220 SPECIFICS FOR THE ALIMENTARY TRACT 



starch into substances soluble in water, i.e., into dextrose, maltose; 

 etc. 



FERMENTS NOT OF VERY GREAT USE IN MEDICINE 



Rennin is not a digestant but a milk coagulating ferment ob- 

 tained from the mucous membrance of the fourth stomach of calves. 

 It is used extensively in cheese making. 



Diastase is the starch digesting agent of barley malt, changing 

 hydrolized or cooked starch into dextrine and maltose. 



Taka-diastase is a ferment with diastatic properties obtained 

 from a mould, Aspergillus oryzce, which grows upon rice in Japan. 



Papain is an enzyme obtained from the juice of the unripe fruit 

 of Carica papaya, a South American papaw plant. It can digest 

 albumen in an acid neutral or alkaline medium but works best in a 

 slightly acid one. It has no indications. 



Ingluvin is the dried lining membrane of the chicken's crop. 

 Its digestive power is not very great. It has no therapeutic value 

 in veterinary medicine but has been used empirically in vomiting 

 of pregnancy in women. 



Secretin is unstaple and is therefore of no use. 



Hormonal is a preparation from the spleen of rabbits. It is 

 said to contain the saine peristaltic harmone as the gastric mucous 

 membrane. 



Since there is a tendency for the different ferments to destroy 

 one another, mixtures of them, especially those acting in different 

 media, are theoretically irrational. 



OLEUM MORRHUiE 



Synonym. Cod Liver Oil 



Cod liver oil is a fixed oil obtained from the fresh livers of various 

 species of cod. Cod liver oil was formerly obtained by allowing the 

 livers to decompose and collecting the oil set free. It is a pale 

 yellow, thin, oily liquid, having a peculiar fishy, but not rancid odor, 

 and a fishy taste. It is slightly soluble in alcohol, soluble in ether 

 and chloroform. 



Doses. Horses §ij — iv ; 60 — 120. D. 3j— ij ; 4 — 8. Twice 

 daily. 



Cod liver oil must be regarded as a food and not a medicine. 

 It is believed to be the most assimilable of fats. It increases weight 

 and the condition of the patient generally. Large doses may cause 

 nausea and diarrhea. Cod liver oil is especially useful in the treat- 

 ment of malnutrition and during convalescence from febrile diseases. 

 It has long been a popular drug in the treatment of tiiberculosis of 

 man and is valuable in the treatment of rickets of small animals. 



