Hypertrophy of the Heaj^t. 321 



not used for work, a palliative treatment may be profitably adopted. 

 This consists in a nitrogenous restricted and gently laxative diet, 

 perfect rest in fattening oxen and other animals, or in the horse 

 moderate and carefully regulated work, and as a medicament the 

 use of digitalis or aconite. No known remedy has any power to 

 directly check the growth of the heart and the utmost that can be 

 expected of these agents is to lessen the activity of the heart's 

 action and retard its growth. Digitalis may be given as recom- 

 mended for palpitation, or aconite in the form of tincture 20 drops 

 for horses and cattle and i to 2 drops for dogs, repeated four times 

 daily. Strophanthus may replace digitalis. When depletion 

 seems advisable purgatives or diuretics should be given as appears 

 most applicable to the particular case. Iodide of potassium has 

 been strongly recommended, 



When extreme dilatation exists with the hypertrophy^ sedatives 

 should be given cautiously and their effects carefully watched as 

 the heart is often dangerously susceptible to depressing influences. 

 When the disease has advanced so far as to cause abundant drop- 

 sical effusions it is futile to resort to treatment as amelioration can 

 rarely be looked for, not even to the extent of allowing an animal 

 to be fattened. 



The value of arsenic in most cases of broken wind (heaves) 

 has suggested the inquiry whether it does not operate directly on 

 the heart. L,eblanc who advances this query might have quoted 

 in explanation the known power of arsenic to retard and arrest 

 tissue change, with its natural consequences, the diminished 

 amount of effete matter thrown into the blood in any given time, 

 and the lessened necessity for an active circulation to supply any 

 great waste of structure. It may benefit such cases in this way 

 but does so probably to a far greater extent by an influence on 

 the nervous function analogous to its action in neuralgia and 

 other purely nervous disorders. Dilatation of the heart which 

 usualb'^ exists in heaves is usually benefited by tonics which like 

 arsenic are destitute of stimulating properties. 



