116 RINDERPEST. 



tion after Pope's indication of symptoms, or where the bur- 

 rowing of the Pest under the sliin leads to the conchisiou 

 that it is directing its force upon this secernent expanse. 



Here we may briefly uotice Chloric Ether, prescribed 

 by Dr. Priestman. It may be the Chloral of the modern 

 school which is obtained by the prolonged action of Chlo- 

 rine upon Alcohol;* hence the composition of its name, 

 chlor-al. This is a transparent, colorless liquid, of a greasy 

 aspect ; has an irritating odor, is quite tasteless, somewhat 

 caustic in its action on the skin. It must be dropped into 

 water and heated to effect its solution. If brought into con- 

 tact with a few drops of water, a white crystalline solid is 

 formed and heat is evolved.t Sometimes the term Chloric 

 Ether is applied to the chloride of hydrocarbon, the olefiant 

 gas of the Dutch chemists, and most probably the ether used 

 by Dr. Priestman. Its formula is O2 (Ol,)H2. Beyond 

 their power of etherization, but little is known of the thera- 

 peutic properties of either of these so-called ethers, and their 

 use, until further scientific investigations of their medical 

 action, must be wholly empirical. 



We may be permitted in closing this part of the discussion 

 of remedies proposed, viewed or not from a Homeopathic 

 stand-point; and after presenting thus crudely, the little 

 that is known of the Morbid Anatomy revealed by the 

 action of leading poisons upon the inferior creation ; to 

 state by way of apology for so imperfect a sketch, that it 

 is designed mostly to show how much lies yet unexplored 

 in this domain of provings in large doses upon domestic ani- 

 mals. We say large doses, and we mean, moreover, fre- 

 quently — strenuously repeated ; so as to enable the observer 

 to compare the narrow range of symptoms, to which he must 



* Alcohol, represented by the chemical fornrala, C4 Hs Oi, in the presence of oxidising agents 

 which take up two atoms of its hydrogen, becomes Aldehyd C4 H* Oj. A similar action takes 

 place wlien three atoms of chlorine replace in aldehyd as many of hydrogen, and the TCf^xxM chloral is 

 represented by C4 ( Hi CI3 ) Oi. Soubeiran, Llebii,' and Guthrie of N. Y., by distilling chloral 

 mixed with lime and water, or with a solution of potassa. obtained a liquid which, when shaken 

 with sulphuric acid, then separated and rcctlflud over baryta in a perfectly dry retort, yielded rAtoro- 

 form ; which is now more easily obtained by dlntilllng a mixture of 1 lb. chloride of lime, 3 lbs. 

 of water and 3 ounces of alcohol in a capacious retort. 



t Brande's Manual of Chemistry, p. 1306. 



