144 DISEASES INCIDENTAL TO ANIMALS IN AMERICA. 
that he had seen several very bad cases cured at the College in 
Berlin, and that he should like to try the effect of the medicine 
there used, could it be got, namely, foetid animal oil , Dippel’s 
oil of the American Pharmacopoeia.* We gave him one ounce 
in four doses every twelve hours. The first ball was with very 
great difficulty given, as the jaws were not more than an inch 
apart. The second was more easily administered, and the 
third still more so, while the fourth was given without any 
difficulty whatever. A little diuretic medicine was after- 
wards exhibited, with plenty of bran mash, and in ten days 
the animal went to grass and got into prime condition. This 
is the only case of tetanus I have ever seen cured. The 
disease is very common here, and runs its course in from ten 
to forty hours. 
I am now trying the corm of colcliicum in ophthalmia, 
which is a terrible disease in this climate. It seems likely to 
prove beneficial in four cases now r under treatment. Our 
worst diseases are pneumonia, pleurisy, colic, enteritis, 
founder, tetanus, shoulder lameness, and spavin. I have only 
seen one case of ringbone in twenty years. Big head and 
big jaw are diseases not known in England. Fistulous sores 
are very common. And to this list of maladies I have now to 
add influenza and anthrax fever. These latter, being new 
diseases in this country, have carried off a great many horses 
and cattle this last summer. I find the Tinct, Calendula 
officinalis , made in the proportion of half a pound of the 
flowers to one gallon of alcohol, the best application for 
wounds that I have ever used. It coagulates the blood in 
deep wounds, and is superior to collodion for superficial 
wounds. I have to give larger doses of medicinal agents, and 
to exhibit them more frequently than you do in England, 
particularly in inflammatory diseases. 
I am, yours truly. 
* Dippel’s oil is procured by the destructive distillation of albuminous 
and gelatinous substances of animals. Ammonia is its leading constituent. 
It is an empyreumatic oil, passing over of a pale yellow colour, and gra- 
dually becomes darker and thicker. Redistilled with water it is nearly 
colourless, of a penetrating odour, and acquires a brown tint by exposure 
to air. It is alkaline, soluble in alcohol, inflamed by nitric acid, but if 
this be diluted it becomes resinous ; soluble in hydrochloric acid, and pre- 
cipitated by sulphuric ; also by the alkalies in an altered and apparently 
resinous state. 
It was examined by Unverdorden, who found in it no less than four 
distinct substances, which he considered salifiable bases. 1, Odorin. 
2, Animin. 3, Olanin. 4, Ammolin. Unverdorden also describes another 
salifiable base, which he obtained from animal empyreumatic oil, termed 
Krystallin. Some of these so-called educts have been supposed to be pro- 
ducts resulting from the processes to which the oil is submitted for their 
separation. — Editors. 
