 
lieve that the cornstalk disease, as well as many other diseases, 
is the result of the violation or nonapplication of the rules of 
hygiene. 
All plants intended for animal food should be cut when they 
are ripe, dried and saved properly ; water should be pure, plenty 
of it, and accessible at all times, salt at least twice a week ; good 
shelter and plenty of bedding. When this is observed, disease 
will be reduced to a minimum. 
TRISMUS. 
By Joseph Peaskett, D. V. S., Nashvieee, Tenn. 
Read before the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association. 
I feel that I am making an error at the outset of this paper 
in choosing for the caption of it the term trismus. The ques¬ 
tion has been asked “What’s in a name?” and the assertion 
made that “ a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” 
and we would be led to believe from this that names as a rule 
are immaterial, and have not much significance attached to 
them. I have chosen the term trismus for it, because the pa¬ 
thological process which we term trismus is one of the charac¬ 
teristic indications of this disease. While it is invariably 
present, still it must be remembered that it is only one of many 
symptoms, and that it is always associated with others, in the 
trouble of which I speak. A careful search through all the 
veterinary literature at my command has failed to reveal the 
slightest mention of such a disease as the one I am about to at¬ 
tempt a description of. Consequently the effort I present to 
you is drawn entirely from a rather imperfect memory of such 
cases as I have seen, and for this reason I trust that its errors 
