IM CALOMEL AND MERCURY, GOOD. 



No. 2.— Purgative Ball. 



Barbadoes aloes, 4 drachms, 

 Gamboge, 1 1-2 drachms, 

 Prepared kali, 2 drachms. 

 Ginger, 1 drachm, 

 Oil of amber, a tea-spoon full, 



Syrup of buckthorn sufficient to form the ball for cnr 

 dose. 



Particular care should be taken of the horse, but he should not take any 

 gruol for the two days that the mercury is in him, as directed by White, but 

 give him bruised corn or other dry food with little water, the calomel not hav- 

 ing entered the system. Neither does he require any of the exercises usually 

 forced upon patients " in physic." Let a week elapse ere the same bolus and 

 purge are repeated as before, when they seldom fail to bring away whatever 

 worms he may have in him. Instead of the foregoing, some persist in the fol- 

 lowing old method, by way of laxative mercurial, which, however, I must pre- 

 mise, seems much too strong, notwithstanding the high character some be- 

 stow on it. 



No. 3. — Laxative Alterative Balls. 



Quicksilver, 1 ounce, and 

 Venice turpentine, 2 ounces. 



These being well rubbed together in a mortar, add 



Aloes in powder, 2 ounces, 

 Ginger, 1 ounce. 



Mix with syrup of buckthorn, and form the compost into four balls, one to be 

 given with intervals of five or six days. Water-gruel or a bran mash to pre- 

 cede each ball, as before, and give the same when the physic may be working 

 off. 



Some horses, however, can not bear the bolus No. 1, calomel having a ten- 

 dency to gripe ; in that case the quantity should be divided into three balls 

 and given on three successive nights, followed by No. 2, on the fourth morn- 

 ing. In like manner, if the horse be not a very strong one, the above quantl 

 ty of No. 3, may be divided into six or eight balls, and given at intervals of 

 two days each until purging is produced. Indeed, neither of these medicines 

 should be given, least of all continued, when the animal dungs loosely. From 

 those precautions, it is manifest that my opinion, so often expressed regarding 

 the misuse of strong medicines, remains unaltered ; and if I have been suc- 

 cessful in impressing the reader with the same wholesome and humane truths, 

 he will at once perceive the absolute necessity of attending to the symptoms, 

 to assure himself that the patient really has the worms, and not some other 

 affection of the liver, kidneys, caecum, &c. as remarked by me at the head of 

 this article. Mistakes in these respects often prove fatal, or at least affect the 

 animal's future health. 



li worms do actually exist, they can not fail to come away with the forego- 

 ing course of naedicine ; and the patient, though a little weak at first, will come 

 out of hand with a good appetite, brisk in his manner, and bright as a ruby. 

 These considerations, however, should not influence us to neglect a trial of 

 the milder medicines, before enumerated, as containing anthelmintic prope"-- 

 tios, less powerful indeed than the foregoing, tut not th^-^refore le<!s likely <i 



