CHAPTEE XVI 

 DRUGS ACTING UPON THE GENITAL ORGANS 



EmmenagOgues are agents which act upon the nongravid uterus 

 and increase or promote the menstrual flow (in women) or which 

 favor the occurrence of estrum (heat) in the domestic animals. 



Ecbolics or occytoxies are those agents which stimulate the 

 gravid uterus to the expulsion of the fetus. They are also termed 

 abortifaeients. 



Emmenagogues may act (1) indirectly by removing the cause of 

 the suppression or by improving the general condition of the animal 

 or (2) by directly stimulating the uterus. 



The indirect include such drugs as 



Salts of Iron Strychnine 



Arsenic Cod Liver Oil 



Copper Purgatives 



Tonics in General 



The direct emmenagogues include those agents which are irritant 

 and toxic, and since they may produce abortion in pregnant animals 

 they are also ecbolic and will be discussed under that head. 



Uses. The emmenagogues are not much employed in veter- 

 inary medicine as such. The indirect emmenagogues may be occa- 

 sionally useful in cases where there is some constitutional weakness,, 

 such as anemia, obesity, etc. In addition to the general improve- 

 ment of nutrition, iron often serves well, especially if the cause is 

 anemia. Emmenagogues are rarely needed in veterinary practice 

 because failure to come in heat in animals is usually due to some 

 lesion in the genital tract, which cannot be overcome by the adminis- 

 tration of medicine. 



Ecbolics or Occytoxies. With few exceptions, the greatest im- 

 portance of this group of drugs to veterinary medicine, is that they 

 tend to cause abortion and should therefore be used cautiously in 

 pregnant animals. 



The ecbolics or occytoxies may produce their effect by direct 



action on the muscles of the uterus (ergot group), or indirectly by 



action upon a center supposed to be located in the spinal cord. This 



however is purely theoretical. The chief ecbolics are 



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