292 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
I have known whitening administered for the distemper, 
a table spoonful every morning, with a little opening phy- 
sic, occasionally. 
I have uniformly found a complete cure effected from 
copious and repeated venesection in the early stage of the 
distemper, accompanied with a little opening medicine, 
syrup of buckthorn, for instance. In the kennel of Sir 
Harry Mainwaring, the distemper generally swept away 
a third of the young dogs at least. My system of treating 
the distemper has since been adopted with the most benefi- 
cial effect. 
The following scientific description of the distemper and 
its mode of treatment, cannot fail to be highly interesting: 
“ A little black spaniel, six months old, very fat and 
playful, gradually became listless and irritable; his eyes 
suffused with water, his drooping ears, tenesmus, rough 
coat, dyspuoea, and frequent cough, announced that the 
disease called the distemper was at hand. In this state he 
ran about for several days, when the difficulty of breathing 
increased. His flanks beat violently, and he showed signs 
of feeling great pain when his sides were pressed upon. 
Soon after, he became slightly convulsed, and, by his con- 
tinual and melancholy cry, both day and night, proved 
that he was suffering from severe bodily pain. The con- 
vulsions increased, and became incessant; his debility and 
emaciation were daily more apparent; and at the expiration 
of three weeks he died. 
“It must be evident that the distemper is an inflamma- 
tory disorder, more particularly affecting the mucous coats 
of the bronchial tubes, and that the great congestions of 
blood found in the heart and other vital organs must arise 
from the obstruction it meets with in its passage through 
the lungs. The particular time at which the disorganiza- 
tion commences, must depend on the violence of the symp- 
toms; and it does appear that the disease can be divided 
into three natural stages: — 
“ 1st. The stage of fever and general excitement. 
“2d. ,,The deposition of coagulable lymph into the sub- 
stance of the lungs; and 
“3d. The effusion of matter into the bronchial tubes. 
“In drawing this view of the complaint, the liver is not 
to be overlooked; and it would seem as if this organ was, 
by a general irritability of the system, excited to a state of 
unusual activity, and that thus, by the presence of an in- 
creased and vitiated state of the bile, the stomach and 
bowels were brought into a disordered condition, and their 
villous coats inflamed. 
“Upon the epidemic, contagious, or other causes predis- 
posing to the distemper, it is not now my intention to offer 
any remarks; but I shall proceed to the treatment which 
appearances after death would indicate. 
“ It is unnecessary for me to add, that I have no expe- 
rience of its efficacy, nor do I pretend to say that it will 
be successful. Indeed the objecUof this paper is rather to 
induce those who may have daily opportunities of becom- 
ing acquainted with the complaint, by observing its causes, 
symptoms, and progress, to form an idea of its nature; and 
lastly, by the operation of remedies and frequent dissec- 
tions, to arrive at some certain conclusions. 
“ Treatment . — At the commencement of the symptoms, 
or during the first stage of excitement, the Dog should be 
bled freely, according to his age and strength. After which 
an emetic of tartarized antimony or ipecacuanha should be 
administered, and its, operation promoted by mild bland 
fluids; moderate doses of calomel, opium, and antimony, 
should be given every three or four hours, and the excess 
of bile removed by occasional doses of castor oil. The 
Dog should be immersed for twenty minutes in a warm 
bath, rubbed dry, and placed in clean warm straw; the 
temperature of his apartment should be moderately warm, 
taking great care to exclude the cold air, which must neces- 
sarily irritate the lungs. Having - continued this plan for 
forty-eight hours, a mixture, consisting of nitre, fox-glove, 
and ipecacuanha, should be given three or four times a day 
until the urgent symptoms have subsided. Stimulants 
should never be given but when the animal appears much 
exhausted, and after the preceding measures have been 
adopted: a little white wine might then be put into the 
gruel, which should constitute his food for the primary 
attack. When recovering, a little more than bread and' 
milk or nourishing broths will be necessary. 
“It occasionally happens that the irritability of the 
stomach is such that no medicines can be retained. Injec- 
tions in these cases have been attended with beneficial 
effects; and therefore a solution of starch with laudanum 
should be thrown up several times in the course of twenty- 
four hours: a blister also should be applied to the region of 
the stomach. 
“With regard to the treatment of the second and third 
stages, when the first has been violent and neglected, very 
little can be expected from medicine. Bleeding will be 
highly injurious; and calomel, opium, and antimony, com- 
bined with expectorants, would most probably offer the 
greatest prospect of success. Strength should be carefully 
supported by a nutritious diet, but all strong cordials ought 
to be avoided. 
“Although it is likely the fever accompanying the dis- 
temper has a peculiar character, I am decidedly of opinion 
that there is no specific remedy against this complaint: and 
it is better to point out the indications of cure, than to enu- 
merate a long list of medicines with their respective doses, 
