428 
ROBERT WOOD. 
belladonna and suggested bathing the head with cold water fre¬ 
quently. On the following morning again visited my patient (four 
miles from Lowell), was informed that within one hour after giving 
the ball he became quiet, and had remained so up to this time, 
and was considered bv those in charge of him much better. The 
person who had treated him at first said, I have seen plenty of 
such cases, and will, if you will give him another of those balls, 
warrant him to get well.” On examination I found him nearly 
pulseless, an occasional sighing respiration, membranes blanched, 
extremities cold, and our friend was much surprised when I refused 
to give any medicine, and declared my prognosis w that the animal 
would not live through the day,” and that the symptoms indicated 
chronic disease of some other organ than the stomach, and that it 
was, judging from the character of the urine seen the day before^ 
of the kidneys. At noon the superintendent came for me in 
haste, saying that the horse had fallen and was struggling violently. 
On my arrival I found my patient in violent paroxysms, and sug¬ 
gested immediate destruction, to which the parties consented. 
Accordingly an axe was used, and an autopsy made in the presence 
of Dr. Edwards, the physician of the village, and the kidneys 
proved the seat of disease and the cause of symptoms presented. 
They were very large, weighing seven pounds and a few ounces, 
and in a softened and disintegrated condition, Dr. Edwards 
remarking that they strongly resembled human kidneys in the 
last stages of “ Bright’s disease.” All the other organs in the 
body were ordinarily healthy, and our opinion was that the symp¬ 
toms '. ere produced by “ absorption of the abnormal secretion of 
the kidneys ” (Mr. Editor will please give his opinion upon this 
our position).* This horse had always been in good condition 
apparently, up to the Saturday previous, and he Gnly lived three 
days after the first attack, yet without doubt the kidneys had been 
diseased a long time. 
* We do not exactly understand the meaning that our correspondent gives 
to these words. If it is intended to say that the symptoms were due to urajmic 
poisoning of the blood, we would agree with him ; but if any other meaning is 
attached to the sentence, we would ask a more definite explanation before giving 
onr opinion,—E ditor. 
