42 STOCK-POISONINa PLANTS OF MONTANA. 



poisonino- it* not severe and the .symptoms not specially violent it Is 

 probable that lilieral (| antities of lard administered soon after the 

 symptoms appear may assist materially in bringing- about recovery. 



Many stockmen administer drenches of soda indiscriminatelv in 

 almost all cases of poisoning. But soda being an alkaline substance 

 has primarih' the effect of neutralizing any acid condition of the 

 stomach. If a fermentation with an alkaline reaction were already in 

 process in the stomach it is difficult to see how soda could ha\'e any 

 beneficial effect. In cases of bloat from eating large quantities of 

 clover or alfalfa soda seems frequently to have beneficial effects. 



Vinegar is another remedy which is often applied in case of stock 

 poisoning. This substance is given in cases where for any reason it is 

 suspected that the stomach contents are strongly alkaline. Under 

 such circuiustances it might be expected to counteract the alkaline 

 condition. One stockman informed us that he usually gave both soda 

 and vinegar simultaneously, hoping therein' to counteract whatever 

 condition was present in the stomach, whether alkaline or acid. It is 

 quite unlikely that any beneficial results would come from such a pro- 

 cedure, since the soda and vinegar would neuti'alize each other. 



PERMANGANATE OF POTASH AS A CHEMICAI, ANTIDOTE. 



It will ))e oT)served from the foregoing account of the popular 

 remedies employed hy stockmen that they have no general, simple, 

 and reliable rule for selecting antidotes or for the application of 

 remedial measures. This deficiency mav be supplied to a large extent 

 by adopting the regular use of a solution of the permanganate of 

 potash, which, as will be shown later, is a ver}' effective antidote in 

 some cases of poisoning l)y plants and chemical compounds of plant as 

 well as of animal and mineral origin. Besides being efficacious, its 

 administration is so simple and its mode of action so easily understood 

 that W'C do not hesitate to recommend it as an antidote to l)e seriously 

 considered in certain combinations in almost all cases of the poisoning 

 of stock by plants. 



Under the names of Cond3'\s fiuid and mineral chameleon, the per- 

 manganate of potash, on account of its powerful oxidizing properties, 

 was first introduced in 1856 by Mr. Condy. of England, as a disinfect- 

 ant or wash for ulcers and festering skin diseases, and for sanitary 

 purposes, such as the destruction of filth germs and their poison- 

 ous products. It was prescribed internally as a remedy for diabetes 

 without success as early as 1853. But its internal use as an oxidizing 

 agent was not strongly advocated until 1864 and 1866, when Madamet' 

 and Muter" ])u))lished comprehensive articles alleging the value of an 



' Snr l'eni])l()i tlu'capeuti(jiu* dii ixTinaniiaiiatt' i\v potassc. Thesis, ])]». .SO, Stras- 

 hurg. ]8(i4. 



■^The alkaline jxTiuanjiaiiates and their iiifdiciiuii ns<'s, pp. 4S, Itinin., hoiulon. 

 1866. 



