110 KENNEL DISEASES. 
From this it will appear that it is but rarely, if ever, necessary in diarrhcea 
to administer medicines for the purpose of directly affecting the liver. More- 
over, the giving of such must be very largely experimental, for even physicians 
can seldom determine with near certainty the state of that organ. Furthermore, 
the various conditions would require distinct forms of treatment, and drugs that 
stimulate the liver and cause an increase in the secretion of bile would certainly 
do harm were they given in obstruction of the gall-duct, during which there is 
present more bile than can be properly disposed of. 
The drift of this discussion is towards calomel and other mercurial prepara- 
tions, the use of which some writers of influence appear much too ready to 
advise in diarrhcea, they evidently assuming that the cause of the same can 
often be rightly attributed to the liver. This is unfortunate for various reasons. 
First, as stated, when used it must generally be indiscriminately —a method that 
is never safe with drugs. Again, that they act on the liver in any instance, as 
so generally supposed, is by no means certain. The chances are, however, that 
they do have a slight stimulant effect upon that organ in some impairments, 
although they act largely like other cathartics. But while mercurials may, and 
probably do, have some stimulant effect upon the liver of man, it is highly 
doubtful if the same be true of dogs; for seldom can any of the constituents of 
bile be found in the intestinal discharges produced by even large doses of calo- 
mel. Still again, these animals are decidedly more susceptible to the action of 
mercurials than man; and while the latter is often unpleasantly affected by them, 
such experiences are far more frequent with the former, the fact being obvious 
that with calomel there is considerable absorption ; also, that a portion of it is 
changed to the mercuric chloride, for evidence of its poisonous properties have 
been detected. 
Considering all this, only one conclusion is possible, namely, that calomel is 
neither safe nor essential in popular practice in diarrhcea. Nor is it a proper 
agent to use where the intestinal discharges are clayey yet not watery, for then, 
the gall-duct being obstructed, it can be no more efficient than any other cathar- 
tic; moreover, considering its nature, it might irritate the lining membrane of 
that part of the intestine into which this duct opens, and so favor a continuance 
of the obstruction. 
Such obstruction is very generally due to an inflammation of the lining of the 
gall-duct, which is quite sure to disappear if left to itself; and the only treat- 
ment indicated is to keep the intestine as free as possible of irritating matter ; 
and for that purpose there is nothing better than magnesia, in fairly small doses 
and repeated as often as necessary to keep the bowels moving two or three times 
daily. 
Returning to the treatment of the various forms of diarrhea, if there is 
vomiting, a cathartic will not likely be retained; therefore the work of freeing 
the bowels must, at least for the time being, be left to them, and efforts be made 
