744 
A. J. THOMPSON. 
in an aqueous solution. It consequent^ had no effect as a 
vermifuge, as it has been demonstrated beyond a doubt that 
in order to get that action you must give santonine in a solu¬ 
tion of oil. The quantity of medicine administered should 
always be the minimum dose for the required effect. Nearly 
all practitioners give from one-third to one-half more medicine 
than is really necessary. We are told by our professors, and 
we read in our text books and journals, that the dose of 
medicines differs in different cases, and they account for it by 
saying it is due to the individual idiosyncrasies of the animals. 
But a far more satisfactory and more nearly correct explan¬ 
ation would be, for the majority of cases, that the drug used 
has not been of good quality ; or it has not been properly pre¬ 
pared for administration; or it has not been properly admin¬ 
istered ; or, owing to an impairment of digestion, it has not 
been assimilated. 
Having prepared our medicine, the next step of im¬ 
portance is to see that i‘t is properly given. Many 
practitioners leave the prescribed medicament at the stables 
with the hostlers and solace themselves with the vain hope 
that their patients are receiving their medicine at regular 
intervals, as prescribed. Yes, at their next visit they note 
with satisfaction that about the proper quantity is missing 
and hardly ever stop to think how much easier it is to consign 
it to the manure pit than to give it to the horse, and that the 
chances are about three to one that that is where the largest 
part of it has gone—perhaps sometimes to the advantage of 
their patient, especially if i ( ts administration requires some 
little trouble. Now it has been said that there is nothing 
like knowing how to do a thing, but 1 say that there is some¬ 
thing of far more importance than knowing how, and that is, 
to do the thing after you know how. A practitioner should 
ever remember that there is but one person whom he can 
trust to administer medicine to his patients, and that person 
is himself. It therefore behooves every practitioner to give 
all the medicine which he possibly can, himself, and if he must 
trust the administration to the laity to have it prepared-so 
that it may be given in the simplest and easiest manner. 
