184 OPERATION OF ALOES ON THE HORSE. 
experiments that the Mocha or Bombay extract purged more 
readily than the Cape, and he tells us that, 66 nearly all that 
has been sold by druggists of late years in their shops, under 
the name of socotrine aloes, is a fine kind of Mocha .’ 5 I 
remember that it was through Mr. Morton my first samples 
of socotrine were obtained, and have no doubt they w ere 
genuine, but my experiments were not carried out long 
enough to adopt the proper doses of the drug. 
There are therefore three extracts, Barbadoes, Cape, and 
socotrine, holding their respective positions as first, second, 
and third, for activity. I have witnessed the w 7 orst effects from 
the administration of drastic purgatives by trainers and grooms. 
Horses so abused at the commencement of training have 
been deprived of all chance in a race. The effects of a drastic 
purge may be such as to disconcert a horse for a w 7 eek or 
more, and by imprudent work, fifteen or twenty days may 
elapse before he recovers his tone. I must say I have 
observed this alone to occur with purging masses containing 
Barbadoes ; a fact that has caused me tenaciously to hold on 
to the Cape. Whereas the Cape aloes w T ere formerly recom- 
mended at the Veterinary College, practitioners did not speak 
favorably of them, and it w r as said the professor used them 
because less costly, hence arose a mistaken prejudice. Cole- 
man himself did not, it is true, base his preference on any 
peculiarity in their action, but said, (e Cape aloes being the 
cheapest, are least likely to be adulterated — a cogent idea, 
with which I agree so far as it w 7 ent, though at the time 
could not see it so ; but I prefer the Cape aloes, not because 
they are cheaper than Barbadoes, but because equally certain 
in operation, and derange the system less. I cannot suffi- 
ciently eulogize the late lamented Mr. Percivall’s chapter 
on the 6 Effects of Aloes,’ in his published reports on the 
effects of medicines. Tt evinces an impartial spirit of inves- 
tigation ; he says, of the above-mentioned extracts, that in 
their efficacy the only difference he could detect is, i£ that the 
Barbadoes is, about in the proportion of a drachm to the 
ounce, stronger than the Cape . 55 “ I can, therefore, only 
repeat , 55 says Mr. Percivall, “ that w^ould practitioners make 
allowances for the form in wffiich aloes is given, and the cir- 
cumstances under which it is given, and at the same time pay 
attention to the quality of their drugs, much, most, or all, 
indeed, of such conflicting testimony, w 7 ould fall to the 
ground. 
The practical deduction I have arrived at, however, is, that 
adhering to the one or to the other of the aloetic extracts is 
perhaps not so wise as using the kind most applicable in a 
