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unable or unwilling to raise the front part of his body. With 
much assistance and trouble, he was however, put upon his four 
legs. It was then found, on moving him, that much stiffness ex¬ 
isted in the near hind leg, and that the stifle joint was much 
swollen and tender, and complications of lameness of that articu¬ 
lation were looked for as a proper diagnosis. It was then that 
he entered the hospital. A blister of oil of cantharides was 
rubbed on the joint and a small dose of aloes, 3 v given, which 
produced a very severe effect. The animal was now placed in 
slings, no noticeable change having been observed. 
Upon coming into the hospital on the morning of the 30th 
the animal was found to be lying down in the slings. He re¬ 
fused to get up, and it was with difficulty that he was raised on 
his four extremities. Then he would stand upon them but for a 
moment, and. fall down at the first move asked of him. He was 
entirely paralyzed behind. The case was complicated with men 
ingitis. Examination of the retina seemed to reveal an injected 
condition, which, with the difficulty that the animal exhibited to 
drink when water was offered to him, rendered justifiable a diag¬ 
nosis of cerebro-spinal meningitis. Treatment in that direction 
was prescribed, but the animal rapidly grew worse, and becoming 
delirious, was destroyed. 
Post mortem .—On opening the abdominal cavity, its contents, 
in a healthy condition, were removed. The sub-lumbar region on 
both sides, and extending downwards alongside the anterior outlet 
of the pelvis, was the seat of a bloody infiltration, forming a large 
clot on each side of the median line, about nine inches long and 
four inches wide. This was situated outside the peritoneum 
and the psoas muscles. These were softened and easily torn. 
On being removed they uncovered a fracture of the last lumbar 
vertebra, with a laceration of the ligaments of the sacro-iliac ar¬ 
ticulation. The articular surfaces of the sacrum were deeply ul¬ 
cerated. The left femoral nerve was infiltrated. On drying the 
bones, the vertebra, sacrum and ilium were found much softened. 
They were very brittle, and crumbled readily between the fingers, 
assuming the general character of bones in which the earthy 
salts are most prominent, as met in those of old animals. 
