120 
MOIROUD S VETERINARY MATERIA MEDICA. 
eulatory system, and thence to the other functions: but it may 
act on the nervous system so as to calm irritation and remove 
spasm. It is given in chorea, tetanus, and palsy; but its use 
must be continued during a considerable time. Recognized as 
a diffusible stimulant, when used in gangrenous affections and 
the epizootic diseases of cattle, it, like camphor, should be em¬ 
ployed with caution. If administered at their commencement, 
and when their inflammatory character is marked, it must aggra¬ 
vate every disease of this kind. It has been given with benefit, 
in small doses, in chronic cough. It has also been employed 
with some success in farcy; and it is not without effect as a ver¬ 
mifuge. 
Whether alone or with camphor it is applied externally in the 
form of plaister, and hastens the resolution of indolent swellings. 
It is sometimes contrived to be retained in the mouth to promote 
salivation. It is given to large animals in doses from two 
drachms to three ounces, and may even be carried to four ounces 
in cattle. It may be given in the form of ball or electuary, or 
suspended in some aqueous or spirituous fluid, or dissolved in 
vinegar. 
Sagapenum possesses the same medicinal properties as the 
assafoetida; but it is less active, less certain, and therefore not so 
frequently employed. 
Gum-ammoniac has been celebrated by many veterinarians as an 
expectorant, an incisive, and a deobstruent; but it is not superior to 
the substances just described, and certainly not to the assafoetida. 
Valerian. —When given internally, its effect resembles that 
of other stimulant vegetables. It is said to exercise a peculiar 
influence on the nervous system, and especially when given on 
several successive days. It is employed in chorea, epilepsy, 
tetanus, and other nervous complaints; but it does not always 
justify the confidence placed in it. Nevertheless, as the maladies 
in which its use is indicated are among those against which we 
possess only feeble and uncertain remedies, it must not be 
banished from the veterinary pharmacopeia. 
It is said to be a vermifuge; and if it possesses this property 
in the dog, it is probably not inactive in the larger herbivorous 
animals. It is given in powder, or in a watery infusion, in doses 
of from one to four ounces for larger animals, and from one to 
four drachms to the dog. 
[To be continued.] 
Erratum.—P. 32, line 2, for “ deportment” read “ department 
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