ON THE USE OF BARIUM CHLORIDE. 
557 
effects, tliat a full medicinal dose does not depress either heart 
or respiration; on the contrary, this agent is a cardiac tonic, 
and, therefore, is indicated when the heart is weak and irregular. 
That it may be safely employed whenever a quick purgative is 
required, and that the adverse criticism accorded it by many 
veterinarians is the inevitable result of a slight error in the ap¬ 
plication ; namely, the gentlemen, instead of injecting the salt 
into the jugular vein, inject into the subcutaneous tissue, usually 
causing a most intense swelling at the point of injection, and no 
purgative action. Careful inquiry among my fellow-practitioners 
has satisfied me as to the truth of this assertion, and after having 
instructed them as to the particular methods of intravenous 
medication, I am gratified to have them report the same good 
results experienced by myself. I proceed as follows : First, fill 
the hypodermic syringe with slightly more than the required 
amount of the barium solution, I hold the instrument for a few 
moments in my tightly closed hand, which slightly warms the 
solution and expels all air (this is very important),—then hand 
the syringe to an assistant or stable-helper, with instructions to 
hold it in the same manner while I apply an antiseptic to the 
part; then, raising up the jugular vein by digital pressure, in¬ 
sert my needle slowly and in a slanting direction into the vessel 
till I get a free and continuous flow of blood therefrom. Now, 
while the blood is flowing freely, and after having discharged 
from the syringe all of the surplus solution, I attach my syringe 
to the needle and then injeet. In this way all air is excluded 
from the vessel and you are morally certain that the contents of 
the syringe have been thrown directly into the blood-current 
and nowhere else. 
Try it in this way and you will be well pleased with the re¬ 
sult. 
In conclusion, I would add a few words on the proper man¬ 
ner of preparing barium chloride solution. The salt must be 
chemically pure, and should be dissolved in water which has 
previously been boiled and then allowed to cool. The solution 
should be carefully filtered twice over, as the first filtrate is apt 
