GENERAL ACTION OF IRON AND ITS SALTS 187 



Summary. — Iron is essentially a blood tonic and restor- 

 ative, increasing the number of red blood corpuscles, the 

 amount of haemoglobin, and aiding nutrition. Externall}^ it 

 is an astringent, styptic, and stimulant. 



Uses External. — Liquor ferri chloridi and liquor ferri 

 subsulphatis are the medicinal preparations most frequently 

 used to stop bleeding from wounds or natural cavities of 

 the body. They may be injected, applied by swab, or on 

 absorbent material, which is packed into the wound or 

 cavity. As a local application in pharyngitis, we use 1 part 

 of the solution of ferric chloride with 4 parts of glycerin. 

 In the same strength, diluted with water, the chloride may 

 be injected into the uterus to stop haemorrhage. Again, a 

 solution, in the strength of 2 drachms to the pint of water, 

 is employed as an enema to destroy ascarides. The objec- 

 tion to these solutions of iron is that they form heavy, nasty, 

 tenacious clots, when employed to arrest haemorrhage, and 

 the clots are apt to decompose and favor sepsis. Therefore 

 they should not be used if other means, as ligature, pres- 

 sure, heat or cold, can be utilized. 



Internal. — Reduced ii on is one of the best preparations 

 for dogs. It is commonly administered in pill, and often 

 with other tonics, as strychnine, quinine, and arsenic. 

 Reduced iron is non-irritating, non-astringeut, and non- 

 constipating. It may be placed on the tongue in the form 

 of powder. 



i^errous sulphate is one of the two most valuable forms 

 of iron which can be prescribed to the larger animals. The 

 other form is the tincture of ferric chloride. The sulphate 

 is more astringent and irritating than some of the other iron 

 salts, but does not usually cause constipation in the horse. 

 Indeed, when constipation is due to loss of tone in the lower 

 bowel, small doses, by their local stimulant action, may 

 actually assist peristalsis. The dried ferrous sulphate is 

 prescribed to horses with anaemia, and is the most common 

 constituent of tonic powders. It is frequently combined 

 with powdered gentian, nux vomica, arsenic, and bicarbonate 



