ON PURGING. 15 



Where Mercurial Physic is necessary. 



pared kali, or salt of tartar, the griping quality 

 of the aloes will be taken away, and they will be 

 rendered much safer. When administered in 

 large doses, I have known some horses to take 

 from sixteen to eighteen drachms of good Barba- 

 does aloes to purge them, with the addition of 

 about a drachm of prepared kali, without the 

 least danger. Whenever it is found necessary to 

 give a very strong dose of physic to a horse, I 

 should advise part of it to be given at night, and 

 the remainder on the following morning. No 

 aloes can be depended on as physic for horses, 

 except those of Barbadoes, (all others are too 

 liable to be adulterated.) They are imported 

 from that island in large gourd shells; and, when 

 broken, are of a darkish liver colour, and of a 

 rank offensive smell. 



Mercurial physic is proper in all stubborn dis- 

 eases : such as the farcy, lameness of the joints, 

 greasy heels, and in all kinds of eruptions, and 

 foulness of the blood ; likewise in dry coughs* 



