114 ACTION OF VERATRUM ALBUM AS A PARASITICIDE. 
Dog No. 1.—In half an hour afterwards he suffered from 
nausea with attempts at vomition. The respirations were 
short and quick; the pulse at the heart was increased from 
100 to 130 per minute, and small in character. The extre¬ 
mities and superficial parts of the body were cold; these 
symptoms continued with but little variation for three hours, 
at the expiration of which the dog began to improve. I 
experimented on this animal in the early part of the day. 
In the evening, I found his pulse reduced to 90 per minute; 
it was still smaller than in health, with great loss of tone. 
The dog refused all food and lay motionless during the rest of 
the day. On the following morning he had nearly recovered, 
and gradually regained his health and spirits. 
Dog No. 2.—Began to show uneasiness in about two 
hours after the application of the unguent. The symptoms 
were very similar to those in the preceding case, but not so 
urgent in character. The animal did not attempt to vomit, 
and recovered by the evening, at which time he partook of 
his food with a fair appetite. 
In addition to the foregoing, another case has come under 
my notice which proved fatal from the external use of the 
drug. A middle-sized dog of a mixed breed was treated for 
mange. Hs was a poor weakly animal in very low condition, 
the disease having resisted nearly all known remedies, both 
internal and external, the Ung. VeratriAlb. was applied, and 
in three hours afterwards the patient was found almost in¬ 
sensible. He laid helpless on the ground; the body cold, 
the breathing short and catching, and accompanied with a low 
moan. The heart’s action was altogether imperceptible, and 
in spite of all attempts at resuscitation the dog died within 
the hour after his condition was discovered. I made a 
post-mortem examination, and found signs of congestion on 
the mucous membrane of the stomach, the organ itself 
appearing much relaxed and flaccid to the touch. The 
lungs were congested and gorged with black-coloured blood; 
the heart was in a similar condition, but presented no mark¬ 
edly abnormal pondition of texture. 
I have applied this remedy in conjunction with other sub¬ 
stances to the horse in cutaneous affections, and have reason 
to believe with benefit; its action on gramnivora and her- 
bivora seems to be very mild when compared to that which it 
has on carnivora. I would respectfully suggest that it might 
be an advantage to many if in future editions of our phar¬ 
macopoeias (where therapeutical information is given), a note 
were appended to this ointment, intimating its very uncertain 
and dangerous effects on the canine species, The prescrip- 
