A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS. 
Symptoms. — The temples become hot, tender, painful and much 
swollen and an abscess may form. 
Treatment. — At first a smart purge and hot fomentations ; later, 
if matter forms, it should be evacuated by incision. The skin below- 
must be smeared with oil or vaseline to prevent the discharges 
irritating the skin and making it sore. 
Should there be a fistula with careful treatment and persever- 
ance the cavity will heal up in due course. The best way to treat 
these cases is to procure rubber tubing fairly stiff, of sufficient 
size and length to pass down the wound and thus permit of free 
irrigation with a disinfecting astringent lotion. These should be 
freely applied at least three or four times a day and the outward 
opening of the sinus not allowed to close up too soon. The injec- 
tions should be made lukewarm. Elephants as a rule do not object 
to this treatment as it seems to afford them great relief. Phenyle 
lotion, carbolic lotion, corrosive sublimate lotion may be used and 
later sulphate of zinc lotion. 
