666 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



surface of the body, remain untouched. The toxic property of 

 mercurial ointment has been recognized in all countries ; this sub- 

 stance is very dangerous, even for the lambs of the animals which 

 are under treatment ; we must abandon its use and replace it by 

 less noxious preparations. The several compositions which we 

 will discuss have been advised for the bath. 



1. Walz^s lye, the oldest anti-psoric bath, has been extolled by 

 the author, who discovered the psoroptes. It has the following 

 formula : quicklime 4 parts, potash 5 (this may be replaced by 

 60 parts of wood ashes), fetid animal oil 6, tar 3, ox urine 200, 

 water 800. Walz's lye is the least expensive of all anti-psoric 

 solutions, but the majority of practitioners consider it as insuffi- 

 cient ; old and serious cases of mange resist its influence ; it has 

 also the disadvantage of coloring the wool brown. It ought only 

 to be used as a preparatory measure for more efficient anti-psoric 

 baths. 



2. Gerlach^s treatment. This consists of a preparatory bath 

 composed as follows: potash 2 parts, quicklime 1, water 50, in a 

 so-called anti-psoric bath. This is a decoction of tobacco at 3 per 

 cent. ; it would be more advisable to use a decoction of 5 per cent. 

 (Roloff). It is generally found to be very efficient, especially since 

 the modification added by Roloffi This treatment has the incon- 

 venience of being somewhat complex, and the preparatory bath 

 affects the hands. 



3. ZundeFs bath is composed as follows : commercial carbolic 

 acid, 1 J kilos ; quicklime, 1 kilo ; soda and green soap, of each 

 3 kilos ; water, 260 litres (per 100 sheep). Its cost price is not 

 high (about 50 cents). Kayser and Ostertag have modified it to 

 advantage by replacing common water with a 2 per cent, decoction 

 of tobacco (tobacco, 5 kilos; water, 250 litres) ; its price is thus 

 trebled, but its elFects are considerably increased ; it represents, so 

 to speak, a combination of Gerlach and ZundeFs baths. In order 

 to simplify this preparation, Kayser has used nicotina (tobacco 

 lye).' 



4. In Prussia and Bavaria the Government has recommended a 

 similar composition. We begin by boiling 7J kilos of tobacco in 

 250 litres of water for half an hour ; to the warm liquid we add 



1 Nicotina contains about 4 per cent, of nicotine; the sheep are dipped for about 

 three minutes in a solution of this substance, then they are rubbed with brushes. — 



