Mr. Youatt says, "Working cattle are most subject to locked-jaw, because
they may be pricked in shoeing; and because, after a hard day's work,
and covered with perspiration, they are sometimes turned out to graze
during a wet or cold night. Over-driving is not an uncommon cause of
locked-jaw in cattle. The drovers, from long experience, calculate the
average mortality among a drove of cattle in their journey from the
north to the southern markets; and at the head of the list of diseases,
and with the greatest number of victims, stands 'locked-jaw,' especially
if the principal drover is long absent from his charge."
The treatment of locked-jaw, both in horses and cattle, has, hitherto,
been notoriously unsuccessful. This is not to be wondered at when we
take into consideration the destructive character of the treatment.
"Take," says Mr. Youatt, "twenty-four pounds of blood from the animal;
or bleed him almost to fainting.... Give him Epsom salts in pound and a
half doses (!) until it operates. Purging being established, an attempt
must be made to allay the irritation of the nervous system by means of
sedatives; and the best drug is opium.[8] The dose should be a drachm
three times a day. [One fortieth part of the quantity here recommended
to be given in one day would kill a strong man who was not addicted to
its use.] At the same time, the action of the bowels must be kept up by
Epsom salts, or common salt, or sulphur, and the proportion of the
purgative and the sedative must be so managed, that the constitution
shall be under the influence of both.[9] A seton of black hellebore root
may be of service. It frequently produces a great deal of swelling and
inflammation.[10] ... If the disease terminates successfully, the beast
will be left sadly out of condition, and he will not thrive very
rapidly. He must, however, be got into fair plight, as prudence will
allow, and then sold; for he will rarely stand much work afterwards, or
carry any great quantity of flesh." The same happens to us poor mortals
when we have been dosed _secundum artem_. We resemble walking skeletons.
Our own opinion of the disease is, that it is one of nervous origin, and
that the tonic spasm, always present in the muscles of voluntary
motion, is only symptomatic of derangement in the great, living
electro-galvanic battery, (the brain and spinal cord,) or in some of its
wires (nerves) of communication.
Mr. Percival says, "Tetanus consists, in a spasmodic contraction, more
or less general, of the muscles of voluntary motion, and especially of
those that move the lower jaw; hence the vulgar name of it,
_locked-jaw_, and the technical one of _trismus_."
In order to make ourselves clearly understood, and furnish the reader
with proper materials for him to prosecute his inquiries with success, a
few remarks on the origin of muscular motion seem to be absolutely
necessary.
It is generally understood by medical men, and taught in the schools,
that there are in the animal economy four distinct systems of nerves.
1st system. This consists of the sensitive nerves, which are distributed
to all parts of the animal economy endowed with feeling; and all
external impulses are reflected to the medulla oblongata, &c. (See
_Dadd's work on the Horse_, p. 127.) In short, these nerves are the
media through which the animal gets all his knowledge of external
relations.
2d system. The motive. These proceed from nearly the same centre of
perception, and distribute themselves to all the muscles of voluntary
motion. It is evident that the muscle itself cannot perform its office
without the aid of the nerves, (electric wires;) for it has been proved
by experiment on the living animal, that when the posterior columns of
nervous matter, which pass down from the brain towards the tail, are
severed, then all voluntary motion ceases. Motion may, however,
continue; but it can only be compared to a ship at sea without a rudder,
having nothing to direct its course. It follows, then, that if the
nerves of motion and sensation are severed, there is no communication
between the parts to which they are distributed and the brain. And the
part, if its nutritive function be also paralyzed, will finally become
as insensible as a stone--wither and die.
3d system. The respiratory. These are under the control of the will
only through the superior power, as manifested by the motive nerves. For
the animal will breathe whether it wishes to or not, as long as the
vital spark burns.
4th system. The sympathetic, sometimes called _nutritive nerves_. They
are distributed to all the organs of digestion, absorption, circulation,
and secretion. These four nervous structures, or systems, must all be in
a physiological state, in order to carry on, with unerring certainty,
their different functions. If they are injured or diseased, then the
perceptions of external relations are but imperfectly conveyed to the
mind. (_Brutes have a mind._) On the other hand, if the brain, or its
appendages, spinal marrow, &c., be in a pathological state, then the
manifestations of _mind_ or _will_ are but imperfectly represented. Now,
it is evident to every reasonable man, that the nerves may become
diseased from various causes; and this explains the reason why
locked-jaw sometimes sets in without any apparent cause. The medical
world have then agreed to call it _idiopathic_. This term only serves to
bewilder us, and fails to throw the least light on the nature of the
malady, or its causes. Many men ridicule the idea of the nerves being
diseased, just because alterations in their structure are not evident to
the senses. We cannot see the atoms of water, nor even the myriads of
living beings abounding in single drop of water! yet no one doubts that
water contains many substances imperceptible to the naked eye. We know
that epizooetic diseases are wafted, by the winds, from one part of the
world to another; yet none of us have ever seen the specific virus. Can
any man doubt its existence?
Hence it appears that diseases may exist in delicately-organized
filaments, without the cognizance of our external perceptions.
It is further manifest that locked-jaw is only symptomatic of diseased
nervous structures, and that a pathological state of the nervous
filaments may be brought about independent of a prick of a nail, or
direct injury to a nerve.
Hence, instead of tetanus consisting "in a spasmodic contraction of the
muscles of voluntary motion," it consists in a deranged state of the
nervous system; and the contracted state of the muscles is only
symptomatic of such derangement. Then what sense is there in blistering,
bleeding, and inserting setons in the dewlap? Of what use is it to treat
symptoms? Suppose a man to be attacked with hepatitis, (inflammation of
the liver:) he has a pain in the right shoulder. Suppose the physician
prescribes a plaster for the latter, without ascertaining the real
cause, or perhaps not knowing of its existence. We should then say that
the doctor only treated symptoms. "And he who treats symptoms never
cures disease." Suppose locked-jaw to have supervened from an attack of
acute indigestion: would it not be more rational to restore the lost
function?
Suppose locked-jaw to have set in from irritating causes, such as bots
in the stomach, worms in the intestines, &c.: would bleeding remove
them? would it not render the system less capable of recovering its
physiological equilibrium, and resisting the irritation produced by
these animals on the delicate nervous tissues?
Suppose, as Mr. Youatt says, that locked-jaw sets in "after turning the
animal out to graze during a cold night:" will a blister to the spine,
or a seton in the dewlap, restore the lost function of the skin?
In short, would it not be more rational, in cases of locked-jaw, to
endeavor to restore the healthy action of all the functions, instead of
depressing them with the agents referred to?
Then the question arises, What are the indications to be fulfilled?
_First._ Restore the lost function.
_Secondly._ Equalize the circulation, and maintain an equilibrium
between nervous and arterial action.
_Thirdly._ Support the powers of life.
_Fourthly._ If locked-jaw arise from a wound, then apply suitable
remedial agents to the part, and rescue the nervous system from a
pathological state.