ASCITES. 431 



appearance of them would be enough to create alarm, for 

 fear of its augmenting the internal dropsy; at the same time 

 it may and ofteu does happen that these outward tumefactions 

 increase to that degree to occasion inconvenience, and even 

 alarm, in consequence of their volume. With a view of dimi- 

 nishing them, and relieving their distension and weight, the 

 readiest practice is to scarify their most prominent or most de- 

 pendent parts with a broad-shouldered bleeding or abscess 

 lancet ; and to encourage the serous issue that follows, as well 

 as any hsemorrhage which may be produced, by fomentation, 

 long and perseveringly persisted in. These scarifications may 

 be repeated once, or even twice a day, should the tumefaction 

 be such as to call for the repetition. 



Walking Exercise in hand is not only advisable, but 

 even absolutely indispensable, providing the strength and 

 condition of the patient be equal to it, and with the under- 

 standing that the state of the disease itself do not forbid it. 



Tonics. — There will arrive, in most cases, a period or 

 stage of the disease in which we shall find it not only inad- 

 visable to carry depletion — bloodletting and purging — 

 farther ; but even to substitute the use of tonics, not merely 

 with a view of recruiting the strength of our patient, but to 

 enable his absorbent system to remove the remaining effused 

 fluid. It is not easy in practice to determine the critical 

 period — when we ought to substitute one mode of treatment 

 for an opposite one : every circumstance connected with the 

 constitutional state and condition of the animal, together 

 with the stage the disease is in, must be taken into account, 

 and with that the progressive effects, beneficial or other- 

 wise, we may have already seen under similar circumstances 

 resulting from depletion ; and from a careful consideration of 

 the whole of these circumstances put together, we must shape 

 our future plan of procedure. Mr. Brown has shown us cases 

 of a description in which tonics are recommendable, even 

 from the very outset. Now, there are many medicines we 

 call tonics ; though, should they all prove so, it would seem, 

 (so different is their nature) to be impossible they can all 

 operate on the system in the same manner. We have vege- 



