198 
THE MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF NITRE. 
are made for the propagation of every species of animal. On 
making a section of the left kidney, no trace of disease evinced 
itself ; but on cutting through the right one, it was in a complete 
scirrhous, disorganized state, and full of small tubercles, situated 
at the origin and along the course of the tubuli uriniferi, so that 
it must have been quite incapable of performing its functions. 
Wishing you every success and support as regards your Journal, 
I remain, 
Your’s truly. 
THE MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF NITRE. 
By Mr. Morton, Royal Veterinary College . 
r To the Editor of “ The Veterinarian ” 
You will oblige me by causing the word “distilled” to be 
erased from my description of the manner in which arsenious 
acid is separated from substances with which it is in combina- 
tion by means of nascent hydrogen. 
I am glad to see Mr. Cupiss among the contributors to your 
Journal. From him the profession has a right to expect much ; 
nor will it, I feel assured, be disappointed. His experiments on 
poisonous substances will doubtlessly set at rest many conflict- 
ing statements, and fill up an hiatus which has long existed. 
In your last is recorded by him the action of nitrate of potash 
when given in a very large dose. Will another experiment prove 
at all interesting? It is as follows : 
To a horse, aged, but apparently in health, two pounds of the 
nitrate of potash dissolved in six pounds of water were adminis- 
tered. Pulse 32. In half an hour some irritation of the intes- 
tines was manifested by the animal’s frequently voiding faecal 
matter in small quantities ; and soon afterwards the kidnies 
were acted upon The urine was not so much increased in quan- 
tity as it was frequently discharged. In four hours the pulse had 
risen to 54 beats in the minute ; the respiration was untranquil ; 
and the mucous lining of the nostrils highly injected and of a 
purple hue. Some blood being abstracted from the jugular vein, 
its appearance closely resembled arterial blood, nor did it freely 
coagulate. In its serum, faint traces only of the existence of 
the salt could be detected, but on evaporating the urine it was 
obtained in abundance in a crystallized state. At the termina- 
tion of six hours after the exhibition of the agent, the pulse was 
48, and the animal continued frequently to void both dung and 
