56 
ON SCROFULA IN OXKN AND PIGS. 
By these external applications the scrofulous tumours usually 
diminish to a certain point, but they are never entirely got rid of. 
It has been observed, on the contrary, that, a short time afterwards, 
they return to their former state of tumefaction. Before, however, 
it comes to this, the owner may sell the animal to the butcher. 
There are some persons who will have every means practised 
which it is in the power of art to adopt, in order to get rid of these 
scrofulous enlargements. In these cases the grand thing to be 
attended to is to feed the patient on vegetables, such as carrots, 
beet-root, chicory, or any other convenient food, and to make the 
animal drink of ferruginous mineral waters, or waters charged 
with absorbent earth when they happen to be near a spring of this 
nature, and, in default of them, chalybeated water. 
Our neighbours also deem it advantageous to make some tonic 
bitters, and particularly gentian root, with quinquina and iron, in 
order to augment and support the strength of the patient. 
Care must be taken not to confound with, and mistake for scro- 
fula, that hard and indolent swelling of the thyroid glands vulgarly 
called the goitre, a disorder which is occasionally seen in oxen 
and horses, and very commonly met with in pigs and dogs. 
In the treatment of scrofula empirics make use of ointments of 
marsh-mallows, laurel, the oil of earth-worms, or the potential 
caustics, but principally arsenic, under the form of a trocar, which 
they introduce into the centre of the tumour after having opened 
it with a hot iron. The tumour is seldom destroyed by these 
means, but usually assumes the aspect of a very bad and, fre- 
quently, cancerous ulcer, which compels the owner to sell the 
animal to the butcher. 
I have thought that, in spite of some obsolete notions, many of the 
theories that are contained in this article on the treatment of scro- 
fula are worthy of being more extensively known, as the author 
speaks of this affection from his own experience. It was that which 
determined me to record the preceding translation. 
Such is the language, and such the practice, of many of ou£ 
continental neighbours. 
Y. 
