MEDICINAL TREATMENT 175 
and used at the outset they thus mitigate distemper and 
other febrile attacks, and sometimes arrest epileptic 
seizures.” Nevertheless, they also produce nausea and 
depression, and it is doubtful whether they are not 
on that account even more harmful than beneficial, and 
personally I never employ them in cases of distemper. 
(2) If diarrhoea is not already in evidence, he may 
administer calomel in doses of gr. } to grs. ii. once or 
twice daily until a laxative effect is produced. Fried- 
berger and Frohner carried out some experiments on 
cases in which the digestive tract was the starting-point 
of the infection, and they stated that good results were 
obtained from giving gr. # two or three times a day, 
pointing out its disinfectant action on the mucous mem- 
branes of the stomach and intestine, and the probability 
of thereby preventing complications. There is no doubt 
that the emptying of the stomach and bowels has a 
salutary effect, and if constipation is present, a laxative 
seems essential. 
We must, however, always bear in mind the import- 
ance of refraining from reducing the strength and con- 
dition of the animal, since we may later be hard pressed 
to sustain either. Probably our object would be achieved 
just as satisfactorily if a warm soapy enema were given 
instead of purgatives, or a glycerine suppository tried. 
Fever.—(3) If no other symptom than dullness and 
slight elevation of temperature are observed, he may 
employ febrifuges, such as quinine sulph., aspirin, 
sodium salicylate, antipyrine, spt. ether. nit., etc. In 
prescribing guinine one must not lose sight of the fact 
that large doses sometimes cause nausea and vomiting, 
also weaken cardiac action and reduce blood pressure, 
whereas small doses are stimulating ; let the dose there- 
fore not exceed gr. } to grs. iii. according to the size of 
the dog. Aspirin may be administered in powder form 
