HOMOEOPATHY IN VETERINARY PRACTICE. 
«39- 
all cases of colic, and colocynth will relieve nine-tenths of them, 
and very quickly. 
In those cases of gastric flatulence in which the gas is in the 
stomach, and cannot be reached with a trochar, the horse con¬ 
stantly retching and eructations of gas, I have found the carbo- 
vegetabilis acts like magic. 
In the provings of carbo-vegetabilis we find “ colic, with 
flatulence, stomach full to bursting , abdomen distended.” 
A few years ago I was called in consultation in a case of 
impaction of the colon, which seemed hopeless. The patient 
had received large doses of cathartics, with anodynes, but the 
pain kept up. A short time before my arrival the attending 
physician had given a mixture, which contained a drachm of the 
fluid extract of gelsemium, alcohol and some other remedy, 
which I have forgotten, in an eight ounce mixture, giving one- 
half ounce every half hour. The dose of gelsemium in this 
mixture was about four minims, certainly a very small dose for 
a horse. I made some such remark at the time ; the doctor 
agreed with me, but said the patient seemed to be relieved more 
by this mixture than anything he had given, and that he 
had administered it before with good results. The patient 
recovered. 
I thought very little about it until shortly after I began the 
study of homoeopathy I was called one evening, about 6 o’clock, 
to see a valuable two-year old colt, which I found lying at full 
length, looking occasionally at his side ; pulse 44, temperature 
normal. On inquiry, I found that his bowels had not moved all 
day, and peristaltic movements could not be heard ; so I made 
a diagnosis of impaction ot the colon. The next thing was a 
homoeopathic remedy for the case. He had drank no water for 
twenty-four hours. Here was a good symptom, thirstlessness. 
I could think of only four remedies in which this waso a promi¬ 
nent symptom : gelsemium, pulsatilla, nux moschata and apis ; 
so I concluded it must be one of these. I happened to think of 
the case in which the small dose of gelsemium had been given ; 
this made me decide on gelsemium. 
