70 
EXPERIMENTS ON NITRE. 
The small intestines were slightly flushed, from about mid- 
way of the jejunum to their termination. 
The large intestines were healthy, with the exception of slight 
inflammation of the mucous coat at the curve of the colon 
The liver was unusually small, but healthy. 
The kidnies and ureters were healthy. 
The neck of the bladder was streaked with inflammation, and 
its mucous coat thickened, though this might probably arise 
from age ; otherwise it was healthy. 
The heart was healthy. 
The lungs were slightly congested with blood. 
Thinking that the inflammation of the stomach was principally 
an old affection roused by the action of the nitre, I determined 
on trying its effects upon an ass. 
Experiment II. 
December ls£, 2d, and 3d . — Gave to an ass, every day, two 
doses of nitre, of an ounce each, in a bran mash, morning and 
afternoon. Pulse at the commencement of the experiment 48, 
and natural ; they continued the same during these three days, 
with a diuretic effect on the last day. 
4th, 5th, and 6th . — Gave every day two doses of two ounces 
each : the diuretic effect ceased, the pulse being 52, and regular, 
during these days. 
7th, 9 o’clock, a.m. — Mixed four ounces in a bran mash, 
which he refused to eat. 
8th, 9 o’clock, a.m. — Pulse 50 : gave four ounces in solution. 
10 o’clock, voided urine copiously, and appeared as usual. 
Being very much engaged, I had not taken his pulse since giving 
the dose ; and to my astonishment, about 1 o’clock I found him 
struggling violently, and saw him expire. 
Post-mortem Examination.. 
The abdomen when opened was healthy. 
Stomach Perceiving that the principal injury done to that 
of the horse was confined to a particular part of the villous coat, 
I made an incision of about four inches along the large curvature, 
near the oesophagus, and turned it inside out. The cuticular 
coat was more flushed than in the horse, and in some parts 
shewed greater vascularity. The villous coat lining the large 
curvature was highly inflamed to more than one-third of its 
extent, and thickly interspersed with darker spots, at which the 
coat was nearly destroyed : the other parts of the stomach were 
but slightly thickened, and little more vascular than is natural. 
The pylorus was not at all affected. 
