292 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 



I have known whitening administered for the distemper, 

 a table spoonful every morning, with a little opening phy- 

 sic, occasionally. 



I have uniformly found a complete cure effected from 

 copious and repeated venesection in the early stage of the 

 distemper, accompanied with a little opening medicine, 

 syrup of buckthorn, for instance. In the kennel of Sir 

 Harry Mainwaring, the distemper generally swept away 

 a third of the young dogs at least. My system of treating 

 the distemper has since been adopted with the most benefi- 

 cial efiect. 



The following scientific description of the distemper and 

 its mode of treatment, cannot fail to be highly interesting: 

 " A little black spaniel, six months old, very fat and 

 playful, gradually became listless and irritable; his eyes 

 sufiused with water, his drooping ears, tenesmus, rough 

 coat, dyspucea, and frequent cough, announced that the 

 disease called the distemper was at hand. In this state he 

 ran about for several days, when the difficulty of breathing 

 increased. His flanks beat violently, and he showed signs 

 of feeling great pain when his sides were pressed upon. 

 Soon after, he became slightly convulsed, and, by his con- 

 tinual and melancholy cry, both day and night, proved 

 that he was sufiering from severe bodily pain. The con- 

 vulsions increased, and became incessant; his debility and 

 emaciation were daily more apparent; and at the expiration 

 of three weeks he died. 



"It must be evident that the distemper is an inflamma- 

 tory disorder, more particularly afiecting the mucous coats 

 of the bronchial tubes, and that the great congestions of 

 blood found in the heart and other vital organs must arise 

 from the obstruction it meets with in its passage through 

 the lungs. The particular time at which the disorganiza- 

 tion commences, must depend on the violence of the symp- 

 toms; and it does appear that the disease can be divided 

 into three natural stages: — 



" 1st. The stage of fever and general excitement. 

 "2d. The deposition of coagulable lymph into the sub- 

 stance of the lungs; and 



"3d. The efi"usion of matter into the bronchial tubes. 

 "In drawing this view of the complaint, the liver is not 

 to be overlooked; and it would seem as if this organ was, 

 by a general irritability of the system, excited to a state oi 

 unusual activity, and that thus, by the presence of an in- 

 creased and vitiated state of the bile, the stomach and 

 bowels were brought into a disordered condition, and their 

 villous coats inflamed. 



"Upon the epidemic, contagious, or other causes predis- 

 posing to the distemper, it is not now my intention to offer 

 any remarks; but I shall proceed to the treatment which 

 appearances after death would indicate. 



" It is unnecessary for me to add, that I have no expe- 

 rience of its efficacy, nor do I pretend to say that it will 

 be successful. Indeed the object of this paper is rather to 

 induce those who may have daily opportunities of becom- 

 ing acquainted with the complaint, by observing its causes, 

 symptoms, and progress, to form an idea of its nature; and 

 lastly, by the operation of remedies and frequent dissec- 

 tions, to arrive at some certain conclusions. 



" Treatment. — At the commencement of the symptoms, 

 or during the first stage of excitement, the Dog should be 

 bled freely, according to his age and strength. After which 

 an emetic of tartarized antimony or ipecacuanha should be 

 administered, and its operation promoted by mild bland 

 fluids; moderate doses of calomel, opium, and antimony, 

 should be given every three or four hours, and the excess 

 of bile removed by occasional doses of castor oil. The 

 Dog should be immersed for twenty minutes in a warm 

 bath, rubbed dry, and placed in clean warm straw; the 

 temperature of his apartment should be moderately warm, 

 taking great care to exclude the cold air, which must neces- 

 sarily irritate the lungs. Having continued this plan for 

 forty-eight hours, a mixture, consisting of nitre, fox-glove, 

 and ipecacuanha, should be given three or four times a day 

 until the urgent symptoms have subsided. Stimulants 

 should never be given but when the animal appears much 

 exhausted, and after the preceding measures have been 

 adopted: a little white wine might then be put into the 

 gruel, which should constitute his food for the primary 

 attack. When recovering, a little more than bread and 

 milk or nourishing broths will be necessary. 



"It occasionally happens that the irritability of the 

 stomach is such that no medicines can be retained. Injec- 

 tions in these cases have been attended with beneficial 

 effects; and therefore a solution of starch with laudanum 

 should be thrown up several times in the course of twenty- 

 four hours: a blister also should be applied to the region of 

 the stomach. 



"With regard to the treatment of the second and third 

 stages, when the first has been violent and neglected, very 

 little can be expected from medicine. Bleeding will be 

 highly injurious; and calomel, opium, and antimony, com- 

 bined with expectorants, would most probably offer the 

 greatest prospect of success. Strength should be carefully 

 supported by a nutritious diet, but all strong cordials ought 

 to be avoided. 



"Although it is likely the fever accompanying the dis- 

 temper has a peculiar character, I am decidedly of opinion 

 that there is no specific remedy against this complaint: and 

 it is better to point out the indications of cure, than to enu- 

 merate a long list of medicines with their respective doses. 



