MIDICIKES.] 



MODERN VETEllIXAliY PUACTICE. 



[UKUICIMKa. 



length, oovoroil with a. groyish bark. The oil 

 ia produced from the ripo fruit wliieli is 

 gathered iu November.aiul iininodiately crushed 

 in a mill, tho stones of whicli aro kept so wide 

 as not to bruise the nut. The pulp is sub- 

 jected to the pressing bags, made of rushes; 

 and by means of gentle squeezing the best oil 

 flows first. A second oil is yielded by breaking 

 the mass, moistening it with warm water, and 

 turning it to the press. A third, and still in- 

 ferior sort, is obtained by boiling the residue, 

 or bv breaking, moistening, and fermenting it 

 in large cisterns, and again submitting it to 

 the full force of the press. 



Medicinal Uses. — Aperient to an inconsider- 

 able extent in the horse. Emollient. It may 

 be given in the quantity of a pint. Over 

 castor oil it possesses no advantage. It enters 

 into the composition of liniments, &c. 



OLEUii Picis Liquid.^— OiZ of Tar. 



Take of Tai- .... 5 lbs. 

 „ Water 4 pints. 



Distil from a retort with great care. "What 

 remains in the retort is pitch. 



Medicinal Uses. — Stimulant and irritant. 

 This is only used as an external application, 

 either alone, or combined with olive oil, as in 

 the Linimentum Ficis Liquidce. 



Oletjm SuLPnTJEATUii — Sulpliuratcd Oil. 



Take of Washed Sulpliur . . 2 oz. 

 „ Olive Oil . . . .1 pint. 



Heat the oil in a very large iron vessel, and 

 add the sulphur by degrees to it ; and keep 

 constantly stirring them with a spatula, till 

 they are combined. This is merely a solution 

 of sulphur and oil. 



Medicinal Uses. — Used, in the language of 

 the laboratory, to kill the quicksilver in 

 making the Unguentum Hydrargyri Fortius. 



OiErii TEItIBI^'TUINA — Oil of Turpentine. 



Take of Common Turpentine . o lbs. 

 „ „ AVater . . . 4 oz. 



Distil the oil from a copper alembic with 

 great care. "What remains in the retort is 

 resin. 



Medicinal Uses. — Diuretic; stimulant ; given 

 in doses of from two drachms to one ounce; 

 this acts as a diuretic ; but in doses of from 



tho intestines in cases of gripes. Applied to 

 the ttkiii, it is a violent irritant ; but combined 

 with olive oil, it forms a useful embrocation. 



Oi'iL'M — Opium. 



The wliito poppy, of which this is the pro- 

 duce, is a native of Asia; but is sometimes 

 found growing wild in England. Tho market 

 is principally supplied with opium from 

 Turkey, though the poppy is cultivated iu 

 almost all states in Europe. To obtain opium, 

 the half-ripe capsules have all, after sunset, 

 longitudinal excisions made in them. Tho 

 night dews favour the exudation of tho juice, 

 which is collected, in the morning, by means of 

 a small iron scoop. It is then deposited in an 

 earthen pot, where the whole is worked by 

 the hand, in the sunshine, until it has acquired 

 a considerable degree of spissitude. It is 

 then formed into cakes, which are laid in 

 basins to be further dried. Then they are 

 covered with tobacco, or poppy leaves, and 

 packed in chests, in which state they are im- 

 ported to this country. 



Medicinal Uses. — Producing but little effect 

 on the horse; none as a narcotic; like the 

 narcotic used by the human subject, generally 

 acting as an irritant. It is, however, a power- 

 ful astringent, sedative, and anti-spasmodic. 

 In the treatment of tetanus, or locked-jaw, it 

 is greatly relied on in veterinarian practice. It 

 should, however, at all times, be administered 

 with caution. In cases of ophthalmia it is 

 useful, applied externally. If, in instances 

 where the cantharides, or blue vitriol, have 

 been used to too great an extent, there is no 

 drug equal to opium for quieting the disorder 

 they may have occasioned. It is adminis- 

 tered in the form of a ball, in doses of one or 

 two drachms, according to circumstances; 

 other medicines arc generally combined with it. 



Petroleum — Barhadoes Tar. 



This variety of bitumen is collected from 

 the surface of water, which exudes from the 

 sides of hills, in which pits are sunk for its 

 reception, and skimmed every week. It is the 

 same as naphtha — now a well-known liquid m 

 this country. 



Medicinal Uses.— St'inm\ant. It is applied 

 externally, but possesses no advantage over 



four ounces to eight, it acts as a stimulant to 1 common tar 



357 



