258 THE DISEASES OF THE DOG, 



CHAPTER XII.— POISONING. 



Although this subject constitutes a special branch of 

 science known as toxicology, to works on which the canine 

 pathologist must refer for information as to the effects of 

 excessive doses of medicinal agents and for the phenomena 

 associated with the ingestion of poisons as detectable ante- 

 and post-mortem, there are several practical aspects of 

 poisoning which must be noted here. It must also be 

 remarked that as dogs have been the animals most readily 

 available for experiments of a physiological, therapeutic, 

 and toxicological nature, so there remains scattered through 

 the works of Christison, Orfila, Majendie, and many more 

 recent scientists, an enormous amount of information 

 which, when carefully digested, will be of great value to 

 the canine pathologist, but which, it must be confessed, 

 would have been even more valuable if the experimen- 

 talists had obtained a sounder acquaintance with the 

 phenomena of natural disease in the dog. Some very 

 remarkable facts have been ascertained about the action 

 of remedial agents on dogs. Thus Orfila has remarked 

 that whereas opium injected as enema or intravenously is 

 narcotic, it is not so on gastric ingestion. Henbane has 

 been noticed as specially powerful in its action on dogs. 

 Carbolic Acid is of especial importance in its toxic action 

 on carnivora, which renders it a dangerous application in 

 canine practice. When used extensively over the skin, 

 or to wounds, or when taken internally, either by licking 

 or as administered medicinally, it produces immediate 

 depression, weakening of the heart, convulsions, and 

 speedy death, the blood being found tarry in consistency 

 and colour ; the carcase has a tendency to mummify 



