470 
II. JAMES. 
the case of a farmer, who lost five horses from feeding on musty 
oats, some of which oats being fed to horses in Philadelphia, 
killed them in like manner. Dr. Michener believes it to be due 
to fungus spores floating in the air, or adhering to the feed, and 
proposes to call it, “ Fungosus Toxicum Paralyticus.” By some 
it has been included among the nehroses, or functional disorders 
of the nervous system, without typical post-mortem appearance, 
or anatomical characteristics. Without doubt the debilitating 
effects of bad ventilation, overwork (especially night work) and 
sickness afford a good opportunity for its development; but in 
the epizootic form we ihust admit the existence of a specific blood 
poison, having a special affinity for the nervous centres. Fre- 
quently we meet with the disease in horses enjoying the best sani¬ 
tary conditions, and even attacking them in preference to weaker 
animals; such has been the experience of many practitioners. It 
was formerly regarded as of malarious origin, but the inefficacy 
of quinine disproved that idea. Some years ago Professor Large 
advanced a theory which to a large extent has influenced the 
therapeutics of cerebro-spinal meningitis over since. Ho regarded 
it as a specific blood poison, affecting the ganglionic or sympa¬ 
thetic system of nerves, the toxic effect of the blood producing 
a condition of vaso-motor paresis, and the train of symptoms 
being due to the loss of the governing power of the circulation_ 
in a few words, a paralysis of the sympathetic. Its infectious 
character seems to have been indicated in a few instances in the 
human race; but in the horse it is usually regarded as non-trans- 
missible, and dependent on some cause acting generally. 
Symptoms .—The symptoms vary with reference to the accu¬ 
mulation and multiplication of the virus in the system, and the 
portion of the cerebro-spinal axis immediately affected. At the 
commencement of some epizootics, the fulminant form often pre- ' 
vails; the animal with such slight premonitory symptoms as to be 
overlooked, wabbles in his gait, goes down, furious delirium alter¬ 
nates with coma, the breathing is stertorous, and he soon dies 
from rapidly progressive paralysis. In a few cases, and those 
mostly of the above-mentioned type, the animal, after slight 
twitchings of the muscles, is suddenly seized with opisthotonos, 
