SODIUM CHLORIDE — SALT 353 



herbivorous animals will always seek for it. This accounts for 

 the numerous salt Hcks of history. Vegetable food not only does not 

 contain salt but robs the body of it in the following manner : The 

 potassium phosphate present in large amounts in vegetable food, 

 reacts in the blood with NaCl to form KCl and Sodium phosphate. 

 Both are rapidly excreted and consequently the salt is lost. This loss 

 could not take place without chemical action because the body holds 

 tenaciously to salt when only the normal amounts are present. 



Internally salt may cause gastroenteritis and death if enormous 

 doses are used. The irritation is well marked in the mouth, esoph- 

 agus, and stomach, so that emesis takes place in vomiting animals. 

 Barlow states that in China, the drinking of a pint or more of a 

 saturated solution in water, is a common method of suicide. The 

 irritant action is due to the withdrawal of water from the tissues. It 

 may serve as a mild cathartic for ruminants but is usually combined 

 with epsom or Glauber's salts for this purpose. Its purgative action 

 may be due in a way at least to the great thirst it creates, so that the 

 animal consumes large quantities of water, which flushes out the 

 system generally. The action of salt is due entirely to mechanical 

 means or to osmosis and is common to all the salts of the alkalies. 

 Small doses may aid digestion. 



Uses. Externally — Solutions of salt, ammonium chloride and 

 saltpeter, one ounce of each to the quart of water may serve as a 

 refrigerant but is not to be preferred to applications of cold water or 

 ice. 



Internally — Solutions of salt in the strength of phj'siological 

 salt solution 0.85 per cent, used intravenously are very effective in 

 shock which is due to loss of large quantities of blood or to aid in 

 maintaining blood pressure in shock during or following operations. 

 Physiological salt solution may be of great benefit when injected sub- 

 cutaneously (hypodermoclysis) or per rectum (proctoclysis). Tap 

 water is to be preferred to distilled water in making physiological 

 salt solution, on account of its calcium salts, which seem to have a 

 beneficial action and are normally present in the blood. 



2. Antidote to poisoning by silver nitrate. Salt precipitates the 

 silver in the form of the insoluble chloride. 



3. Emetic for dogs. One or two drams of salt to the cup of 

 tepid water, either administered alone or combined with two ounces 

 of mustard may serve as an emetic in cases of emergency. 



4. Salt may advantageously be added to the usual saline purge 

 for ruminants, because it induces the consumption of large quantities 

 of water, which in itself assists in the action of salines. 



5. Enema for oxyures or pin worms. It should be made into a 

 solution in the proportion of one-half to one ounce of salt in a pint 

 of water and injected into the previously emptied rectum. 



