140 COLICS AND THEIR TREATMENT 



that is doing pretty well for most treatments kill them 

 before that time. Anodynes are not usually necessary, 

 but where pain is severe, two grains of morphin may 

 be given hypodermically. Chloral or cannabis is not 

 objectionable. I doubt if the constipating effect some- 

 times attributed by these drugs, really does any harm. 

 The greatest disadvantage in their administration is 

 that they mask the symptoms. As to eserin, arecolin, 

 and barium chlorid, I will say that after conscientious 

 trial and after watching the other four veterinarians 

 with whom I am associated use them, I feel that no 

 matter what the dose, they are contraindicated in the 

 first twelve or possibly twenty hours. Their only 

 effect is to increase the pain and flatulence, and hasten 

 death. 



Occasionally after heroic doses of these drugs have 

 been given, the autopsy reveals a second or even a 

 third ring of strangulated bowel, showing that the 

 mass was moved a few inches, but seldom indeed have 

 I seen the obstruction removed entirely. The question 

 here arises, as it always does in therapeutics, could 

 these cases have been saved by any other treatment? 

 I believe that some of them could. 



After the mass has been loosened by other agents 

 these will nearly always expel it, but even then I do 

 not think they are necessary. They do hasten a favor- 

 able termination, but the softening and loosening of 

 the mass is the important thing and when this is 

 accomplished with oil or salts or even manual pressure 

 through the walls of the rectum the obstruction will 

 be expelled without further interference. This will 



