660 
G. J. - GOUREAUD 
did not then nor do I now, unless under certain conditions, be¬ 
lieve that animal charcoal has the same absorbing powers that 
vegetable charcoal possesses. I gave it dry in powdered state, 
in capsule form, and I gave as much as three pounds to one 
animal with no effect. Now, gentlemen, I had positively and 
absolutely no results. The only result I did get I would have 
obtained had I not used charcoal at all. When I did not give 
it I had cases recover and they seemed to be extremely bad 
cases—animals that I thought would die. They presented all 
the symptoms of an aggravated attack, an attack which ap¬ 
parently would lead to a fatal termination, and still they would 
recover. Then, again, other cases which would not appear so 
bad would terminate fatally. Now, identically the same can be 
said of those cases which I treated with charcoal. Cases died 
which would have recovered had the charcoal possessed the 
powers with which it was credited. No fatal symptoms nor 
fatal complications had presented themselves until two and 
three hours had elapsed after charcoal had been administered. 
If charcoal had performed its proper action, why did my cases, 
not those that had lesions other than those of rupture, present 
lesions of rupture upon post-mortem examination, if charcoal 
had performed the action which was ascribed to it ? If charcoal 
absorbed several times its weight of gas and my patient died 
after having received two pounds of it, then that which I gave 
must have been hoodood. I do not know just now how much 
volume is in an ounce of gas, but I do know that it is con¬ 
siderable. Now, if charcoal such as we prescribe will absorb 
several times its weight of gas, then sixteen ounces of charcoal 
will absorb, to make it small, three times as much or 48 ounces 
of gas ; or, still further, if 3 pounds of charcoal will absorb fifteen 
times its weight of gas and still both horses die due to shock 
from ruptured stomachs, then something must be wrong some¬ 
where. 
Two cases in particular proved to me the inefficiency of 
charcoal when employed as an absorbent in the manner in 
which it is usually administered, and I hope to be pardoned for 
