324 
bye the commencement of inflammation. The 
disease is always attended with costiveness ; and 
the dung that is drawn off by raking is generally 
hard and slimy. The urine is generally in small 
| quantity ; and in the latter stage of the disease, 
the jaw sometimes becomes locked. Stomach 
staggers never appears to originate in contagion 
or infection. When it occurs at grass it is gene- 
rally about autumn, and frequently in meadows 
adjoining rivers, and other situations where the 
herbage is rank and innutritious ; and when it 
occurs in stables, its seems to arise from the horse’s 
eating too greedily, swallowing his food when 
imperfectly chewed, or eating freely of food that 
is difficult of digestion. Young vigorous horses 
may digest the most unwholesome food; but 
such as have been debilitated by hard usage, and 
are rather advanced in age, become very weak in 
their digestive organs, and when improperly fed 
are liable to stomach staggers. One of the best 
remedies is a mixture of a powerful stimulant 
with a purgative, such as a ball consisting of 
three drachms of calomiel, two drachms of car- 
bonate of ammonia, three drachms of ginger, six 
drachms of aloes, and a sufficient quantity of 
syrup. The hard feces should be drawn from 
the rectum, and opening glystersinjected. Some 
stimulating fluid, such as warm salt water with 
a little mustard or compound spirit of ammonia, 
should be given after the ball, and frequently 
| repeated. When the feces become soft, and the 
horse appears to be getting better, a drink of 
oatmeal gruel or of wheat-flour gruel may fre- 
quently be given to him, and a little cordial 
medicine may also be allowed; but, for a few 
days after his recovery, he must be fed with care, 
and not allowed any hay. One of the most ef- 
fectual preventives of stomach staggers, is the 
plan now commonly adopted by brewers’ ser- 
vants, stage-waggoners, and all ordinary carters, 
of feeding with hay on the road, or carrying with 
them nose-bags. 
Common or proper or idiopathic staggers in the 
horse is apoplexy, but is confounded sometimes 
with stomach staggers, and very generally with 
phrenitis ; and it considerably resembles the lat- 
ter disease in at once causes, symptoms, and cure. 
It commonly begins with an appearance of drow- 
siness, the eyes being inflamed and full of tears, 
and the appetite diminished. The disposition 
to sleep gradually increases ; and in a short time 
the horse is constantly resting his head in the 
manger and sleeping. The pulse isseldom much 
altered; but, as in stomach staggers, costive- 
ness and a defective secretion of urine are com- 
monly present.: Sometimes the disease will con- 
tinue in this state for several days; at others, it 
assumes a formidable appearance very early, or. 
even at its commencement; the horse falling 
down, and lying in a state of insensibility, or 
becoming violently convulsed. Sometimes a fu- 
rious delirium takes place, the horse plunging or 
throwing himself about the stable, so as to ren- 
STAGGERS. 
der it dangerous for any one to come near him. 
The first stage of the complaint arises from an 
accumulation of blood in the vessels of the brain, 
which impedes in some degree the functions of 
that important organ; and if these vessels are not 
relieved by copious bleeding, there will be either 
an effusion of water in its ventricles, an inflam- 
mation of the membranes, or a rupture of some 
blood-vessel, and consequently an extravasation 
of blood. But sometimes there is so sudden a 
determination of blood to the brain, that these 
dangerous symptoms make their appearance be- 
fore an effectual remedy can be applied. Bleed- 
ing is the grand remedy, and seldom fails of 
affording relief if employed with freedom at the 
commencement of the disease. It will be advis- 
able also to give a purgative draft, and inject a 
stimulating glyster. If the symptoms do not 
abate in 8 or 10 hours after the bleeding, there 
will be great probability of obtaining relief by 
opening the temporal arteries, and suffering them 
to bleed freely ; and if the disposition to sleep is 
not removed by the first bleeding, the head should 
be blistered, and a rowel inserted under the jaw. 
Apoplectic staggers of cattle, sheep, and hogs, 
is closely similar to apoplexy of horses; but 
usually occurs when the animals are in a highly 
fed and plethoric condition. In the case of cattle, 
it is often called popularly blood-striking ; and in 
the case of sheep, it is often popularly called blood. 
In both cattle and hogs, the premonitory or early 
symptoms are generally so slight as to escape 
observation, and the apparent commencement of 
the disease is both very sudden and exceedingly 
violent ; and in all animals whatever, just as in 
the horse, the grand remedies are prompt and 
copious bleeding, and judiciously conducted purg- | 
ing. In the case of cattle, Youatt says, “If there 
is time to do anything, the beast should be bled, 
and as much blood should be taken away as can be | 
got. A pound and a half of Epsom salts should 
next be given, and without any carminative ; 
and this followed up with doses of half a pound 
until the physic operates ; its action should after- 
wards be maintained by six-ounce doses of sul- 
phur every morning. The congestion of blood in 
the vessels of the brain being removed, and also 
the congestion which, to a certain degree, pre- 
vails everywhere, the beast should be slaughter- 
ed; for he is liable to a return of the complaint 
from causes which would not, previous to his 
first attack, have in the slightest degree affected 
him.” In the case of sheep, Mr. Cleeve says, 
“This disease generally occurs when on the 
road to market. The sheep are then in high 
condition, and often overdriven beneath a sultry 
sun. The drover should carefully watch any 
sheep that lags behind. If it appears stupid and 
unconscious, heedless of the dog and forgetful of 
its companions, it should be instantly and copi- 
ously bleed from the neck. A prompt flow of 
blood is indispensable in this case. Every sur- 
geon knows that the loss of the same quantity of 
