SMEARING AND MERCURY POISONING 661 



paring the material is to thoroughly mix in a tub, a fortnight 

 before the operation, as much as will be sufficient for forty 

 mountain sheep, viz., 9 pints (Scotch l ) of tar with 9 pints of 

 butter, the latter melted to enable it to mix with the tar. 

 Tar is a mild blister if applied alone to an animal's skin, and 

 the grease is intended to dilute it. Hard grease, such as 

 butter, also gives the tar consistency. A man smears twenty 

 sheep per day, and receives from 2s. 6d. to 35. for the work, 

 besides food. The cost of smearing sheep is nearly lod. each, 

 made up as follows : 



9 pints of tar at 8d., .... .,;. o 6 o 

 40 Ibs. butter at 6d., . :<-y-^ ~oel-i -^ : :'. I o o 



Labour at 35. 6d. per score, including 



rations, . . , .-,. -r_ ,,.,,:, ^.c *L 070 

 Cost of smearing forty sheep <j; : j fa i 13 o 



Mercury poisoning 1 takes two forms the acute and the 

 chronic the former resulting from an overdose of calomel, or 

 of corrosive sublimate, the latter from prolonged administra- 

 tion of mercury as a drug. Corrosive sublimate is a colour- 

 less liquid used as a disinfectant, and sometimes given by 

 mistake. The symptoms are great salivation, colicky pains, 

 fetid breath, followed by loosening of the teeth, partial 

 paralysis, bloody diarrhcea, and death. In both cases the 

 treatment is to administer large doses of white of egg. 



In the case of sheep, mercurial poisoning was more 

 common when salves or smears containing mercury were 

 used. The practice then is to remove the wool and wash 

 with an alkaline solution, and treat as for ordinary mer- 

 curial poisoning. 



Copper poisoning occurs among sheep pasturing near 

 smelting furnaces. They suffer from swelling of the joints, 

 emaciation, and trembling fits. Treatment. Remove to clean 

 pastures, and give good food and tonics. 



1 A Scotch pint is about equivalent to of an imperial gallon. 



