T1IK VETERINARY MATERIA MEDIC A. 
517 
medicament, for the cure of glanders and the expulsion of worms, 
&c., and more particularly in cases of farcy. In that complaint we 
have exhibited it in all doses, from a few grains to two drachms. 
We have given it as a tonic generally, but we could never satisfy 
ourselves that we had obtained any advantage by it, and we must 
confess that we had given it up as a useless article of our pharma¬ 
copeia. Nevertheless, we are pleased to think that some one else 
has discovered virtues in it; and we hope that Mr. Moulden will 
not withhold from his veterinary brethren an account of the man¬ 
ner and circumstances under which those virtues may be made 
available. In the mean time, we feel, as individuals, indebted to 
our friend Nimrod for his communication, and shall be most 
happy to hear from him again, whenever he may make a hit 
anywise serviceable to those with whom he has now been for 
some time running side by side—us, Veterinarians. 
Of its use, when externally applied, we shall treat in another 
N umber. 
We may occasionally be consulted with regard to the sus¬ 
pected poisoning of valuable animals with arsenic. The de¬ 
cision of this matter, or rather, the test of the presence of 
arsenic, is not, in our patients, the straight forward matter 
which some have described. We know very well that a stream 
of sulphuretted hydrogen gas passed through a liquid containing 
arsenic, will cause a beautiful yellow precipitate; that if to the 
suspected liquor we add a little sulphate of copper, and after that 
a small quantity of ammonia, we shall have as beautiful a grass- 
green precipitate; or, if we use the nitrate of silver, and then the 
ammonia, we shall have a yellow precipitate; or if we make 
at first an ammoniac sulphate of' copper, or nitrate of silver, and 
drop it into the suspected liquor, these effects will immediately 
appear; or, if we pour lime-water into it we shall have a white 
precipitate; or, if a solid or semi-solid mass is put upon red hot 
iron we shall have a strong scent of garlic. All this is sufficiently 
plain, and, seemingly, very easy to be performed; but in our 
larger patients there is so much vegetable matter in the stomachs 
and intestines, staining the fluids of a dark green or brown colour; 
and in the dog, such a compound of animal and vegetable matter, 
that our tests will not act, and we are all abroad. If, however, 
we filter a portion of the fluid through a tolerably thick bed of 
ivory-black, we deprive it of a great proportion of the animal and 
vegetable matter with which it w^as combined, and, also, it must 
be confessed, of some portion of the arsenic, although, probably, 
sufficient will be left; but we shall gain this advantage, that the 
fluid will become perfectly pellucid, and all our tests will be avail¬ 
able. A small quantity of the solution of chlorine will likewise 
decolorise the fluid, and prepare it for our tests. 
