8 
A VARIETY OF THE EPIDEMIC OF 1836. 
I immediately opened the jugular vein, and let the blood (low 
until the strong action of the heart ceased, and the people about 
me thought she was dying. 1 then inserted a seton in each side 
of her neck, from the poll down to the parotid glands ; dressed 
the setons with unguent lyttae, and rubbed all the top of the 
head and neck with the same. I gave her potass, nit. ^iiii, 
supertart, potass. 5iiii, antim. tart. 3iss, sodae carb. 3iiii, Glaub. 
salts Jviii, ol. castor ^vi, with prussic acid three drops: this to 
be given three times a-day in gruel ; also six quarts of gruel to 
be horned down three or four times a-day. After taking five 
doses she began to purge much black and very offensive matter; 
on the third day she began to eat a little hay and mashes, and 
from this time she recovered. Her owner kept her three years 
after, during which time she continued healthy : she was at 
last sold to the butcher, after being fattened. 
I attended four other cows directly after this, in the same 
neighbourhood : they had the same symptoms as those I have 
just described, all of whom by similar treatment recovered. 
I am disposed to think that prussic acid has a considerable 
effect in cases of strong spasmodic action of the heart, as I in- 
tend further to shew at some future time, by cases in which I 
have put it to a fair trial, both in the horse and cattle. 
To see remarks on this case by you or some of your readers 
will much gratify me ; as no doubt some of them will be able to 
give similar cases which have occurred in their practice, and 
which will add much to the general interest of the subject. 
[If Mr. Hales will favour our readers with the cases to which 
he alludes, the subject will be still more before us, and some 
one will be induced to carry it on. They are very interesting 
cases which Mr. Hales now describes.] 
A VARIETY OF THE EPIDEMIC OF 1836. 
j By Mr. Harrison, of Lancaster. 
It is, perhaps, scarcely necessary for me to premise, that an 
epidemical disease, or influenza (but whether of a contagious 
nature or not, I do not pretend to determine ; although from 
some instances which I have known, the attacks have been ap- 
parently owing to it) has existed in, and never for the last four 
years disappeared from, this neighbourhood. All ages, from a 
