PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF VE KATRINE ON ANIMALS. 225 
veterinary medicine for horses in abdominal vertigo, and 
various neuroses. For dogs it would be useful in acute 
articular rheumatism, chorea, tetanus, neuralgia; the obsti- 
nate constipation, and nasal catarrh of young dogs. Vera- 
trine might be used as a sternutatory in the vinegar adminis- 
tered to cattle suffering from pneumonia and pleuro-pneu- 
rnonia. 
So energetic and dangerous an agent as veratrine should 
never be used without precaution. It is highly requisite that 
the exact medical and poisonous dose should be ascertained 
and described both for men and animals. In this respect our 
investigations have led us to the following results. 
For dogs the poisonous dose is from 15 to 20 centi- 
grammes, according to size, and the medicinal dose is from 
5 to 8 centigrammes ; for horses the poisonous dose is about 
3 grammes, and the medicinal dose from 50 centigrammes to 
1 gramme. According to ordinary proportions, the poisonous 
dose for man would be from 75 to 80 centigrammes, and the 
medicinal dose might be from 20 to 25 centigrammes. 
We suppose in all these cases that veratrine has been ad- 
ministered by the mouth. By causing this agent to pene- 
trate by the rectum, injecting it into the veins, and depositing 
it under the skin, we have obtained the following results : 
A. Injection into the Intestine through the Rectum . — In dogs, 
in the dose of 15 centigrammes, very violent purging; in 
horses, 1 gramme produces an effect of the same nature, but 
less rapid and not so violent. 
B. Injection into the Veins . — In dogs, 6 centigrammes pro- 
duce colic and slight purging. In horses, 50 centigrammes 
only produced slight colic. A trifling diminution of the 
pulse in both cases. 
C. Veratrine deposited under the skin . — In dogs, 25 centi- 
grammes produced tetanus and death. In horses, a marked 
action on the intestine, and sensible diminution of the pulse. 
The quantity introduced was 1 gramme. 
For animals the medicament is preferable dissolved in ether, 
or in the form of an electuary. — Comptes rend, us, No. 52, Dec., 
1854. — The Chemist . 
XXVIII. 
29 
