338 INORGANIC AGENTS 



and relieves itching. It is a powerful depressant to the cerebrum^ vaso- 

 motor and respiratory centres^ inferior cornuaj heart muscle and its 

 ganglia. 



Acute Poisoning. — Large doses produce insensibility, coma, and com- 

 plete loss of muscular power, so that the animal falls. There is general 

 anesthesia, and the pupils dilate. The pulse is weak, at first frequent, 

 later infrequent and irregular. The respiration may be primarily quick- 

 ened, but subsequently becomes slow, shallow and irregular. The animal 

 sweats, sways, gapes and trembles and sometimes falls to the ground, 

 the sphincters are relaxed and involuntary defecation occurs, but recov- 

 ery commonly follows. With doses greater than 4 ounces, horses die in a 

 generally anesthetic and paralyzed state. In man, death has followed the 

 ingestion of 10 grains of chloral, and several fatalities have occurred 

 after doses of 20 or 25 grains, although these are exceptional cases. The 

 fatal dose for dogs is said to be from 2 to 6 drams. 



Treatment. — Emetics and the stomach tube, shouting at and beating 

 the animal, external heat. Five times the ordinary dose of strychnine, 

 and a full dose of atropine subcutaneously. Strong, hot coffee by the 

 rectum. 



Administration. — Chloral has been given intravenously, subcutane- 

 ously, and intratracheally, as well as by mouth and rectum. The common 

 way of administering it is in solution per os or rectum. It may cause 

 abscess if injected under the skin, or thrombi when thrown into a vein. 

 Experiments of Dr. Muir* appear to show that chloral may be safely 

 given intrajugularly ; one ounce dissolved in two ounces of sterile water 

 and repeated once in an hour if desirable. If given in ball, the chloral 

 may prove too irritating in the digestive tract. If a capsule or ball be 

 broken in the mouth the most profuse salivation and inflammation may be 

 produced, as noted above. Chloral should be diluted at least 10 times, 

 and is given by the mouth with glycerin and water, or weak syrup, or 

 with boiled starch solution by the rectum. 



Uses External. — Chloral may be employed as a stimulant, antiseptic, 

 and slight local anesthetic, in solution (1 to 4), upon ulcers and wounds. 

 It may be used with an equal part of camphor diluted with 8 parts of 

 ointment, to relieve itching. A 4 to 8 per cent, aqueous solution forms 

 an excellent antiseptic preservative for anatomical specimens, and chlora] 

 may be added to urine for this purpose. 



Uses Internal. — Chloral is used for five purposes in veterinary 

 practice : 



1. First and foremost, to relieve spasm. 



2. To assuage pain. 



3. To procure sleep. 



4. General anesthetic. 



5. Intestinal antiseptic in tympanites in the horse. 



In human medicine chloral is mainly employed as an hypnotic, but a 



*Jour. Compar. Med. and Vet. Archives, April, May, 1900. 



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