DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 685 



and mercurial ointment; and to relieve the itching (pruritis), 

 when it is very great, hydrocyanic acid lotion. 



Canine skin diseases require to be treated with very great 

 care ; remedies that cause a great amount of constitutional dis- 

 turbance in the dog have no such effect when applied to other 

 animals : for example, carbolic acid, although carefully prepared 

 and diluted, and as carefully applied, produces in some instances 

 80 much depression as to cause death in a few hours, by a 

 gradual failure of the heart's action (asthenia) ; in others, where 

 the first depressing effects of the remedy have been overcome by 

 stimxilants, warmth, or electricity, the animal has fallen into a 

 state of marasmus, with sunken eyes, foetor of the breath, forma- 

 tion of sordes on the teeth, " tarry" faeces, total loss of appetite, 

 and death in six to twelve days. For these reasons I have 

 discontinued the carbolic acid in dog cases, although it is an 

 excellent local remedy. It might be supposed that these toxic 

 effects result from the dog licking himself, thus introducing the 

 acid into the stomach. I held this opinion at first, but further 

 observation of cases where such precautions were taken as to 

 render the licking of the poison an impossibility, has con- 

 vinced me that it is absorbed into the system through the skin ; 

 that it has a peculiar effect upon the dog, and, consequently, is 

 a dangerous remedy. For similar reasons the mercurial oint- 

 ment is unsafe. 



For the dog the following is the safest aiid best cutaneous 

 stimulant : — 



R Unguentum sulpho-alkalinum. 



Sulph. subHm. . . • • Z^ 



Potass carb. , • • • oL 



Adipis, . .^ ;J -J .Sy 



