22 
EXTRACTS FROM FOREIGN JOURNALS. 
Veterinary Journal , January, 18S5, is, I think, instructive on 
several points. One lesson, I think, ought to be gathered from 
its perusal, viz., to avoid being too hasty in coming to a conclu¬ 
sion regarding the merits or demerits of a new therapeutical 
agent. Ilis first cases were by no means calculated to impress 
him favorably with regard to the drug now under consideration. 
Indeed, I rather suspect that Mr. Nettleton was somewhat dis¬ 
appointed, as he does not appear to have used physostigminum in 
his subsequent cases (with the exception of case No. 4) until 
other medicines had failed—in fact, its use looks very much like 
_ . * 
a derneir ressort. The success which attended his latter cases 
clearly justifies Mr. Nettleton, I think, in saying that physos- 
tigma deserves “ a place as a valuable remedy in veterinary 
practice.” 
Professor Siedamgrotzky, of the Dresden Veterinary College, 
has just published in the Sticks. Veterinarber (28 Jahrgang) a 
valuable contribution regarding the action of this drug. In the 
hope of helping those veterinarians who still hesitate about using 
physostigminum to come to a decision, I offer a] translation of 
Professor Siedamgrotzky’s- instructive article :— 
“ During the last twelve months 97 patients were admitted 
into the Dresden College Hospital suffering from colic, of which 
17 died. Eseria (physostigminum sulphate), which has been so 
strongly recommended by Dieckeroff, was administered at once in 
53 cases. Every case of colic was not treated with eseria, but 
other remedies, such as morphia injections in slight cases of 
spasmodic colic, aloes in impaction, etc., were tried; whilst in 
severe and hopeless cases, in which one had reason to suspect 
displacement of the intestines, such as volvulus, etc., eseria was 
only occasionally given. The results of the treatment are given 
in the following lines, in which the diseases, as far as a knowl¬ 
edge of the history of the case and symptoms presented would 
allow us to judge of them, are grouped into the various recog¬ 
nized forms of colic :— 
“ 1. Spasmodic Colic .—Six cases.—Faecal evacuations took 
place in from 10-12 minutes, in one case, however, in half an 
hour after the injection of 0'04 gramme (in one case 0*05 
