HORSE MEDICINES AND REMEDIES 213 



Aperients. — Aperients, laxatives, or purgatives are de- 

 grees, quantities, or kinds of the same medicines. Laxatives 

 may be classed as milder purgatives, and as acting with less 

 irritation in inflammatory affections. In chronic cases, too, 

 they can be administered more frequently, which is very 

 desirable. Calomel, with small doses of aloes, ranks high 

 among these. The laxatives proper in fever are Epsom, 

 Glauber, or Cheltenham salts, 8 to 12 ounces, dissolved in 

 thin gruel, and repeated every six hours until they operate. 

 In some cases, the bowels being inflamed, 6 to 8 ounces of 

 castor or linseed oil, with a few ounces of the watery tinc- 

 ture of aloes, will prove excellent ; it is improved by half a 

 drachm of chloroform. The action of these is much assisted 

 by bran mashes, gruel, and diluent drinks. 



Some aperients act solely by exciting the muscular coat 

 of the bowels to contract ; others cause a copious watery 

 discharge ; whilst a third class combine the action of the 

 two. The several purges also act upon different parts of 

 the digestive canal ; some stimulating the larger bowels, 

 while others act upon the small intestines ; and others, 

 again, on the whole canal. There is yet another class, that 

 combine with purging an influence on the liver, such as 

 mercury and rhubarb; which is effected by absorption with 

 the circulation. Drastic purges are the violent extreme of 

 the scale, as laxatives are the mildest of aperients. As 

 these medicines will receive full notice in the medical 

 treatment of diseases, we shall spare space here by refer- 

 ring to the article specially bearing on the subject, where 

 it will be found fully considered. Some of the most useful 

 aperient formulae are subjoined : — 



Aperient Recipes. 



(A) ORDINARY APERIENT, OR " PHYSIC " BALL. 



Barbadoes aloes . . . 3 to 8 drachms. 



Hard soap ..... 4 drachms. 

 Ginger . . . .1 drachm. 



Dissolve in as small a quantity of boiling water as will 

 suflfice ; then slowly evaporate to the proper consistence, by 

 which means griping is avoided. 



