293 



of these } per cent, sufficed to prevent all growth of 

 bacilli ; Sulphate of Copper came next with J per 

 cent. ; Calomel (subchloride of mercury) followed with 

 f per cent ; while Jeyes' Fluid and Izal required to 

 be used in the proportions of 15 to 20 per cent, and 

 20 to 25 per cent, respectively. Now let those who 

 clamour for the "simple cure," (as has been done even 

 in the pages of Bird Notes), just imagine the result of 

 thoroughly disinfecting the whole of a bird's tissues 

 and fluids with \ per cent., i.e. -^- of its weight, of 

 corrosive sublimate, when I tell them that a man, 

 weighing — say 10 stone, dare not put into even 

 his stomach alone the small amount of 3 grains, i.e. 

 -rs^— - of his weight, and that his maximum safe medic- 



338,400 o ' 



inal dose is laid down as ^ of a grain, or 8"6^76oo ®^ ^^'^ 

 weight ! Take again the case of boric acid. To 

 thoroughly impregnate a pigeon weighing ten ounces 

 with I per cent, of his weight of this chemical would 

 require J^ of an ounce of the powder. And since 

 this is only soluble in the proportion of i part in 25 of 

 water, it follows that we should require to soak the 

 tissues of the unfortunate bird all at once with 2| 

 fluid ounces of the solution, one fourth of his entire 

 weight ! Let us try to .realize our 10 stone man having 

 a couple or so of bucketfuls of saturated solution of 

 boric acid, or of pure Jeyes' Fluid or Izal, pumped 

 into him under hydraulic pressure ! ! — for that would 

 be the only method conceiveable whereby all the nooks 

 and crannies of his system could be reached. The 

 whole thing is too ridiculous, though even now the 

 real irony of the situation is not fully revealed. We 

 only reach that when we find that those who talk 

 about "remedies" and "simple cures," without any 

 conception of the considerations involved, are the 

 very people who lie in wait to contradict and criticize, 

 whenever a medical man tries to help them out of the 

 stores of his professional knowledge ! 



