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of mussaul ingredients and so on, hitherto resorted to. We have 

 done so on the same principle that the modern physician has 

 laid aside the pompous manners and gold-headed cane adopted 

 in the time of the Georp;es — because science now disdains to im- 

 pose on the lay mind by trivial and unnecessary attention to non- 

 essential details. Of necessity many bazaar medicines must be 

 used in the treatment of elephants but preference must be given to 

 those of them which are vegetable products and so less liable to 

 impurity than mineral, and always good specimens free from insect 

 ravages and dirt must be procured. The vehicles used in preparing 

 the medicines for administeation are generally those palatable to 

 the animal, gftr or jagghery, honey, spices, and so on; by their 

 use the medicine may be given through the mouth either as a bolus 

 or in the form of a chupattee; the latter will be eaten in the usual 

 way, the former may be introduced as far back as possible into the 

 animal's mouth either as it is or folded up in a piece of plantain 

 leaf. " The administering of medicine is rather difficult with some 

 animals^ in such cases a piece of wood of the following description 

 I have found very serviceable : — It should be 2^ ft. long, 6 in. 

 broad, and 2 in. thick and should be put in the animal's mouth 

 with the two ropes at the ends fastened to a rope previously tied 

 round the neck, the centre hole should be large enough to allow 

 the hand to go through with the medicine in the shape of a ball, 

 and, if liquid, it should be put into a bamboo or into a plantain leaf. 

 Many animals have to be well fettered before commencing this 

 operation" (Slymm). The fact of the elephant having freedom of 

 the posterior part of the tongue much increases the difficulty in 

 administering boli through the gag, the tongue gives much resist- 

 ance to the hand and pushes it between the grinders. It is won- 

 derful how little room there is for passage of the hand to behind 

 the tono-ue of even a big elephant, and often after the bolus seems 

 to have been passed behind the tongue it is gi-adually returned 

 and may be found sticking to the upper part of the opening through 

 the gag. Thus some force is required in passing it over the base of 

 the tongue, but once this difficulty has been surmounted the bolua 

 must be swallowed. The best means of administration of liquid 

 remedies seems to be by using the Read's patent enema apparatus 

 as an artificial trunk ; occasionally tasteless substances may be 

 given mixed with the drinking water. Ouchterlony says that 



