144 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



be administered as for the colic treated of in the last two 

 chapters. These should again be followed up by the 

 regular administration (every two, three, or four hours) 

 of boli of zingib. rad. pulv. and ammoniurn carbonate, 

 together with the exhibition of copious oleaginous 

 draughts combined with ol. tereb. and ether meth., ol. 

 menth. pip., spt. eth. nit., or any other diffusible stimu- 

 lant that may suggest itself. 



Although it is not my own practice, I would also 

 mention that a dose of aloes is not seriously contra- 

 indicated. In fact, in this instance, there is only one 

 argument that can fairly be advanced against it, and 

 that is the fact that in some cases aloes does not act at 

 all, but passes off by the kidneys. Should that happen, 

 the veterinarian unfortunately receives no intimation 

 thereof, and is thereby restrained (by fear of causing 

 superpurgation) from pushing on that vigorous stimula- 

 tive treatment which his own common -sense would 

 immediately suggest were he only positively certain of 

 the non-acting of the drug upon which he has placed 

 reliance. 



After the expiration of ten to twelve hours, should the 

 case show no improvement, it will be necessary to 

 seriously consider the advisability or otherwise of ad- 

 ministering a hypodermic dose of eserine, regarding 

 which I have a remark to make. I do not pretend to 

 offer any explanation of the fact, but I do most con- 

 fidently assert that in this particular form of obstruction 

 eserine does not show itself to its happiest advantage. 

 To my mind that points out a satisfactory solution of 

 what was to me at one time a serious problem. I could 

 not understand veterinarians of experience rising to their 

 feet at various meetings and emphatically declaring 

 eserine to be of no value in colic cases : that it did not 



