942 Scabies. 



are already old, and still more because the animal is generally 

 emaciated and bears the necessary energetic treatment badly. 



At the commencement of the skin disease a few applica- 

 tions of gray mercury ointment or of 10 7o carbolized oil and 

 spirits of tar (aa), with subsequent careful cleaning of the skin, 

 bring about a cure. In cases of longer standing and of a more 

 severe degree of the complaint — the cases occurring in prac- 

 tice are usually of such a kind — the treatment must be much 

 more painstaking. 



The preparation consists in thorough cleaning of the skin 

 or in the removal of the crusts and in clipping the hair where 

 possible. The crusts may be softened by smearing soft soap 

 thickly on the skin, perhaps after the addition of 5 to 10% 

 creolin, cresol or carbolic acid; the same effect is produced by 

 smearing the skin with 10% carbolized oil or with 10% creolin, 

 cresol or carbolized glycerine. After 12 to 24 hours the soft- 

 ened and loosened scabs are removed with lukewarm soap water 

 and with the help of brushes, and afterwards the surface of the 

 body is rubbed dry. Next day the actual anti-parasitic reme- 

 dies are applied either in the form of ointments or of liniments 

 or solutions. 



Concerning the means used in treating mange the following remedies deserve 

 to be noticed. Quite iiuid medicaments are easier to handle, but they are less 

 energetic than the more concentrated preparations which adhere to the skin for a 

 longer time and at the same time penetrate into the deeper layers of the epidermis, 

 and on this account are more especially to be recommended for the treatment of sar- 

 coptic scab. The selected remedy should always be thoroughly rubbed into the 

 skin with brushes, except on the head, where more cautious rulibing is recjuired in 

 the region of the eyes, mouth and nose. Since most anti-parasitic remedies are more 

 or less poisonous, and the use of a preparation of greater concentration over the 

 whole surface of the skin is not without danger, it appears proper to dress only 

 half of the body at a time, and the other half 1 to 3 days later, after the places 

 from which the medicine may in the meantime have been rublied off have been 

 dressed repeatedly. An exception may be made in the case of well nourished and 

 strong animals whose whole body may be dressed at one time, provided no cresol, 

 cresote, or oreolin liniment is applied. The rubbing of the whole body in weak 

 and thin animals should be effected cautiously at three or four different times. On 

 the other hand, washings with alcoholic watery solutions may be applied to the 

 whole skin surface. 



Of the numerous anti-mange applications the following are 

 generally used: Vienna tar liniment (pix Uquida, flores sul- 

 furis aa 1 part, sapo kalinus ven., alcohol, aa 2 parts; in case 

 the skin is sensitive after the first rul)bing 5%) of powdered 

 chalk may be added to the mixture). The mixture may usually 

 be rubbed into the whole surface of the body at one time with- 

 out injury, and may then be left on for six days. After wash- 

 ing and drying the skin the procedure is repeated on 3 or 4 

 different occasions. Except in very severe cases of sarcoptic 

 scab the treatment always produces satisfactory results. Ac- 

 cording to Roll a repeated application is only rarely necessary 

 even in severe cases, but this statement does not agree with 

 general experience. The creosote oil (1 part of creosote in 10 to 

 30 parts of oil) recommended by Gerlach, or the creosote lini- 



