AND rilARMACOrCEIA. 537 



siibcarbonate {socIcb suhcarhonas exsicr.ata), wliich is perhaps more 

 conveniently administered than the carbonate, and ans\Yers the 

 same purpose : it is extremely viseful in painful affections of the 

 urinary organs arising from acid in the urine : the sulphate of 

 soda(50(Zffi sulphas), or Glauber's salts (see Sulphate of Soda); 

 and the tartarised soda (soda tartarizata), which is cathartic, 

 but not often prescribed by veterinarians. 



SOILING. By this term is meant feeding horses with grass, 

 clover, lucern, vetches, or other green food, in the stable, instead 

 of turning them to grass in spring or summer. Some horses 

 are so restless at grass, and so apt to stray, that turning thera 

 out is attended with danger and inconvenience. Horses also 

 that are lame, or just recovered from a lameness, sometimes injure 

 themselves at grass by taking too much exercise. In such 

 cases, soiling for about a month in a large airy box is exceedingly 

 useful. I consider vetches the best vegetable for soiling. Some 

 people are advocates for keeping a horse all the year round upon 

 hay and corn, and only allowing them green food in the spring 

 now and then in sufficient quantity to open the bowels, and no~ 

 moi'e, and assert that by this mode of management they are 

 able during the winter to go through a greater degree of labour 

 than they otherwise would, and to keep in much better con- 

 dition. This method of feeding hunters is now very extensively 

 adopted. 



SOLUBLE TARTAR, or TARTRATE OF POTASH. 

 — Tartras Potassce. This is a laxative saline preparation, com- 

 posed of cream of tartar and potash. It is sometimes given with 

 infusion of senna, and is supposed to correct the griping so fre- 

 quently induced by resinous cathartics. The dose may be from 

 four to eight ounces, according to the proportion of aperient 

 medicine with which it is combined. 



SORREL. — Rumex Acetosa. An acidulous plant, some- 

 times prescribed by the veterinary practitioners of France in 

 dysentery and molten grease ; but not used by English veteri- 

 narians. 



SPANISH FLIES. See Cantharides. 



SPEARMINT. — Mentha viridis. See Mint. 



SPERMACETI. — Cetaceum. An unctuous substance, 

 procured from the head of a certain species of whale. In 

 medical practice it is often employed as a demulcent to allay 

 irritation, as in cough, but is rarely employed in veterinary 

 practice, and appears to differ very little, in its medical proper- 

 ties, from hog's lard or suet. It has been lately discovered that 

 the muscular parts of all animals may be converted into a sub- 

 stance resembling spermaceti by maceration in water. 



SPIKES, FLOWERING; of Lavender.— Zaue/zf/wZa Spica. 

 A volatile oil, termed oil of spike, is made from lavender, and is 



