120 TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATION. 



lower the system by an abstraction of blood, if that can 

 possibly be avoided, would be unwise. If antimony be 

 compared with mercury in the above qualities, a vast 

 difference is seen between them.^^ ^ 



Mercury, after all, is the remedy that nearest approaches 

 the nature of an alterative. It works good on the constitu- 

 tion — it is, in fact, a veritable alterative : it brings about a 

 beneficial alteration without any operation of which either 

 ourselves or our patients appear to be conscious. In large 

 doses, it will purge the horse. In doses short of producing 

 purgation, continued for any length of time, it will salivate; 

 this it will do to such a degree that the animal will be unable 

 to masticate or to swallow its food : this effect may be 

 carried so far as even to starve the horse. 



As in man, so in the horse, there is considerable varia- 

 tion with regard to a dose or quantity of mercury which will 

 make the mouth sore or salivate. I have known horses take 

 two ounces of calomel, in drachm doses daily, before this 

 effect was perceived ; against which I may adduce the case 

 of a young mare which had cough, and was out of health, and 

 took fifteen grains of calomel daily, in composition with 

 a drachm of antimony and a drachm of digitalis, for five days 

 — making altogether but seventy-five grains of mercury, — 

 before her gums grew red and tender : she cudded her 

 hay, and her breath became tainted with the characteristic 

 mercurial odour. The effect of mercury is certainly not 

 in keeping with the largeness of the dose; in diminished 

 quantities it often appears quite as effectual as though it had 

 been exhibited in the greatest amount. 



' This extract is taken from an article by Mr. Smee, F.R.S., " Treatment by 

 Tartarized Antimony." 



"Any surgeon, even of limited experience, must have seen frequent cases 

 of death from the use of mercury, and sometimes even from very small doses." 

 (From the same article.) 



