MITCHELL— SULPHITES. 
7 
appearance in a helpless typhoid state, like the poor dogs 
who died. I then took the liberty of suggesting to some of 
the planters of the Eastern District a similar treatment both 
prophylactic and curative for their mules, which were dying 
apparently of some blood disease, but probably neither the 
medicine nor the advice were sufficiently costly for adoption. 
In May last year, on the arrival of the “ Newcastle” with 
ship-fever on board, the Compounder, who of course had 
been much exposed to whatever influences generated and 
fed this fever, was taken seriously ill. The Surgeon-Su- 
perintendent had the courage to depart from routine treat- 
ment and dosed the patient liberally with sulphite of soda, 
and he recovered without passing through any stage of 
convalescence. It was my fate also, having been much on 
board the ship and in the camp, to contract a similar fever 
which vanished under similar treatment, one fact connected 
with which, although perhaps merely a coincidence, I may 
particularise, viz., that an intense headache disappeared 
within a few minutes after swallowing the first dose of sul- 
phite. The next case to which your attention may be di- 
rected was that of the house-dog, a big fellow of such evil 
antecedents, that when he lay kicking out his hindlegs on 
the fourth day of sickness, with frequent dysenteric evacua- 
tions I suspected the agency of strychnine. It was how- 
ever an aggravated case of distemper, which at the time 
was prevalent in the neighbourhood and very generally 
fatal. He was dosed with sulphite in raw beef and in 24 
hours was out of all danger. It is unnecessary to pass in 
review the cats and the children who were alternately me- 
dicated, Sore throats, which among the latter were com- 
mon enough with the changeable winds so prevalent all 
last year, were arrested at once, as well as intermittents in 
their incipient stage. Two months back after rather pro- 
