ALOES WITH GENTIAN AS A CATHARTIC. 521 
combining with it a much milder and less stimulating sub¬ 
stance, (which most decidedly is the case ,) it cannot but prove 
highly beneficial in very many instances. 
Mr. Hurford, in u The Veterinarian” for July, expresses 
some surprise at the apparent “ apathy” in the profession in 
not having made trial of the above, there being neither expense 
nor trouble attending their so doing,—or, if they have done 
so, in not having adverted to, or given in the pages of “ The 
Veterinarian,” the results of their experiments; and I 
think he has great reason for complaint, since, as a new fea¬ 
ture in veterinary practice, it ought to have received attention, 
and particularly at head-quarters, and to have been duly reported 
on by the fountain heads of veterinary science. Sorry am I 
to say it, but there appears to be a degree of sloivness in the 
profession, in these fast times too, to acknowledge any novelty 
or give encouragement to an individual for his endeavours to 
improve or enlighten us. 
Although my worthy friend does not lay claim to, or take 
any credit to himself for, this valuable discovery, yet I think 
the thanks of the profession are due to him for the useful 
information he has communicated to us. For my own part, 
I beg, through the medium of your periodical, to thank him 
for the same, and in so doing, finding he is shortly about to 
take his departure to rejoin his regiment in India, avail myself 
of this opportunity of wishing that he and his family may 
have a pleasant voyage, and that health, happiness, and pros¬ 
perity may attend them. 
For the information of those who have not made trial 
of the aloes in combination with gentian, I beg to state that 
I administered it to twenty-one remount horses, the majority 
of them being three and four years old. In the first place, I 
gave the common cathartic mass—which is nothing more 
than the Barbadoes aloes incorporated with lard and water, 
in the proportion of lib. of the former, with lard, 3 v j and 
water, 3 j ; giving to the three year olds, 5 iv; the four year 
olds, 3 v; and the five year olds, 3 yj. The second general dose, 
which was given at an interval of ten days, consisted of aloes, 
barb and gentian mixed with linseed meal and treacle, giving 
to the three year olds, 5 ij; to the four year olds, 5 iiss; and to 
the five year olds, 3 iij of each ; which operated equal to what, 
and if anything rather better than, the 3 iv, 3 V, or 3 yj, of 
the cathartic mass alone had done. 
About the same time I gave of aloes and gentian, of each 
Jss, to three aged, good constitutioned artillery horses, which 
produced as good an effect as 3 .j of the ordinary cathartic 
