294 
THE USE OF HYDROCYANIC ACID AND 
She was immediately taken away, but before she had gone a 
mile or two she fell, was bled, got into a boat, and afterwards bled 
to death in it, as she was expected to die. When she was opened, 
I was informed that the whole of the body was covered with patches 
of effused blood, but especially the intestines, and which were filled 
with the same dark tarry matter ; but as I did not see it, I cannot 
give any better description of it. 
Now, from the similarity of the attack and the suddenness of their 
death, I am inclined to think that it was the same disease, although 
the first cow was worse affected over the whole of the body than 
this one Avas. The owner thinks that may be accounted for by her 
being of a stronger constitution, and the disease having existed 
longer in her, and the other being bled as soon as the illness 
was perceived. In each of these cases there Avas no violent purg- 
ing or apparent active disease going on. They walked about as 
usual, merely discharging, in the first that was taken ill, the dark 
faeces occasionally ; Avhile the same Avas only once or tAvice seen in 
the other. There Avas no quickness of respiration, or any thing to 
point out the slightest existence of disease. In short, she was 
walking about as well as usual nearly up to the time of falling, and 
nothing to cause suspicion except the slight abatement in milk and 
the discharge from the anus*. 
THE USE OF HYDROCYANIC ACID AND HYOS- 
CIAMUS NIGER IN TETANUS. 
By J. P. St. Clair, Esq. Morpeth. 
In presenting you with the folloAving case of Idiopathic Tetanus, 
I do not consider that I have made any discovery. I have merely 
substituted for a supposed remedy, frequently employed, another 
possessing some properties similar to it ; and I have adopted mer- 
curial frictions in combination Avith sedatives, in lieu of the too 
general practice of blistering the spine. In the internal treatment, 
opium has been dispensed with on account of its astringent pro- 
perties, and hydrocyanic acid and hyosciamus have been substi- 
tuted. Neither of these remedies possesses any astringent pro- 
perty, and if they are certain and powerful in their effect as 
sedatives, they are far preferable to the opium. 
We know that prussic acid is a most powerful sedative, and 
that hyosciamus possesses all the properties of opium Avithout its 
* Will some of our country practitioners on cattle kindly throw some light 
on these singular cases ? — Y. 
