MATERIA MEDICA. 615 
As we use but few emetics in veterinary practice, I shall con¬ 
fine myself to emetic tartar, ipecacuanha, and stavesacre. 
Emetic Tartar. —This medicine acts locally, in the same 
way as the most violent irritants. Applied to the skin, it pro¬ 
duces redness, and, very frequently, a pustular eruption. Admi¬ 
nistered internally, it excites the mucous membrane of the gastro¬ 
intestinal canal; provokes vomiting in carnivorous animals, and 
sometimes also causes alvine dejections. It results from the 
experiments of M. Magendie, and some of my own, that this 
drug may be administered with impunity to the amount of a 
drachm to adult dogs of a moderate size, provided that vomiting 
is produced; but otherwise, eight or ten grains will often suffice 
to occasion inflammation of the mucous membrane of the diges¬ 
tive canal. 
Injected into the veins, deposited on the cellular tissue, or 
brought into contact with any other absorbent surface, it is fol¬ 
lowed by nearly the same effects. When animals are destroyed 
by it, we do not always find evident traces of inflammation, either 
of the stomach or the intestines, and still seldomer in the lungs. 
In the solipede it sometimes produces nausea, and even violent 
efforts to vomit; but these efforts are never followed by the re¬ 
jection of the contents of the stomach : it acts simply in the same 
manner as the purgative irritants. 
The quantity which may be given them with impunity varies 
according to their idiosyncrasy, and the nature and intensity of 
the disease, and whether or not they have been habituated to its 
use. I have been able, by commencing with two drachms, to 
increase the dose of this medicine gradually to six ounces on a 
glandered horse of small size, without there resulting any re¬ 
markable or permanent derangement of the principal functions. 
After the administration of each dose, the mouth was filled with 
a frothy spume, and the pulse became, occasionally, a little in¬ 
termittent : but these symptoms soon passed over; the animal 
regained his ordinary appetite; and digestion seemed to be per¬ 
formed as in a state of perfect health. The excrement preserved 
its usual consistence. At length the animal was killed ; and on 
examining him, we found on the mucous membrane of the 
stomach, much redness, and many ulcerations, analogous to those 
which follow the pustules which emetic tartar raises on the skin. 
This substance, given by Gilbert in doses of ten drachms to the 
cow, and two, three, and four drachms to the sheep, produced no 
remarkable effect. It seems, however, that six drachms admi¬ 
nistered to another sheep by the same experimentalist, caused 
death. 
