AMMONIA. 577 



gbi; milk; gruel; or even large quantities of plain water. Per- 

 form tracheotomy if necessary. 



About 5 grains of morphine hydrochlorate, dissolved in water 

 may be injected hypodermically, to allay the pain and to ward oft" 

 the effects of shock. 



Aconite. 



Gresswell, in " Diseases and Disorders of the Horse/' states that 

 " many quack nostrums and some formulae in the possession of 

 stablemen and others contain overdoses of tincture of aconite," 

 which, consequently, is a common cause of poisoning. We should 

 remember that Fleming's tincture is six times as strong as that 

 of the British Pharmacopoeia. Finlay Dun cites the case of an 

 old cab horse, which it was intended to destroy, getting two 

 drachms and a third of Fleming's tincture, and recovering, al- 

 though he very nearly died. The usual dose is 7 or 8 drops. 



SYMPTOMS. — Marked nausea, with attempts at vomiting; dis- 

 charge of froth from the mouth, and sometimes sounds of gurgling 

 in the thi'oat ; pulse very weak and irregular; breathing 

 shallow and slow; great depression; body usually covered with 

 perspiration. 



TKEATMENT. — Give large doses of spirits and water. Hand^ 

 rub the animal all over, so as to stimulate the circulation. Give 

 a hypodermic injection of 40 minims of liquor atropinse sulphatis, 

 which may be repeated. 



Aloes. 



Probably more horses are killed by the injudicious administra- 

 tion of aloes than by any other drug. 



SYMPTOMS are those of superpurgation, with great weakness, 

 depression, abdominal pain, and flatulence. 



TREATMENT will be the same as for superpurgation (p. 425). 



Ammonia. 



Liniments containing ammonia are sometimes given by mistake 

 as a draught to a horse. Hertwig found that one ounce of strong 

 liquor ammoniae, which is three times as potent as the ordinary 

 liquor ammoniae, caused death to the horse. 



37 



