— 23 — 
r amberti. If there is a narcotic principle in the plant chem- 
sts have failed to find it, and a fluid extract does not possess 
t, and a ton of the plant eaten by an animal ought to contain 
:nough of the poisonous properties to destroy an animal. 
*• It is extremely doubtful, even though there might be a 
larcotic agent in the plant, that an animal can reason suffi- 
iently to know that eating this plant would produce narcosis. 
Nhy they do eat the plant is probably because the plant re- 
nains more green and fresh after other plants have dried up, 
md also because of its peculiar taste, perhaps disagreeable 
it first, but soon accustomed to and attractive. # 
“ Whether the disease is the result of mal-nutrition or mal- 
issimilation, I am unable to say. It is reasonable to suppose 
:hat, as the loco plants remain green throughout the year, 
:hey would not contain as much nutritious material as other 
leguminous plants. If they do contain the nutritious material 
it is not in a form in which it can be assimilated by the ani¬ 
mal. The reason why horses have fits of delirium or insensibil¬ 
ity may be due to the formation of clots or thrombi m the 
blood-vessels of the brain, as there is a well-known tendency 
to their formation during wasting and debilitating diseases. 
“ The general emaciation of the body, the flaccid atonic 
condition of the digestive system, the large amount of serum 
surrounding the brain and in the abdominal cavity, the swol¬ 
len and dropsical condition of dependent parts (from an en¬ 
feebled circulation), and the low temperature of the body, 
all point to the same cause, mal-nutrition. 
“ The diseased condition of the brain gives rise to the pe¬ 
culiar ‘crazy’ symptoms associated with the disease.. It is 
well-known that if an animal suffers from degeneration o 
brain tissue, even though the animal may recovei from t e 
disease which caused it, it does not recover its normal cen¬ 
tal faculties. This may account for the fact that a locoed an¬ 
imal never makes a complete recovery. 
TREATMENT. 
“ Prevention, by not allowing animals access to the plant or 
by furnishing suitable food after the pastures have dried up, 
is much better than treatment. If an animal has acquire a 
taste for the plant, it should be placed where it cannot get 
the weed, and fed upon nourishing food. Some good con¬ 
dition powders’ may be given, as the following : 
Sulphate of iron, pulverized. 1 ounce, 
Gentian root, pulverized... 4 u 
Ammonia muriate, pulverized. ..i ^ 
Potassium nitrate, pulverized. 1 
