A USEFUL PURGATIVE FOR RUMINANTS 217 



orders, improve the appetite, clean the buccal membrane, 

 lessen fever, and help to establish and maintain a healthy 

 and regular action of the bowels. For such febrifuge 

 purposes, whether in horses or cattle, it is given once or twice 

 daily, but should be withheld or diminished in amount, 

 whenever the bowels become unduly relaxed, or where 

 flatulence or spasm follows its use. It acts more certainly 

 and regularly when given in solution than in bolus. It is 

 often conjoined with nitre and other salines, and during 

 convalescence from acute disorders with powdered gentian 

 and other carminatives. Epsom salt is one of the best 

 antidotes in poisoning by barium chloride, and salts of lead ; 

 it converts them into insoluble sulphates, and further evokes 

 action of the bowels, which in lead-poisoning is apt to be 

 impaired and tardy. In smaller and repeated doses it acts 

 as a diuretic, but is seldom specially used for that purpose. 

 It is frequently added to laxative clysters. A saturated 

 solution is a valuable application for recent strains, wrenched 

 joints, articular rheumatism, and orchitis. 



DOSES. As a cathartic, cattle take Ib. j. to Ib. jss. ; calves 

 of two or three months, iij. to iv. ; sheep and pigs, iv. to 

 5vi. ; dogs, 3ii- to 3i y - One-fifth to one-eighth of these 

 doses is often effectual in removing indigestion, keeping up 

 the action of other cathartics, and as a febrifuge or alterative. 

 Epsom salt is given dissolved in ten or fifteen parts of water. 

 To conceal its nauseous, bitter taste it is administered with 

 treacle, or with sulphuric acid, in the proportion of about 

 five drops to every ounce of salt. To expedite its purgative 

 action and prevent nausea and griping, there is usually added 

 some carminative, such as a drachm of ginger to the ounce 

 of salt. To ensure prompt and full purgation in cattle or 

 sheep, equal weights of Epsom and common salt are prefer- 

 able to either given alone ; treacle and a full dose of ginger 

 are added, and solution is effected in a liberal amount of 

 tepid water. In impaction of the third stomach, and 

 obstinate constipation of cattle, it is sometimes advisable to 

 add to the saline mixture twelve or fifteen croton beans, a 

 drachm of calomel, or half an ounce of gamboge, and to follow 

 this with repeated doses of treacle and ginger. In torpidity 

 of the bowels it is conjoined with half a dose of aloes and 



