654 ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE. 
phoretic agents; the vegetable bitters, emetic tartar, and the 
sulphate of iron, will increase the effects of aloes as a purgative. 
Croton, in like manner, may be advantageously added to other 
purgatives, whether they be employed for the horse or cattle, 
thus lessening very considerably the bulk of the latter : more- 
over, it has this advantage, — its purgative action is not lessened 
by unition with soap or the alkalies. This is not the case with 
aloes, as these substances both lessen and change its activity; 
for it ceases to act on the larger intestines specifically. And to 
this must be added the well-ascertained fact, that therapeutics 
of the same class do not produce their effects in precisely the 
same way. Take our more generally employed agents — ca- 
thartics — as illustrative of this. Aloes causes action by operating 
on the lower bowels principally ; croton and saline purgatives 
through their influence on the mucous surface of the intestines 
generally ; the one by irritating it, and the other by the with- 
drawal of a watery secretion from it ; and calomel operates 
through the medium of the liver. 
With reference to vegetable bitters increasing the action of 
aloes, he had received a communication from Mr. Hurford, Y.S., 
15th Hussars, stating that he had found the combination of the 
gentian root in powder most effectual for this purpose. The 
plan adopted by him was to withhold a portion of the aloes and 
substitute for it gentian. “The evacuations were plentiful, 
nor were the animals put off their feed in the least,” he adds. 
These statements may not be undeserving our notice, and the 
experiments are surely worthy of repetition. The number of 
instances in which the plan had been eminently successful, as 
given by Mr. Hurford, was eight ; and the largest amount of 
aloes administered by him was two drachms and-a-half, com- 
bined with the same quantity of gentian. In two other cases 
but little effect was visible. 
Having thus shewn the advantages derivable from an appli- 
cation of chemistry to veterinary medicine, and offered some 
further advice to the student as to the manner in which he should 
pursue his studies, Mr. Morton, in conclusion, stated his object 
to have been to excite in the minds of those beginning their 
studies a desire for the acquirement of principles, by shewing 
how science comes to our aid, and removes the seeming diffi- 
culties that present themselves, and how each division assists 
the other. And he urged upon them diligence in the use of the 
means now afforded them, by which they would become not only 
well acquainted with their profession, and advance its interests, 
but also useful members of society at large, and esteemed by 
their fellow-men. The present was the most momentous period 
of their lives, and, depending on their employment of it, so 
