3 76 SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION OF MORFHIA. 
by this method than when given by the stomach, in which 
organ they may become contaminated or decomposed. 
“ 7. A given amount of medicine employed hypodermically 
has greater effect upon the system than the same amount 
administered by the stomach. 
“ 8. Medicines are more rapidly absorbed into the system 
when thus administered than by the stomach. The de&ired 
effect is, therefore, more quickly gained. 
“9. A given amount of medicine employed hypodermi- 
cally has a greater and more rapid distant effect than when 
employed endermically, enepidermically, or retraleptically. 
“ 10. That the medicines for which this mode of introduction 
is especially applicable are the various narcotics and sedatives, 
hypnotics, and nerve tonics. 
“11. That this plan of treatment is more especially indicated 
for the relief of affections of the nervous system : 
“ lstly. Where the immediate and decided effect of the 
medicine is required. 
“2ndly. Where medicines administered by the usual 
methods fail to do good. 
“ 3rdly. Where the effect of a medicine is required, and 
the patient refuses to swallow. 
“ 4thly. Where from irritability of the stomach or other 
cause (such as idiosyncrasy, &c.) the patient cannot take the 
medicine by the stomach. 
“ 12. That to produce a general effect, it does not signify 
whether the remedy be injected into the cellular tissue of 
the body or of an extremity. 
“ 13. That to relieve or cure a local neuralgic affection, 
there is no necessity to localise the injection. 
“ 14. That whether the object be to treat a local or general 
affection, it seems advisable each time to change the site for 
injection, should it be more than once required. 
“ 15. That this mode of introducing medicines is the most 
accurate one we possess for testing their true action upon 
the system generally. 
“16. That antidotes to certain poisons can by this mode 
be rapidly introduced into the system.” 
I have used the hypodermic method in perverted functions 
of the spinal and sympathetic nerves, affections of the vascu- 
lar system and in blood disease. Colic is the most frequent 
disease from perverted functions of the spinal cord in the 
horse, though we have frequently to treat tetanus, partial 
paralysis, epilepsy, and rheumatism. In diminishing vascular 
action and inflammation, such as in peritonitis, pleurisy, 
pericarditis, enteritis, ophthalmia, &c., I have found the 
