36 VETERIXARY HOMCEOPATHY. 



powders or triturations; the vehicle used for reduction of fluids 

 generally consists of alcohol, that for solids consists of sugar of 

 milk: in preparing the liquid attenuations the process starts at a 

 fixed standard, which in preparing from the vegetable substance 

 the druggist understands how to fix uniformly and describes as 

 the mother tinctures: from this mother tincture the centesimal 

 and decimal scales are prepared; namely, for the first centesimal 

 from two to six drops of tincture are mixed with ninety-four to 

 ninety-eight drops of alcohol according to drug power of tinctures; 

 for the second centesimal one part of the first centesimal (which 

 is recognized by the plain figure of one) to ninety-nine of alcohol 

 and so on from one attenuation to another until j'ou attain the 

 thirtieth or two hundredth; the same proportion is adhered to in 

 the decimal scale, namely, from two to six drops of tincture are 

 mixed with four to eight drops of alcohol according to drug power 

 of tincture and so on through each series up to the thirtieth deci- 

 mal, each attenuation being recognized by the marks ix, 2x, 3X, 

 and so on as high as the preparation has been carried; a similar 

 course of proceeding is adopted with the solids by weight, say 

 ninety-nine grains of sugar of milk to one grain of the crude ma- 

 terial for the centesimal scale, and nine grains of the sugar of milk 

 to one grain of the drug proper for the decimal scale, and so on with 

 each attenuation as high as the dispenser desires to carry it. But 

 this actual measurement by no means exhausts the necessities of 

 the process; the liquid attenuations have to be submitted to 

 violent shaking or succussion; and the powders have to be sub- 

 mitted to an exhaustive course of trituration or pulverization with 

 pestle and mortar, according to distinct rules fixed by Hahne- 

 mann, and even if these processes are carried far beyond the limits 

 assigned by the great master no harm will come of them; it is 

 better to err on the side of excess than the other way about; and 

 to show why this is the case we will proceed to explain the 

 advantage derivable from these various processes. During each 

 progressive process of trituration the various pirticles of the 

 medicinal agent become more finely divided, and the author is of 

 opinion that not only is it to this very minute subdivision of 

 particles that the agent derives its activity, but that it develops an 

 inherent power not previously possessed; but without attempting 

 to reason this out we will confine ourselves to the physical aspect 



