268 PURGATION. 



whatever pecuniary advantage may i-efult to 

 thofe who vend medicines, by purchafing an 

 inferior kind, fuch reafon neither can, or ought 

 to have any weight with thofe, who phyfic their 

 own cattle. For my own part, I have expe- 

 rienced no difhculty hitherto, in purging even 

 dray-horfes, either with fuccotrine aloes or 

 Glauber's falts. As to the latter, or the purg- 

 ing falts, I know of none of our veterinarians 

 who have made ufe of them, they advert to the 

 difficulty of adminiftering them ; nor do I re- 

 colleft any author who recommends them alone 

 as a purge. But I have beemxiany years in the 

 Gonftant habit of purging horfes with falts, and 

 with never failing fuccefs. The faline purges 

 appear to me to debilitate the animal body by 

 their operation lefs than any others, and to re- 

 frigerate the humours more, they are fpecific in 

 certain cafes, and in fa6l the idea of eleftive 

 purgation muft be allowed to a certain degree ; 

 for inftance, in the cafe of the abforbent mag- 

 nefia, which invariably attrafts acids, and from 

 the combination refults a neutral purging li- 

 quor. Many horfes require no other purges 

 whatever than falts, and by the ufe of them 

 may be kept in the firft ftyle of condition. They 

 are alfo excellent aheratives, as one might fairly 

 prelume previoufly to experience, by the ana- 

 logy of the fait marfhes^ where horfes receive fo 



much 



