BOTANY AS APPLIED TO VETERINARY SCIENCE. 457 
once. The first signs of the powerful effect of this drug are 
grinding of the teeth, twisting of the jaws, and attempts to 
vomit; the force of the pulse is depressed, hut sometimes the heats 
are more rapid. The horse generally lies down at full length, 
and in a few minutes becomes in a comatose state.” He 
also writes—“In enteritis, in its most acute form, aconite 
is very beneficial in allaying the agony attending this 
disease. In all cases, in fact, where a sedative is called for, 
I think this agent would be found very useful.” Mr. Lewis, 
in the same journal, for August, 1854, records its successful 
administration to a pony suffering from bronchitis, giving, 
as a first dose, 14 V of Flemming’s tincture of aconite in ^iij 
of water. The following is the description of its effects :— 
“Within five minutes after giving the medicine, the pony 
began to tremble violently, and its hind legs seemed to lose 
all power of supporting the weight of the body. It lay down, 
or rather dropped, was convulsed all over, frothed greatly at 
the mouth, and seemed to be swallowing something very 
quickly. These alarming symptoms continued for fifteen or 
twenty minutes, and then began to abate.” He afterwards 
remarks—“The pulse gradually lowered in frequency , while 
it rose in force” 
Professor Morton, in his f Materia Medica/ thus writes :— 
“Mr. Brown informs me that, as a sedative, the tinc¬ 
ture of aconite is most effective in cases of constitutional 
excitement from injury, in fever following severe wounds, 
or that supervening on protracted or difficult parturi¬ 
tion. Professor Morton goes on to say—“Besides a general 
sedative, it has been found of service in diseases of the heart, 
paralysis, epilepsy, and gastric irritation.” By others it has 
been used with success in the treatment of rheumatism and 
pleuro-pneumonia in cattle ; while other eminent practitioners 
consider it only as a dangerous poison, and unfit to be used 
as a medicine at all. From the above it will be gathered that 
aconite has been employed in the treatment of a variety of 
diseases, the nature of which very materially differ. Much 
in connection with the action of this powerful agent yet 
remains to be investigated, and those who have employed it 
would be doing the profession a great service by recording 
their experience of its effects in the treatment of disease in 
our domestic animals. As a poison, it acts most energetically 
on man and all kinds of animals. The experiments of Drs. 
Harvey and Sharpey “went to prove that aconite first acts 
upon the nerves, and then on the muscles, killing by its 
action on the heart.” Sir Benjamin Brodie found “ it acted 
as a narcotic, and arrested respiration firstly.” Dr. Flemming 
xxxvn. 30 
