MEDICINAL USES 521 



minute. Still smaller quantities injected into the veins 

 poisoned with even greater rapidity (Christison). 



The antidotes are tannic acid, the cautious administration 

 of coffee and other stimulants, ammonia to the nostrils, 

 stimulating enemata, enforced exercise, and artificial 

 respiration. 



MEDICINAL USES. Hemlock is occasionally given to relieve 

 the muscular spasm of chorea. It is of no avail in tetanus 

 in horses, nor, as demonstrated by experiment, in strychnine 

 poisoning. Spasmodic cough connected with muscular irrita- 

 bility, such as occasionally occurs in epizootic sore-throat 

 and bronchitis in horses, is sometimes relieved by inhala- 

 tion of steam medicated with hemlock, or by swallowing 

 slowly an electuary of succus conii, glycerin, and ammonium 

 acetate. Injections and suppositories are applied in irrit- 

 able, painful conditions of the urino - genital organs. 

 Conium ointment, made with two ounces of succus conii 

 and three-quarter ounce of lanoline, is employed as an 

 anodyne in acute mammitis of the cow. 



DOSES, etc. Neither the dried leaves nor the fully- 

 ripened dried fruit are to be depended upon. The fresh 

 leaves and young branches, and preparations promptly 

 obtained from them without heat, are, however, reliable, 

 of which the best is the succus. Three parts of juice are 

 mixed with one of rectified spirit, allowed to stand for 

 seven days, and then filtered and bottled. This succus 

 has a dark sherry colour, an agreeable odour, and acid 

 reaction ; one fluid ounce yields thirty grains of soft 

 extract. Horses and cattle take fij. to f iv. ; sheep 

 and pigs, fss. to fj. ; dogs, f3ss. to f3J- Its analgesic 

 and anti-spasmodic effects are increased by using it with 

 opium or chloral-hydrate. Conine employed hypodermi- 

 cally by Harley and Mavor, frequently produced irrita- 

 tion, which hindered its absorption. For subcutaneous 

 or intratracheal injection the hydrobromide, which con- 

 tains 60 per cent, of conine, should be used. Doses 

 horses, gr. i. to grs. ii. ; dogs, gr. -^j to gr. y 1 ^, dissolved 

 in 20 to 60 minims of water containing a few drops of 

 alcohol. Much larger doses have been given to dogs 

 without producing ill effects (Wooldridge). 



