A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS. 
neck indicating the seat of the impaction. There is great distress 
and the condition is accompanied by hiccough. It may occur at 
any season of the year. 
Prognosis. — Unfavourable unless relief is promptly afforded; 
death ensues in from three to four days. For some hours previous 
to death the surface of the body is extremely cold. 
Treatment. — All solid food should be withheld until the animal 
is well over the attack, after which small quantities may be given 
sparingly care being taken to watch for any symptoms of difficulty 
in swallowing ; plenty of well-boiled rice or gruel may be given 
after the acute symptoms have subsided. 
To try and allay the vomiting, the following may prove bene- 
ficial : — 
Subnitrate of bismuth ... ... 4 drs. 
Bicarbonate of soda ... ... 4 drs. 
Mix with honey ; a little should be rubbed into the mouth 
every half hour. 
Extract of belladonna 2 drachms rubbed down in glycerine and 
mixed with a few ounces of treacle may be given in a similar 
manner. 
If the animal can drink, half an ounce of bicarbonate of soda may 
be added to a bucket of water and repeated in a few hours. 
Should an obstruction be observed in the neck, the hands must be 
well oiled and the swelling gently massaged or manipulated from 
above downwards in the hope of facilitating its onward progress. 
When the animal is better, enemas may be employed to relieve the 
bowels and several days' rest allowed. 
On post-mortem examination the gullet is usually found in a 
state of mortification in the region of the impaction in some cases 
it was found impacted throughout its extent and in two cases 
the other organs of the body were in a healthy condition {see 
Appendix G). 
Poisoning. 
As is well known, Kachins, Karens and other hill tribes are in 
the habit of using the bark of certain creepers, chiefly hon (oc^ls, 
Coculus indicus), Gon-nyin (qJg^Ss, Entada scandens) and Mahaga 
(ooDDOODg) for stupefying fishes. It has been suggested on more 
than one occasion that elephants drinking water from pools where 
fishing operations have been carried on may be poisoned. This 
I consider is highly improbable, as from, what I have seen the 
majority of fishes are merely stupefied and come to the surface where 
