CONSULTATIONS. 
593 
Reply. 
Do not the symptoms which you relate — the occasional colicky 
pains — the violence with which the mare throws herself down, and 
rolls over and over — her lying on her back, and sometimes sitting 
on her haunches like a dog ; do not these symptoms induce you to 
look to the intestines more than the urinary organs, and lead you 
to expect the existence of intestinal calculi— the urinary organs 
sympathizing with the irritation of the neighbouring viscera 1 If 
this diagnosis is correct, I fear that you have little chance of saving 
your patient. 
Of what is this calculus composed? Principally of stercoraceous 
matter; but almost always containing some carbonaceous matter, 
and frequently a portion of magnesia. How can you dissolve this 
stercoraceous, carbonaceous, magnesian accumulation? You do 
well in continuing the exhibition of your mucilage, and the infu- 
sion or decoction of linseed. Oleaginous drinks, linseed oil, olive 
oil, and, perhaps, occasionally, small quantities of opium, might be 
adjuvants not altogether worthless. But, then, the concretion! 
the source of the evil ! ! how shall we attack that ? 
- My first attention would be directed to the tartaric acid, and in 
combination with potash and antimony, and in doses of a half- 
drachm three times in the day; and this gradually increased to 
three-fourths of a drachm. If the symptoms were not relieved, I 
should, perhaps, alternate this with small doses of diluted sulphuric 
acid. 
Of the effect of the former of these agents I can speak from ex- 
perience. I can recollect three cases in which the patient appeared 
to owe his life to the exhibition of emetic tartar. Try it. You 
cannot do harm. Let me know a week or two hence how you are 
going on. 
Rejoinder. 
I have suffered so long time — three weeks — to pass without 
writing, because our patient exhibited so many symptoms of im- 
provement. Before we commenced the exhibition of the potassio- 
tartrate of antimony, we administered an enema, consisting of 6 oz. 
of the sulphate of magnesia, dissolved in 2£ gallons of water at 
120° Fah. To this succeeded another enema, composed of a quart 
of cold thick gruel, and containing a drachm of opium. From 
these she experienced very great relief. I then gave her, in the 
form of a ball, three times every day, half a drachm of the potas- 
sio-tartrate of antimony, with ten grains of powdered opium. This 
I continued seven days, with the liberal use of linseed; but, as her. 
