78 PHARMACY 



cotton in ether and alcohol, leaving a thin, dry, adhesive 

 coating when applied externally. 



IX.— Preparations Haying Honey as an Excipient. 

 Mel^ pi. Melita. — Honeys. 



X. — Non-Official Preparations Peculiar to Veterinary 



Practice. 



Bolus, pi. Boll. — Balls are substitutes for pills. They 

 are of elongated, cylindrical shape, about two and one-half 

 inches long, and should weigh about two 'ounces when 

 intended for horses. Various excipients are used to make 

 a mass of the proper consistency. For immediate use, 

 molasses and licorice root may be employed, and brown 

 tissue paper is used as a covering for the balls. Gelatine 

 capsules may take the place of balls, and should be covered 

 with paper to prevent slipping through the fingers when wet 

 with saliva. Linseed meal is a good excipient on account of 

 its gum. Soap is often used, and glycerin makes a good 

 preservative and keeps the mass moist. 



Heat is often necessary in preparing a ball mass when 

 the materials are resinous (as aloes) or waxy. A ball is 

 given to a horse by holding it in the right hand, the tips of 

 the fingers and thumb surrounding it in the form of a cone. 

 The tongue of the animal being drawn to the operator's left 

 with his left hand, the right is then quickly passed along the 

 roof of the patient's mouth (avoiding the edges of the back 

 teeth) until the back of the tongue is reached, when the ball 

 is dropped, the right hand rapidly removed and the tongue 

 released. 



If the mouth is narrow or the animal unmanageable, a 

 balling iron or speculum is used to keep the mouth open. 

 The horse may be backed into a narrow stall and the head 

 steadied by an attendant with the assistance of a ** twitch " 

 on the nose. Substances of an irritating nature may be 

 given in this form, and balls are also used when the disposi- 

 tion of the patient does not admit the giving of a drench. 



