198 DEPRESSANTS TO PERIPHERAL NERVES 



Uses. Small doses are recommended to relieve nausea and 

 vomiting in small animals. It acts through its anesthetic action and 

 is not in any vyay superior to less dangerous remedies. It is usually 

 prescribed with bismuth preparations for this action. 



Cough. Hydrocyanic acid is sometimes used to allay cough in 

 dogs vyith asthma or other diseases. It should be given in minim 

 doses, frequently, and the patient should be closely watched. Mor- 

 phine and its allies are just as serviceable and safer. 



Chloroform Poisoning. Hobday recommends a full dose of 

 hydrocyanic acid to be placed upon the tongue of dogs in case of acci- 

 dents in chloroform anesthesia. Its benefit is probably due to a 

 strong primary stimulation of the respiratory center together with 

 the few deep inspirations which occur. Other measures should be 

 kept up at the same time. 



POTASSII CYANIDUM — POTASSIUM CYANIDE 



Cyanide of Potassium 

 Doses. Horses. gT. j — ij ; 0.06 — 0.12. Dogs. gr. % ; 0.01. 



Action and Uses. Potassium cyanide is converted in the 

 stomach and blood to hydrocyanic acid and resembles that drug in 

 action. There are no internal or external uses of this drug, although 

 it is sometimes used to destroy animals. Five grains have caused 

 death in a man, 60 — 120 grains in horses, and it required 9 ounces 

 to kill an elephant in Central Park. 



Crude drugs from which hydrocyanic acid may be obtained : 



Prunus Virginiana — Wild Cherry. The bark contains a glu- 

 eoside, amygdalin, a ferment emulsin, a bitter principle and tannin. 

 It does not contain prussie acid but when the glucoside amygdalin, is 

 acted upon by the ferment in the presence of water, it splits up into 

 hydrocyanic acid as one of the decomposition products. Thus it is 

 necessary for the bark to be placed in contact with water for the 

 production of the acid. 



Preparations and Doses. 



Infusum Pruni Virginiance 4 per cent. Not used. 

 Syrupus Pruni Virginiance 15 per cent. D. 3j ; 4.0. 

 Fluidextractum Pruni Yirginiance. D. nx xxx; 2.0. 



Oleum Amygdali Amari. Oil of bitter almonds — contains 

 the same glucoside and ferment as wild cherry and forms hydro- 

 cyanic acid in the same way. It is not used in veterinary medicine. 



These preparations are not valuable remedies. The different 

 preparations of wild cherry have been used as tonics on account of 

 the bitter principle. The syrup is quite extensively used as a vehicle 

 for cough remedies, but contains so small an amount of the acid that 



