ON TETANUS. 
305 
nine days. I have little faith in the small quantity of digitalis, 
or the two doses of aloes which he gave ; but after every bleed¬ 
ing the horse was relieved. I confess, however, that I want 
more evidence as to the general effect of such a plan. I have 
' considerable doubt about it, and should be inclined, after the 
first venesection, to trust to my opium and my aloes, reserving 
the lancet for any unexpected exacerbation of the complaint. 
The Recueil de Med. VH, contains a case, in which a horse 
with the jaw immoveably locked was cured by the abstraction 
of blood assisted by injections alone. On the first day 121b. 
of blood were taken, twelve on the second, and eight on the 
third day, when complete relaxation of the spasm had taken 
place. 
The Importance of Physic .—Next in order, and equal in 
importance, is physic. This profuse bleeding,- if it does no 
other good, will generally relax the muscles of the jaw so far, 
that you will be enabled to give a dose of physic. You must 
take instant advantage of this, and give a good strong dose, 
except perhaps in such a case as I have just related, when you 
have the terrors of pneumonia before your eyes. Eight or ten 
or twelve drachms of aloes should be administered. This is 
the best purgative, if the state of the jaws will permit you to 
administer it. It is the most to be depended upon—it is the 
only one thoroughly to be depended upon in the horse. If, how¬ 
ever, the remission of the spasm is very slight, there is another 
purgative not so certain in its action, sometimes dangerous, and 
no great favourite of mine—the farina of the croton nut: this 
may be given in the form of a very small ball, and to the extent 
of a scruple ; and it should be followed up by the solution of 
aloes, in doses, each of them containing four drachms of the 
gum resin, and repeated every sixth hour, until purgation is 
produced. 
There is little or no danger of exciting inflammation of the 
mucous membrane of the intestines by this prompt and ener¬ 
getic administration of purgative medicine, for there is too much 
determination of vital power towards the nervous system—too 
much irritation there to leave us cause to dread the possibility 
of metastasis elsewhere. I should be better pleased if I could 
excite a certain degree of inflammation in the mucous membranes, 
because I should hope that I might, to a proportionate extent, allay 
this powerful excitation of the nervous system. I have another 
reason for the administration of these large and repeated doses, viz. 
because I have cause to fear that I shall soon lose the co-operation 
of the abdominal muscles in kce])ing up the f)eristaltic motion of 
the bowels, and ex|)clling their contents; and shall not only 
