794 
G. E. GRIFFIN. 
I 
knownst to the vet, if ye please, and I began to think maybe 
this was the basis of his reputation, as I was never able to dis¬ 
co vei any other, but you know when you get the name of an 
early riser you can sleep till the cows come home. I found 
that the caustic balsam was a very good blister, clean, easily 
applied, and would not take the hair off while in action. Af¬ 
ter working on this blister, for it is nothing more, for some 
time, I discovered that it was made as follows, and had the 
satisfaction of seeing iny production highly commended by a 
number of people, who told me that I was using u Humbug’s 
Caustic Balsam.” Now, I suppose that Gumbault, who claims 
to be a great French veterinarian, will say that imitation is the 
sincerest flattery, but that to get the real and only genuine you 
must notice the duefunny on every bottle grown on his farm. 
The composition is as follows : 
h Croton oil.4 fl drams 
Cotton-seed oil.2 fl “ 
Oil of camphor.1 fl “ 
Oil of turpentine . . . . 2 fl “ 
Oil of thyme . y 2 fl “ 
Kerosene.4 fl “ 
Sulphuric acid..20 minims 
To the mixture of croton and cotton-seed oils add the 
stirring continually, then add the other constituents, 
about three days it is fit for use. 
sulphuric acid, 
After standing 
I tried this preparation in every conceivable manner, using 
Gumbault’s advertised article as a check, but found that I had 
nothing but a good blister, and was surprised to discover that 
Gumbault’s caustic balsam was nothing but a similar blister, 
and that the claims made for it on the label w£re lies pure and 
simple, and that it was not a “ safe or reliable remedy ” for any 
of the numerous things mentioned on the label, and that it 
could be safely classed as a fake. Still I was not discouraged, 
but purchased several bottles of a compound called “Kitchell’s 
Liniment,” in use on race-tracks and other places where old 
“ skates ” having fancy names, and records made by their great 
