VETERINARY MATERIA MEDICA. 617 



Emetic tartar, or the tartrate of potash and antimony, is 

 a very valuable medicine m veterinary practice, although 

 its merits are not allowed by some practitioners : but 

 whoever will try it without prejudice, will have reason to 

 be satisfied that it is both a febrifuge and expectorant ; 

 and, as most of*the fevers of horses are connected with 

 some pneumonic affection, so a remedy that combines 

 the properties of diminishing action of the lungs and 

 increasing expectoration, is invaluable. In inflammation 

 of the lungs it is commonly exhibited. In other cases, 

 it may be given with nitre and supertartrate of potash 

 (^cream of tartar) in similar doses, once a day, in a mash. 

 It is also an excellent alterative. In full doses it occa- 

 sions determination to the skin, and ultimately lessens 

 the action of the heart and arteries : sometimes it in- 

 creases the flow of urine. In our opinion it certainly 

 lessens the febrile action of the vascular system more 

 effectually than any other medicament. It is also in use 

 as a vermifuge, and highly praised. 



AntimonioJ 'powder (Pulvis antimoniahs) . This well- 

 known preparation, supposed to be the same with 

 Dr. James's powder, is a compound of oxide of anti- 

 mony with phosphate of Hme. It has some febrifuge 

 qualities ; but it is not so efficacious in the horse as the 

 tartarized antimony. As an alterative it is useful in 

 doses of one to two drachms ; and as a promoter of con- 

 dition it is often preferable to tartarized antimony. 



Antimony, chloride of (Murias antimonii), or hutter or 

 hutijr of antimony, is a very useful escharotic. 



Antiseptics are remedies supposed to possess a power of 

 resisting a putrefactive process in the body ; but this in- 

 fluence is questioned, and all medicines of this class are 

 now considered as acting only by their stimulating quali- 

 ties. 



Antispasmodics. — Tlie horse is subject to many spasmodic 

 affections, and the class of remedies that applies to 

 those he is troubled with is small. Ethers stand first 

 on the list. Opium holds the second place. Cam- 

 phor, hyoscyamus, belladonna, oil of turpentine, and 

 asafoetida, have all of them likewise proved useful. Cold 



