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SELECTED ARTICLES. 
appetite and seemed drooping and sick; on the third day it 
commenced eating, and is now perfectly well. 
Experiment 4th. — Injected into the stomach of the last 
rabbit, four grains of corrosive sublimate in §ss of water, 
and used as the antidote, four grains of gold-dust and six of 
iron-filings in §ss of water: this rabbit began to eat shortly 
afterwards, manifested no distress, and is now perfectly well. 
In all of the above experiments, a small quantity of gum 
was added to the antidote, for the purpose of suspending the 
metals. It being impossible to know, a priori, that gold and 
iron in a minute state of division, might not alone prove fatal 
to a rabbit, our first experiment was made more to determine 
the effect of the antidote itself: therefore only one grain of the 
peroxide of mercury was given — a quantity insufficient to 
produce death; and yet calculated to give rise to great distress, 
or at least loss of appetite, unless decomposed by the antidote. 
It appeared to be conclusive from this trial, that gold and iron 
exert no deleterious effect, and also that the peroxide must 
have been decomposed, inasmuch as the rabbit began to eat 
shortly after the experiment was performed, and has not since 
appeared the least sick. Dr. Niel has recommended an oint- 
ment, composed of one grain of finely divided gold to thirty- 
six of lard, to be applied to a blistered surface, in scrofulous 
affections, as a substitute for the hydrochlorate and other pre- 
parations of that metal. What possible effect Dr. N. could 
have anticipated from this plan of treatment, we are at a loss 
to determine, since gold is only soluble in nitro-muriatic acid, 
and cannot, therefore, undergo any change if applied to a blis- 
tered surface, or introduced into the stomach. We believe 
that one grain of the deuto-iodide of mercury would be suffi- 
cient to kill a rabbit, and we are justified in this belief, from 
the distress often occasioned where it is administered medi- 
cinally, in doses of one-eighth of a grain: and yet, in our se- 
cond experiment, three grains of this agent were given, with- 
out any sensible effect. 
We have before observed, that gold and iron do not decom- 
pose the more insoluble compounds of mercury, when brought 
