POISONS AND POISONING. 65 



GENERAL TREATMENT. 



The treatment of animals suffering from poison must vary according 

 to the nature of the toxic agent. There are a few general plans of 

 action, however, which should be followed as far as possible. If a 

 stomach-pump can be procured no time shonld be lost in emptying the 

 stomach of its contents and carefully washing that organ by either 

 injecting pure water or a solution of the proper antidote. If the stomach 

 can not be emptied, the antidote should be administered which will 

 counteract or neutralize the particular poison from which the animal is 

 Buffering, such as powdered chalk to neutralize acid poison. If the 

 poison has been taken in solid form and there is a probability that part 

 of it is still undissolved its further destructive action may be arrested 

 by the administration of mucilaginous drinks, as infusions of flaxseed, 

 white of eggs, acacia (gum arabic), etc. Where the poison is known to 

 be one that is not likely to exert its influence on the stomach directly 

 but remotely, every effort should be made to neutralize any part of it 

 that ay remain unabsorbed, and to as far as possible fortify the sys- 

 tem against its action, as by the use of atropia in opium-poisoning, or 

 the placing of the patient under the influence of chloroform or ether 

 when poisoned by strychnine. A poisonous agent may be so gradually 

 introduced into the system as to slowly develop the power of resistance 

 against its' action. In other cases, where the poison is introduced slowly, 

 the poisonous action becomes cumulative, and although there is no 

 increase in the quantity taken violent symptoms are suddenly developed, 

 as if the whole amount, the consumption of which may have extended 

 over a considerable period, had been given in one dose. Other agents, 

 poisonous in their nature, tend to deteriorate some of the important 

 organs and interfering with their natural functions are productive of con- 

 ditions of ill-health which, although not necessarily fatal, are important. 

 Such a class might properly be called chronic poisons. Poisons of them- 

 selves dangerous when administered in large doses are used medicinally 

 for curative purposes, and a very large percentage of the pharmaceutical 

 preparations used in the practice of medicine if given in excessive quan- 

 tities might produce serious results. In the administration of medicines, 

 therefore, care should be exercised not only that the animal is not 

 poisoned by the administration of an excessive dose, but that injury is 

 not done by continued treatment with medicines the administration of 

 which is not called for. 



ARSENIC POISONING. 



Of the common irritant and corrosive poisons, arsenic, especially one 

 of its compounds (Paris green or arenit<j of copper), is likely to be the 

 most dangerous to our class of patients. The common practice of using 

 Paris green as an insecticide for the destruction of potato beetle and 

 other vegetable parasite* hug had the effect of introducing it into 

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