CANTHARIDES IN ANASARCA. 
325 
years old horse, the property of a respectable farmer in Mont- 
gomeryshire. I found him with his fore legs very much swelled, 
and a great ridge of cedematous enlargement extending under 
his belly, from his fore legs to the sheath, which was also swol- 
len ; the membrane of the nose was spotted with small pale red 
spots; the other parts of the membrane being, perhaps, of a 
paler colour than in health. The horse had recently had 
strangles, and before these swellings occurred was supposed to 
have recovered from them. His appetite being good, and the 
horse full of flesh, I ordered a laxative ball, containing aloes 
Barb. Jss, having made up my mind to wait the operation of 
the laxative before any thing else should be done. The ball 
purged the horse more than I intended it should have done : 
the day following that on which it set, I received a message to 
desire that I would immediately visit my patient, as he was worse 
in every respect. I went to him, and certainly could not con- 
gratulate myself on any improvement : the swellings were no 
better, and the horse appeared exhausted. I ordered him a feed 
of corn, and directed that he should be kept upon moderately 
good diet, and prescribed for him the tonic ball of Mr. Vines, 
containing cantharides gr. vj to be given every other day. From 
this time I had no difficulty ; the swellings gradually subsided, 
the spots on the nose disappeared, and the Schneiderian mem- 
brane assumed its natural colour and appearance ; and I had 
the satisfaction to see the horse restored to perfect health. The 
cantharides were increased from six to eight grains, and con- 
tinued until the disease had entirely disappeared. 
In the last summer I was sent for to a village nine miles from 
hence, to give my opinion upon a mare, the property of the surgeon 
of the place. She had had distemper, and after getting better 
for a short time, was attacked with oedema of the extremities. 
The veterinary practitioner of the village had been treating the 
mare for nearly three weeks before I saw her, and had been 
giving her purgatives and diuretics ; but as the disorder did not 
give way to the plan adopted, it was agreed that I should be 
consulted. The mare was a good deal reduced ; there was 
oedema of the four legs, extending up the arms and thighs to the 
abdomen. The outsides of the buttocks were studded with small 
tumours, not much unlike small farcy buds, neither painful 
to the touch nor following the course of the absorbents, but dif- 
fused generally over the parts. The membrane of the nose was 
mottled with reddish purple patches, which appeared to me like 
so many spots of ecchymoses ; and between these spots the mem- 
brane wgs pale, or, indeed, quite blanched. Appetite moderate, 
but rather more defective than in health. The practitioner in 
VOL. ix. u u 
