ON THE EPIDEMIC CATARRH. 
193 
I commenced by abstracting about eight oz. of blood, and then 
gave the following*—Nitre 3 ii, supertartrate of potash^ivjtartarized 
antimony 3i, digitalis 9i, flowers of sulph. and liquorice pow¬ 
der, of each 3 iii, aloes 3 !, sulphate of magnesia ^vi, olive oil 
Jiv, and the whole mixed together in warm water, and to be 
repeated morning and night until the faeces became pultaceous; 
but this was only given in those cases in which the bowels were 
constipated. 
I then gave twice in the day, in an infusion of good hay, nitre 
3 ii, tartarized antimony digitalis 9 ii,liquorice powder, and su¬ 
pertartrate of potash, of each 3iii. This was continued until 
the inflammatory symptoms had subsided, which was usually 
about the third, fourth, or fifth day ; then I gave the following:— 
supertartrate of potash 3 ii, tartarized antimony 3ss, fl. sulph. 
3iii, liquorice powder 3iv, spirit of nitrous mther 3ii, in chamomile 
infusion once a-day, with water gruel, &c. horned into them in 
large quantities. 
In those cases in which diarrhoea appeared in the outset of the 
disease, I gave the following, every eight hours, in infusion of 
chamomile and hay, till the diarrhoea was stopped :—tartarized 
antimony 3 i, digitalis 3 i, prepared chalk 3iii^ catechu 3ii^ arrow 
root 5 iss. When the purging stopped, I gave tartarized anti¬ 
mony 3h digitalis 9i, liquorice powder 3iii, muriatic acid 
gtt. 60, once a-day in water gruel and infusion of chamomile ; 
vapourous fomentations to the nose, blisters to the larynx, breast, 
or sides, with rowels, also, as the local determination might in¬ 
dicate, with hand-rubbing, &c. When the cough was very dis¬ 
tressing and convulsive, I found it gave way best to blistering 
the sides with oil of amber, olive oil, oil of turpentine, and pow¬ 
dered cantharides. I have been very fortunate with this mode 
of treatment. Out of 126 extreme cases, I have only lost four : 
two of these I was not called in to until the horses had been at¬ 
tended by those witches of skill,” called shoeing-smiths; and 
the other commenced with symptoms of violent pleuro-pneumo- 
nia, which w'ould not give way to any means that I could em¬ 
ploy; but these knights of the anvil have lost a great number, 
nearly every third horse that they have attended, in this neigh¬ 
bourhood. 
I attribute the prevalence of this disease to an almost stagnant 
state of the atmospheric air, together with what little winds we 
have had being almO't exclusively from the east or north-east, 
of a most foggy, cold, damp kind, and for which these seasons 
have been so remarkable. This air is received by the inhalents, 
and other absorbent vessels, when the stomach is empty, and 
the horse in a state of perspiration. At the same time there is 
VOL. VI. c b 
