Chapter XI: Part 11

_Remarks._--Absorbents are composed of materials partaking of an alkaline character, and are used for the purpose of neutralizing acid matter. The formation of an acid in the stomach arises from some derangement of the digestive organs, sometimes brought on by the improper quantity or quality of the food. It is useless, therefore, to give absorbents, with a view of neutralizing acid, unless the former are combined with tonics, or agents that are capable of restoring the stomach to a healthy state. This morbid state of the stomach is recognized in oxen by a disposition to eat all kinds of trash that comes in their way, such as dirt, litter, &c. They are frequently licking themselves, and often swallow a great deal of hair, which is formed into balls in the stomach, and occasions serious irritation. Calves, when fattening, are often fed so injudiciously, that the stomach is incapable of reducing the food to chyme and chyle: the consequence is, that a large amount of carbonic acid gas is evolved. Many calves and lambs die from this cause.

A mixture of chalk, saleratus, and soda is often given by farmers; yet they do not afford permanent relief. They do some good by correcting the acidity of the stomach; but the animals are often affected with diarrhoea, or costiveness, loss of appetite, colic, and convulsions. Attention to the diet would probably do more than all the medicine in the world. Yet if they do get sick, something must be done. The best forms of absorbents are the following: they restore healthy action to the lost function at the same time that they neutralize the gas.

FORMS OF ABSORBENTS.

Powdered charcoal, 1 table-spoonful.
" snakeroot, half a table-spoonful.
" caraways, 1 tea-spoonful.
Hot water, 1 quart.

Mix. To be given at one dose, for a cow; half the quantity, or indeed one third, is sufficient for a calf, sheep, or pig.

_Another._

Powdered charcoal, 1 table-spoonful.

To be given in thoroughwort tea, to which may be added a very small portion of ginger.

_Another, adapted to City Use._

Subcarbonate of soda, 1 tea-spoonful.
Tincture of gentian, 1 ounce.
Infusion of spearmint, 1 pint.

Mix. Give a cow the whole at a dose, and repeat daily, for a short time, if necessary. One half the quantity will suffice for a smaller animal.

_Drink for Coughs._

Balm of Gilead buds, half an ounce.
Honey, 2 table-spoonfuls.
Vinegar, 1 wine-glassful.
Water, 1 pint.

Set the mixture on the fire, in an earthen vessel; let it simmer a few minutes. When cool, strain, and it is fit for use. Dose, a wine-glassful, twice a day.

_Another._

Balsam copaiba, 1 ounce.
Powdered licorice, 1 ounce.
Honey, 2 table-spoonfuls.
Boiling water, 1 quart.

Rub the copaiba, licorice, and honey together in a mortar: after they are well mixed, add the water. Dose, half a pint, night and morning.

_Another._

Balsam of Tolu, half an ounce.
Powdered marshmallow roots, 1 ounce.
Honey, half a gill.
Boiling water, 2 quarts.

Min. Dose, half a pint, night and morning.

_Drink for a Cow after Calving._

Bethwort, 1 ounce.
Marshmallows, 1 ounce.

First make an infusion of bethwort by simmering it in a quart of water. When cool, strain, and stir in the mallows. Dose, half a pint, every two hours.

VETERINARY MATERIA MEDICA,

EMBRACING A LIST OF THE VARIOUS REMEDIES USED BY THE AUTHOR OF THIS WORK IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE ON CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE.

ACACIA, CATECHU, or JAPAN EARTH. It is a powerful astringent and tonic, and given, in half tea-spoonful doses, in mucilage of slippery elm or mallows, is a valuable remedy in diarrhoea, or excessive discharges of urine.

ACACIA GUM makes a good mucilage, and is highly recommended in diseases of the mucous surfaces and urinary organs. It is highly nutritious, and consequently can be given with advantage in locked-jaw.

ACETUM, (vinegar.) This is cooling, and a small portion of it, with an equal quantity of honey, administered in thin gruel, makes an excellent drink in fevers. Diluted with an equal quantity of water, it is employed externally in bruises and sprains. It neutralizes pestilential effluvia, and, combined with capsicum, makes a good application for sore throat.

ACID, PYROLIGNEOUS. This is one of the most valuable articles in the whole _materia medica_. Diluted with equal parts of water, it is applied to ill-conditioned sores and ulcers; it acts as an antiseptic and stimulant. It is obtained from wood by destructive distillation in close vessels. This acid is advantageously applicable to the preservation of animal food. Mr. William Ramsay (_Edinburgh Philosophical Journal_, iii. 21) has made some interesting experiments on its use for this purpose. Herrings and other fish, simply dipped in the acid and afterwards dried in the shade, were effectually preserved, and, when eaten, were found very agreeable to the taste. Herrings slightly cured with salt, by being sprinkled with it for six hours, then drained, next immersed in pyroligneous acid for a few seconds, and afterwards dried in the shade for two months, were found by Mr. Ramsay to be of fine quality and flavor. Fresh beef, dipped in the acid, in the summer season, for the short space of a minute, was perfectly sweet in the following spring. Professor Silliman states, that one quart of the acid added to the common pickle for a barrel of hams, at the time they are laid down, will impart to them the smoked flavor as perfectly as if they had undergone the common process of smoking.

ALDER BARK, BLACK, (_prinos verticillatus_.) A strong decoction makes an excellent wash for diseases of the skin, in all classes of domestic animals.

ALLIUM, (garlic.) This is used chiefly as an antispasmodic. It improves all the secretions, and promotes the function of the skin and kidneys. It is useful also to expel wind and worms. A few kernels may be chopped fine and mixed with the food. When used for the purpose of expelling worms, an ounce of the root should be boiled in a pint of milk, and given in the morning, about an hour before feeding.

ALOES. The best kind is brought from the Island of Socotra, and is supposed to be more safe in its operation than the other kinds. In consequence of the irritative properties of aloes, they are ill adapted to cattle practice; and as a safer article has been recommended, (see _Physic for Cattle_,) we have entirely dispensed with them.

ALTHEA, (marshmallows.) See _Remarks on Poultices_.

ALUM. It possesses powerful astringent properties, and, when burnt and pulverized, is useful to remove proud flesh.

AMMONIACUM. Gum ammoniacum is useful for chronic coughs. The dose is two drachms daily, in a quart of gruel.

ANISEED. A good carminative in flatulent colic. The dose is about one ounce, infused in a quart of boiling water.

ANTHEMIS, (camomile.) It is used as a tonic in derangement of the digestive organs, &c. An ounce of the flowers may be infused in a quart of water, and given when cool. It is useful also as an external application in bruises and sprains.

ASH BARK, WHITE. This is a useful remedy in loss of cud, caused by disease of the liver. Dose, one ounce of the bark, infused in boiling water. When cool, pour off the clear liquor.

ASSAFOETIDA. This article is used as an antispasmodic. The dose is from one to two drachms, administered in thin gruel.

BALM, LEMON. See _Fever Drink_.

BALM OF GILEAD BUDS. One ounce of the buds, after being infused in boiling water and strained, makes a good drink for chronic coughs.

BALMONY. A good tonic and vermifuge.

BALSAM, CANADA, is a diuretic, and may be given in slippery elm, in doses of one table-spoonful for diseases of the kidneys.

BALSAM OF COPAIBA, or CAPIVI, is useful in all diseases of the urinary organs, and, combined with powdered marshmallows and water, makes a good cough drink. Dose, half an ounce.

BALEAM OF TOLU. Used for the same purpose as the preceding.

BARLEY. Barley water, sweetened with honey, is a useful drink in fevers.

BAYBERRY BARK. We have frequently prescribed this article in the preceding pages as an antiseptic and astringent for scouring and dysentery.

BEARBERRY, (_uva ursi_.) This is a popular diuretic, and is useful when combined with marshmallows. When the urine is thick and deficient in quantity, or voided with difficulty, it may be given in the following form:--

Powdered bearberry, 1 ounce.
" marshmallows, 2 ounces.
Indian meal, 2 pounds.

Mix. Dose, half a pound daily, in the cow's feed.

BITTER ROOT, (_apocynum androsaemifolium_.) Given in doses of half an ounce of the powdered bark, it acts as an aperient, and is good wherever an aperient is indicated.

BLACKBERRY ROOT, (_rubus trivialis_.) A valuable remedy for scours in sheep.

BLACK ROOT, (_leptandra virginica_.) The extract is used as physic, instead of aloes. (See _Physic for Cattle_.) A strong decoction of the fresh roots will generally act as a cathartic on all classes of animals.

BLOODROOT, (_sanguinaria canadensis_.) It is used in our practice as an escharotic. It acts on fungous excrescences, and is a good substitute for nitrate of silver in the dispersion of all morbid growth. One ounce of the powder, infused in boiling vinegar, is a valuable application for rot and mange.

BLUE FLAG, (_iris versicolor_.) The powdered root is a good vermifuge.

BONESET, (_eupatorium perfoliatum_.) This is a valuable domestic remedy. Its properties are too well known to the farming community to need any description.

BORAX. This is a valuable remedy for eruptive diseases of the tongue and mouth. Powdered and dissolved in water, it forms an astringent, antiseptic wash. The usual form of prescription, in veterinary practice, is,--

Powdered borax, half an ounce.
Honey, 2 ounces.

Mix.

BUCKTHORN, (_rhamnus catharticus_.) A sirup made from this plant is a valuable aperient in cattle practice. The dose is from half an ounce to two ounces.

BURDOCK, (_arctium lappa_.) The leaves, steeped in vinegar, make a good application for sore throat and enlarged glands. The seeds are good to purify the blood, and may be given in the fodder.

BUTTERNUT BARK, (_juglans cinerea_.) Extract of butternut makes a good cathartic, in doses of half an ounce. It is much safer than any known cathartic, and, given in doses of two drachms, in hot water, combined with a small quantity of ginger, it forms a useful aperient and alterative. In a constipated habit, attended with loss of cud, it is invaluable. During the American revolution, when medicines were scarce, this article was brought into use by the physicians, and was esteemed by them an excellent substitute for the ordinary cathartics.

CALAMUS, (_acorus calamus_.) A valuable remedy for loss of cud.

CAMOMILE. See _Anthemis_.

CANELLA BARK is an aromatic stimulant, and forms a good stomachic.

CAPSICUM. A pure stimulant. Useful in impaired digestion.

CARAWAY SEED, (_carum carui_.) A pleasant carminative for colic.

CARDAMOM SEEDS. Used for the same purpose as the preceding.

CASSIA BARK, (_laurus cinnamomum_.) Used as a diffusible stimulant in flatulency.

CATECHU, (see ACACIA.)

CATNIP, (_nepeta cataria_.) An antispasmodic in colic.

CEDAR BUDS. An infusion of the buds makes a good vermifuge for sheep and pigs.

CHARCOAL. This is a valuable remedy as an antiseptic for foul ulcers, foot rot, &c.

CLEAVERS, (_galium aparine_.) The expressed juice of the herb acts on the skin and kidneys, increasing their secretions. One tea-spoonful of the juice, given night and morning in a thin mucilage of poplar bark, is an excellent remedy for dropsy, and diseases of the urinary organs. An infusion of the herb, made by steeping one ounce of the leaves and seeds in a quart of boiling water, may be substituted for the expressed juice.

COHOSH, BLACK, (_macrotrys racemosa_.) Useful in dropsy.

COLTSFOOT, (_tussilago farfara_.) An excellent remedy for cough.

CRANESBILL, (_geranium maculatum_.) Useful in scours, dysentery, and diarrhoea.

DILL SEED, (_anethum graveolens_.) Its properties are the same as caraways.

DOCK, YELLOW, (_rumex crispus_.) Good for diseases of the liver and of the skin.

ELECAMPANE, (_inula helenium_.) An excellent remedy for cough and asthma, and diseases of the skin.

ELDER FLOWERS, (_sambucus canadensis_.) Used as an aperient for sheep, in constipation.

ELM BARK, (_ulmus fulva_.) This makes a good mucilage. See Poultices.

ESSENCE OF PEPPERMINT. Used for flatulent colic. One ounce is the usual dose for a cow. To be given in warm water.

FENNEL SEED. Useful to expel wind.

FERN, MALE, (_aspidium felix mas_.) Used as a remedy for worms.

FLAXSEED. A good lubricant, in cold and catarrh, and in diseases of the mucous surfaces. It makes a good poultice.

FLOWER OF SULPHUR. This is used extensively, in veterinary practice, for diseases of the skin. It is a mild laxative.

FUMIGATIONS. For foul barns and stables, take of

Common salt, 4 ounces.
Manganese, 1 ounce and a half.

Let these be well mixed, and placed in a shallow earthen vessel; then pour on the mixture, gradually, sulphuric acid, four ounces. The inhalation of the gas which arises from this mixture is highly injurious; therefore, as soon as the acid is poured on, all persons should leave the building, which should immediately be shut, and not opened again for several hours. Dr. White, V. S., says, "This is the only efficacious _fumigation_, it having been found that when glanderous or infectious matter is exposed to it a short time, it is rendered perfectly harmless."

GALBANUM. This gum is used for similar purposes as gum ammoniac and assafoetida.

GALLS. They contain a large amount of tannin, and are powerfully astringent. A strong decoction is useful to arrest hemorrhage.

GARLIC. See _Allium_.

GENTIAN. This is a good tonic, and is often employed to remove weakness of the stomach and indigestion.

GINGER. A pure stimulant. Ginger tea is a useful remedy for removing colic and flatulency, and is safer and better adapted to the animal economy, where stimulants are indicated, than alcoholic preparations.

GINSENG, (_panax quinquefolium_.) It possesses tonic and stimulant properties.

GOLDEN SEAL, (_hydrastis canadensis_.) A good tonic, laxative, and alterative.

GOLDTHREAD, (_coptis trifolia_.) A strong infusion of this herb makes a valuable application for eruptions and ulcerations of the mouth. We use it in the following form:--

Goldthread, 1 ounce.
Boiling water, 1 pint.

Set the mixture aside to cool; then strain, and add a table-spoonful of honey, and bathe the parts twice a day.

GRAINS OF PARADISE. A warming, diffusible stimulant.

HARDHACK, (_spiraea tomentosa_.) Its properties are astringent and tonic. We have used it in cases of "scours" with great success. It is better adapted to cattle practice in the form of extract, which is prepared by evaporating the leaves, stems, or roots. The dose is from one scruple to a drachm for a cow, and from ten grains to one scruple and a half for a sheep, which may be given twice a day, in any bland liquid.

HONEY, (_mel_.) Honey is laxative, stimulant, and nutritious. With vinegar, squills, or garlic, it forms a good cough mixture. Combined with tonics, it forms a valuable gargle, and a detergent for old sores and foul ulcers.

HOPS, (_humulus_.) An infusion of hops is highly recommended in derangement of the nervous system, and for allaying spasmodic twitchings of the extremities. One ounce of the article may be infused in a quart of boiling water, strained, and sweetened with honey, and given, in half pint doses, every four hours. They are used as an external application, in the form of fomentation, for bruises, &c.

HOREHOUND, (_marrubium_.) This is a valuable remedy for catarrh and chronic affections of the lungs. It is generally used, in the author's practice, in the following form: An infusion is made in the proportion of an ounce of the herb to a quart of boiling water. A small quantity of powdered marshmallows is then stirred in, to make it of the consistence of thin gruel. The dose is half a pint, night and morning. For sheep and pigs half the quantity will suffice.

HORSEMINT, (_monarda punctata_.) Like other mints, it is antispasmodic and carminative. Useful in flatulent colic.

HORSERADISH. The root scraped and fed to animals laboring under loss of cud, from chronic disease of the digestive organs, and general debility, is generally attended with beneficial results. If beaten into paste with an equal quantity of powdered bloodroot, it makes a valuable application for foul ulcers.

HYSSOP, (_hyssopus officinalis_.) Hyssop tea, sweetened with honey, is useful to promote perspiration in colds and catarrh.

INDIAN HEMP, (_apocynum cannabinum_.) An infusion of this herb acts as an aperient, and promotes the secretions. It may be prepared by infusing an ounce of the powdered or bruised root in a quart of boiling water, which must be placed in a warm situation for a few hours: it should then be strained, and given in half pint doses, at intervals of six hours. A gill of this mixture will sometimes purge a sheep.

INDIGO, WILD, (_baptisia tinctoria_.) We have made some experiments with the inner portion of the bark of this plant, and find it to be very efficacious in the cure of eruptive diseases of the mouth and tongue, lampas, and inflamed gums. A strong decoction (one ounce of the bark boiled for a few minutes in a pint of water) makes a good wash for old sores. A small quantity of powdered slippery elm, stirred into the decoction while hot, makes a good emollient application to sore teats and bruised udder.

JUNIPER BERRIES, (_juniperus_.) These are used in dropsical affections, in conjunction with tonics; also in diseases of the urinary organs.

KINO. This is a powerful astringent, and may be used in diarrhoea, dysentery, and red water, after the inflammatory symptoms have subsided. We occasionally use it in the following form for red water and chronic dysentery:--

Powdered kino, 20 grains.
Thin flour gruel, 1 quart.

To be given at a dose, and repeated night and morning, as occasion requires.

LADY'S SLIPPER, (_cypripedium pubescens_.) This is a valuable nervine and antispasmodic, and has been used with great success, in my practice, for allaying nervous irritability. It is a good substitute for opium. It is, however, destitute of all the poisonous properties of the latter. Dose for a cow, half a table-spoonful of the powder, night and morning; to be given in bland fluid.

LICORICE. Used principally to alleviate coughs. The following makes an excellent cough remedy:--

Powdered licorice, 1 ounce.
Balsam of Tolu, 1 tea-spoonful.
Boiling water, 1 quart.

To be given at a dose.

LILY ROOT, (_nymphaea odorata_.) Used principally for poultices.

LIME WATER. This article is used in diarrhoea, and when the discharge of urine is excessive. Being an antacid, it is very usefully employed when cattle are hoven or blown. It is unsafe to administer alone, as it often deranges the digestive organs: it is therefore very properly combined with tonics. The following will serve as an example:--

Lime water, 2 ounces.
Infusion of snakehead, (balmony,) 2 quarts.

Dose, a quart, night and morning.

LOBELIA, (herb,) (_lobelia inflata_.) This is an excellent antispasmodic. It is used in the form of poultice for locked-jaw, and as a relaxant in rigidity of the muscular structure.

MANDRAKE, (_podophyllum peltatum_.) Used as physic for cattle, (which see.)

MARSHMALLOWS. See _Althea_

MEADOW CABBAGE ROOT, (_ictodes foetida_.) This plant is used as an antispasmodic in asthma and chronic cough. Dose, a tea-spoonful of the powder, night and morning; to be given in mucilage of slippery elm.

MOTHERWORT, (_leonurus cardiaca_.) A tea of this herb is valuable in protracted labor.

MULLEIN, (_verbascum_.) The leaves steeped in vinegar make a good application for sore throat.

MYRRH. The only use we make of this article, in cattle practice, is to prepare a tincture for wounds, as follows:--

Powdered myrrh, 2 ounces.
Proof spirit, 1 pint.

Set it aside in a close-covered vessel for two weeks, then strain through a fine sieve, and it is fit for use.

OAK BARK, (_quercus alba_.) A decoction of oak bark is a good astringent, and may be given internally, and also applied externally in falling of the womb or fundament.

OINTMENTS. We have long since discontinued the use of ointments, from a conviction that they do not agree with the flesh of cattle. Marshmallows, or tincture of myrrh, will heal a wound much quicker than any greasy preparation. We have, however, often applied fresh marshmallow ointment to chapped teats, and chafed udder, with decided advantage. It is made as follows: Take of white wax, mutton tallow, and linseed oil, each a pound; marshmallow leaves, two ounces. First melt the wax and tallow, then add the oil, lastly a handful of mallows. Simmer over a slow fire until the leaves are crisp, then strain through a piece of flannel, and stir the mixture until cool.

OLEUM LINI, (flaxseed oil.) This is a useful aperient and laxative in cattle practice, and may be given in all cases of constipation, provided, however, it is not accompanied with chronic indigestion: if such be the case, a diffusible stimulant, combined with a bitter tonic, (golden seal,) aided by an injection, will probably do more good, as they will arouse the digestive function. The above aperient may then be ventured on with safety. The dose for a cow is one pint.

OLIVE OIL. This is a useful aperient for sheep. The dose is from half a gill to a gill.

OPODELDOC. The different preparations of this article are used for strains and bruises, after the inflammatory action has somewhat subsided.

_Liquid Opodeldoc._

Soft soap, 6 ounces.
New England rum, 1 pint and a half.
Vinegar, half a pint.
Oil of lavender, 2 ounces.

The oil of lavender should first be dissolved in an equal quantity of alcohol, and then added to the mixture.

PENNYROYAL, (_hedeoma_.) This plant, administered in warm infusion, promotes perspiration, and is good in flatulent colic.

PEPPERMINT, (_mentha piperita_.) An ounce of the herb infused in a quart of boiling water relieved spasmodic pains of the stomach and bowels, and is a good carminative, (to expel wind,) provided the alimentary canal is free from obstruction.

PLANTAIN LEAVES, (_plantago major_.) This article is held in high repute for the cure of hydrophobia and bites from poisonous reptiles. The bruised leaves are applied to the parts; the powdered herb and roots to be given internally at discretion.

PLEURISY ROOT, (_asclepias tuberosa_.) We have given this article a fair trial in cattle practice, and find it to be invaluable in the treatment of catarrh, bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, and consumption. The form in which we generally prescribe it is,--

Powdered pleurisy root, half a table-spoonful.
" marshmallow roots, 1 ounce.

Boiling water sufficient to make a thin mucilage. The addition of a small quantity of honey increases its diaphoretic properties.

POMEGRANATE, (_punica granatum_.) The rind of this article is a powerful astringent, and is occasionally used to expel worms. A strong decoction makes a useful wash for falling of the womb, or fundament. Given as an infusion, in the proportion of half an ounce of the rind to a quart of water, it will arrest diarrhoea.

POPLAR, (_populus tremuloides_.) It possesses tonic, demulcent, and alterative properties. It is often employed, in our practice, as a local application, in the form of poultice. The infusion is a valuable remedy in general debility, and in cases of diseased urinary organs.

PRINCE'S PINE, (_chimaphila_.) This plant is a valuable remedy in dropsy. It possesses diuretic and tonic properties. It does not produce the same prostration that usually attends the administration of diuretics, for its tonic property invigorates the kidneys, while, at the same time, it increases the secretion of urine. The best way of administering it is by decoction. It is made by boiling four ounces of the fresh-bruised leaves in two quarts of water. After straining, a table-spoonful of powdered marshmallows may be added, to be given in pint doses, night and morning.

PYROLIGNEOUS ACID. See _Acid_.

RASPBERRY LEAVES, (_rubus strigosus_.) An infusion of this plant may be employed with great advantage in cases of diarrhoea.

ROMAN WORMWOOD, (_ambrosia artemisifolia_.) This plant is a very bitter tonic, and vermifuge. An infusion may be advantageously given in cases of general debility and loss of cud. A strong decoction may be given to sheep and pigs that are infested with worms. If given early in the morning, and before the animals are fed, it will generally have the desired effect.

ROSE, RED, (_rosa gallica_.) We have occasionally used the infusion, and find it of great value as a wash for chronic ophthalmia. The infusion is made by pouring a pint of boiling water on a quarter of an ounce of the flowers. It is then strained through fine linen, when it is fit for use.

SASSAFRAS, (_laurus sassafras_.) The bark of sassafras root is stimulant, and possesses alterative properties. We have used it extensively, in connection with sulphur, for eruptive diseases, and for measles in swine, in the following proportions:--

Powdered sassafras, 1 ounce.
" sulphur, half a table-spoonful.

Mix, and divide into four parts, one of which may be given, night and morning, in a hot mash.

The pith of sassafras makes a valuable soothing and mucilaginous wash for inflamed eyes.

SENNA A safe and efficient aperient for cattle may be made by infusing an ounce of senna in a quart of boiling water. When cool, strain, then add, manna one ounce, powdered golden seal one tea-spoonful. The whole to be given at a dose.

SKULLCAP, (_scutellaria lateriflora_.) This is an excellent nervine and antispasmodic. It is admirably adapted to the treatment of locked-jaw, and derangement of the nervous system. An ounce of the leaves may be infused in two quarts of boiling water. After straining, a little honey may be added, and then administered, in pint doses, every four hours.

SNAKEROOT, VIRGINIA, (_aristolochia serpentaria_.) This article, given by infusion in the proportion of half an ounce of the root to a pint of water, acts as a stimulant and alterative. It is admirably adapted to the treatment of chronic indigestion.

SOAP. This article acts on all classes of animals, as a laxative and antacid. It is useful in obstinate constipation of the bowels, in diseases of the liver, and for softening hardened excrement in the rectum. By combining castile soap with butternut, blackroot, golden seal, or balmony, a good aperient is produced, which will generally operate on the bowels in a few hours.

SQUILL, (_scilla maritima_.) A tea-spoonful of the dried root, given in a thin mucilage of marshmallows, is an excellent remedy for cough, depending on an irritability of the lungs and mucous surfaces.

SULPHUR. This is one of the most valuable articles in the veterinary _materia medica_. It possesses laxative, diaphoretic and alterative properties, and is extensively employed, both internally and externally, for diseases of the skin. The dose for a cow is a tea-spoonful daily. Its alterative effect may be increased by combining it with sassafras, (which see.)

SUNFLOWER, WILD, (_helianthus divaricatus_.) The seeds of this plant, when bruised and given it any bland fluid, act as a diuretic and antispasmodic. Half a table-spoonful of the seeds may be given at a dose, and repeated as occasion requires.

TOLU, BALSAM OF. This balsam is procured by making incisions into the trunk of a tree which flourishes in Tolu and Peru. It has a peculiar tendency to the mucous surfaces, and therefore is very properly prescribed for epizooetic diseases of catarrhal nature. The dose is half a table-spoonful every night, to be administered in a mucilage of marshmallows. One half the quantity is sufficient for a sheep.

VINEGAR. See _Acetum_.

WITCH HAZEL BARK, (_hamamelis virginica_.) A decoction of this bark is a valuable application for falling of the fundament, or womb. Being a good astringent, an infusion of the leaves is good for scouring in sheep.

WORMSEED, (_chenopodium anthelminticum_.) A tea-spoonful of the powdered seeds, given in a tea of snakeroot, is a good vermifuge: it will, however, require repeated doses, and they should be given at least an hour before the morning meal.

GENERAL REMARKS ON MEDICINES.

Here, reader, is our _materia medica_; wherein you will find a number of harmless, yet efficient agents, that will, in the treatment of disease, fulfil any and every indication to your entire satisfaction. They act efficiently in the restoration of the diseased system to a healthy state, without producing the slightest injury to the animal economy. The Almighty has furnished us, if we did but know it, a healing balm for every malady to which man and the lower animals are subject. Yet how many of these precious gifts are disregarded for the more popular ones of the chemist! Dr. Brown, professor of botany in the Ohio College, says, "Of the twenty or more thousand species of plants recognized and described by botanists, probably not more than one thousand have ever been used in the art of healing; and not more than one fourth of that number even have a place in our _materia medica_ at present. The glorious results, however, attending the researches of those who have preceded us, should inspire us with that confidence and spirit of investigation which will ultimately result in the selection, preparation, and systematic arrangement, of a full, convenient, and efficient _materia medica_." Unfortunately, the medical fraternity, as well as the farmers, have been accustomed to judge of the power of the remedy by its effects, and not in proportion to its ultimate good. Thus, if a pound of salts be given to a cow, and they produce liquid stools,--in short, "operate well,"--they are styled a good medicine, although they leave the mucous surface of the alimentary canal in a weak, debilitated state, and otherwise impair the health; yet this is a secondary consideration. For, if the symptoms of the present malady, for which the salts were given, shall disappear, nothing is thought of the after consequences. The cow may be constipated for several succeeding days, and finally refuse her food; but who suspects that the salts were the cause of it? Who believes that the abstraction of ninety ounces of blood cut short the life of our beloved Washington? We do, and so do others. We are told, in reference to the treatment of a given case, that "the patient will grow worse before he can get better." What makes him worse? The medicine, surely, and nothing else. Now, if ever symptoms are altered, they should be for the better; and if the medicines recommended in this work (provided, however, they are given with ordinary prudence) ever make an animal worse, then we beg of the reader to avoid them as he would a pest-house. This is not all. If any article in this _materia medica_, when given, in the manner we recommend, to an animal in perfect health, shall operate so as to derange such animal's health,--in short, act pathologically,--then it does not deserve a place here, and should not be depended on. But such will not be the result. We recommend farmers to select and preserve a few of these herbs for family use; for they are efficient in the cure of many diseases. And as the services of a physician are not always to be had in small country towns, a little experience in the use and application of simple articles to various diseases seems to be absolutely necessary. It was by the aid of a few of these and similar simple remedies, that we were enabled to preserve the health of the passengers of that ill-fated ship, the Anglo-Saxon. The following testimony has never, until the present time, been made public, and we would not now make use of it, were it not that we wish to show that there are men, and women too, that can appreciate our labors:--

"The undersigned, passengers in the Anglo-Saxon from Boston,
feeling it a duty they owe to Dr. G. H. Dadd, surgeon of the ship,
would here bear testimony to the valuable medical services and
advice rendered by him to us, whilst on shipboard; believing his
attendance has been conducive of the greatest benefit; at times
almost indispensable, not only during the short passage, but also
through the trying period subsequent to the wreck through all of
which, the coolness and devotion to the best interests of his
employers and of the passengers, exhibited by him, deserve at our
hands the highest terms of commendation.

ROBERT EARLE,
S. C. AMES,
BENJAMIN CHAMPNEY,
LEWIS JONES,
HAMILTON G. WILD,
W. A. BARNES,
GIDEON D. SCULL,
W. ALLAN GAY,
ISAAC JENKINS,
PRESCOTT BIGELOW,
A. M. EARLE,
ROSALIE PELBY,
OPHELIA ANDERSON,
HELEN C. DOVE,
ELEANOR TERESA MCHUGH,
JOHN HILLS,
FRANCES BLENKAM,
HARRIET PHILLIPS,
LOUISA A. BIGELOW,

EASTPORT, May 9, 1847."

Notwithstanding this disaster, Enoch Train, Esq., of Boston, with a liberality which does him credit, appointed us surgeon of the ship Mary Ann, commanded by Captain Albert Brown; thus giving us a second opportunity of proving what we had asserted, viz., _that the emigrants might be brought to the United States in better condition, and with less deaths, than had heretofore been done_. It must be remembered that about this time the typhus, or ship fever, was making sad havoc amongst all classes of men, and many talented professional men fell victims to the dire malady. We left Liverpool at a sickly season, having on board two hundred persons, and were fortunate enough to land them in this city, all in good health. Several ships which sailed at the same time, bound also to different ports in the United States, lost, on the passage, from ten to twenty persons, although each ship was furnished with a medical attendant. Here, then, is a proof that our agents cure while others fail.

PROPERTIES OF PLANTS.

Professor Curtis tells us that "herbs, during their growth, preserve their medicinal properties, commencing at the root, and continuing upward, through the stem and leaves, to the flowers and seeds, until fully grown. When the root begins to die, the properties ascend from it towards the seed, where, at last, they are the strongest. Even the virtues of the leaves, after they get their full growth, often go into the seed, which will not be so well developed if the leaves are plucked off early; as corn fills and ripens best when the leaves are left on the stalks till they die. In the annual and biennial plants, the root is worthless after the seed is ripe, and the stem also is of very little value; what virtue there is residing in the bark and leaves also lose their properties as fast as they lose their freshness. All leaves and stems that have lost their color, or become shrivelled, while the roots are in the earth, have lost much of their medicinal power, and should be rejected from medicine." Seeds and fruit should be gathered when ripe or fully matured.

Flowers should be gathered just at the time they come into bloom.

Leaves should be gathered when they have arrived at their full growth, are green, and full of the juices of the plant. Barks should be gathered as early in the spring as they will peel.

Roots should be gathered in the fall, after they have perfectly matured, or early in the spring, before they commence germinating and growing.

POTATO.

Boiled potatoes, mixed up with steamed cornstalks, shorts, &c., make an excellent compound for fattening cattle; yet, at the present time, they are too expensive for general use. We hope, however, that ere long our farmers will take hold of this subject in good earnest,--we allude to the causes of potato rot,--and restore this valuable article of food to its original worth. A few remarks on this subject seem to be called for.

_Remarks on the Potato Rot._

Where are the fine, mealy, substantial "apples of the earth" gone?--and Echo answers, "Where?" They are not to be found at the present day. The farmers have suffered great losses, in some instances by a partial, and in others by a total, failure of their crops. Numberless experiments have been tried to prevent this great national calamity, yet they have all proved abortive, for the simple reason that we have been only treating the symptoms, while the disease has taken a firmer hold, and hurried our subjects to a premature decay. Different theories have been suggested with a view of explaining the causes of the potato rot, none of which are satisfactory. We have the "fungous theory," "insect theory," "moisture theory," "theory of _degeneration_," and "the chemical theory of defective elements." In relation to the "fungous theory" we observe that fungi inhabit decaying organic bodies. They are considered to be a common pest to all kinds of plants, like parasites, living at the expense of those plants. We do not expect to find fungi in good healthy vegetables, at least while they possess a high grade of vital action. It is only when morbid deposits and chemical agencies overcome the integrity or vital affinity of the vegetable that fungous growth commences.

In the fungous development, the living parts of the vegetable are not always destroyed; yet these fungi obstruct vital action by their deposits or accumulations; hence the small vessels that lead from centre to surface are partly paralyzed, and the power peculiar to all vegetables of throwing off useless or excrementitious matter is intercepted. This is not all. The process of imperceptible elimination, which might restore the balance of power in any thing like a vigorous plant, is thus impaired.

Now, it is evident that the fungi are not the cause of the potato rot; they are only the mere effects, the symptoms: preceding these were other manifestations of disorder, and these manifestations, in their different grades, might with equal propriety be charged as causes of the potato rot. The deterioration of the potato has been going on in a gradual manner for a long time. A mild form of disease has existed for a number of years, making such imperceptible change that it has escaped the observation of many until late years, when the article became so unpalatable that our attention has been called to it in good earnest; and by the aid of the microscope we have discovered the fungi. Has this discovery benefited the agriculturist? Not a particle.

The theory of degeneration, without doubt, will assist us to explain the why and wherefore of the potato rot. But this is not all; the community want to know the cause of this degeneracy. We have spent some time in the investigation of this subject, and now give the public, in a condensed form, our opinion of this matter. We may err, but our progress is towards the full discovery of the _direct cause_, and the ways and means best adapted to prevent this sad calamity. The potato came into existence at a certain period in the history of the world. After its discovery, it was taken from the mother soil, the land of its nativity, planted in different parts of the world, and grew to apparent perfection. Our opinion is, that the transplanting was one of the causes of this degeneracy. It is generally known that indigenous plants do not thrive so well on foreign soil as in their native; for example, the plants of the sunny south cannot be made to flourish here in the same degree of perfection as at the south; they require the genial warmth of the sun's rays, which our northern climates lack. The soil, too, mast be adapted to each particular plant. It is true we do cultivate them by ingenuity and chemical agency; yet they seldom equal the original. Need we ask the farmer if he can, from the soil of New England, produce a St. Michael orange equal to one grown on its native soil? or if a squash will grow in the deserts of Arabia? All vegetables, as well as animals, possess a certain amount of vital power, which enables them to resist, to a certain degree, all encroachments on their healthy operations. The potato, having been deprived, in some measure, of its essential element, lost its reciprocal equilibrium, and has ever since been a prey to whatever destructive agents may be present, whether they exist in the soil or atmosphere. Yet we conceive that its total destruction is dependent on another cause, which has been entirely overlooked; for, in spite of the gradual deterioration alluded to, the potato will, for a number of years, continue to keep up a low form of vitality, and result in something like a potato. In order to comprehend the subject, let us, for a moment, consider the conditions necessary for the germination and perfection of vegetable bodies. We shall then be able to decide as to whether or not we have complied with such conditions. The first condition is, we must have _a perfect germ_; secondly, _a ripe seed_; and lastly, _nutrimental agents in the sail, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen_.

The potato requires but a small quantity of moisture to develop the germinating principle; for we have every day evidences of its ability to send forth its fibres, even in the open air. Now, the premature development of these fibrous radicles, or roots, debilitates the tuber; in short, we have a sick potato. Is the potato, under such circumstances, a perfect germ? No. If you examine the potato, with its roots and stem, you will find the cutis, or skin, and mucous membrane. This external skin, _including that of plant, stalk, leaf, and ball_, is to the potato what the skin and lungs are to animals; they, each of them, absorb atmospheric food, and throw off excrementitious matter; the roots and fibres are to the vegetable what the alimentary canal is to the animal. A large portion of the food of vegetables is found in the soil, and enters the vegetable system, through its capillary circulation, by the process of imperceptible elimination and absorption. Now, you must bear in mind that the fibres, stem, and leaves are delicate and tender organs; they are studded with millions of little pores, covered with a membrane of delicate texture, easily lacerated. When these delicate organs are rudely torn off or lacerated, the potato immediately gives evidence of the encroachments of disease; it shrinks, withers, and, although the soil abounds in all that is necessary for its growth and future development, it is not in a fit state to carry on the chemico-vital process. We often take the potato from the soil with a view of preserving it for seed, without any definite knowledge of the exact time of its maturity; as the season arrives for again replanting, the fibres are torn off, and the potato itself is often cut up into two or three pieces; sometimes, however, the smaller potatoes are used for seed. Both practices are open to strong objection. Oftentimes the cut surfaces of the potato are exposed to atmospheric air; evaporation commences, they lose their firm texture, and are more fit for swine than for planting.

The cause of the total destruction may exist in a loss of polarity! We know that all organic and inorganic bodies are subject to the laws of electricity--each has its polarity. Men who are engaged in mining can testify that the stratification of the earth is alternately negative and positive. The hemispheres of the earth are also governed by the same law; for, if you take a magnetic needle and toss it up in this hemisphere, which is negative, the positive end will come to the ground first; but if you pass the magnetic equator, which crosses the common equator in 23 deg. 28', and then toss the needle up, its negative end will fall downwards. Hence we infer that the potato has a polarity, just as man has; and this is the reason of their definite character. Take a bean, and destroy its polarity by cutting it into several pieces, as you do the potato, and all the men on earth cannot make it germinate and grow to perfection. It will die just as a man will, if you destroy the polarity of his brain by wounding it.

Take an egg, and destroy its polarity by making a small puncture through it, and you can never get a chicken from it. A man or an animal will die of locked-jaw, caused by a splinter entering the living organism; and why? Because their electrical equilibrium, or their polarity is destroyed. Some of our readers may desire to know how we can prove that electricity plays a part in the germination and growth of animals and vegetables. In verification of it, we will give a few examples. A dish of salad may, by the aid of electricity, be raised in an hour. Hens' eggs can be hatched by a similar process in a few hours, which would require many days by animal heat. By the aid of electricity, water, which consists of oxygen and hydrogen, may be decomposed, and its elements set free. The poles of a galvanic battery may be applied to a dead body, and that body made to imitate the functions of life.

And lastly, it is through the medium of electrical attraction which bodies have for each other, that all the chemical compositions and decompositions depend. Bodies must be in opposite states of electricity in order to produce a result. Now, if the polarity of the potato is destroyed in the manner we have just alluded to, or should it be destroyed by coming in contact with the blade of a knife, _the latter conducting off the electrical current_, or by any other means, it must deteriorate. We are told that "the potato has several germinating points, and that a part will grow just as well as the whole." Such reasoning will not stand the test of common experience.

For example: the Almighty has endowed man with various faculties, and the perfection of his organism depends on these faculties, as a whole. Now, he may lose a leg, and yet be capable of performing the ordinary duties of life; but this does not prove that he might not perform them much better with both legs. So in reference to the potato. The fact of its ability to reproduce its kind from a small portion of the whole--a mere bud--should not satisfy us that a perfect germ is unnecessary. Then the question arises, How shall we restore the original identity of this valuable article of food?

We have, in the early part of this work, recommended the farmers to study the laws of vegetable physiology. This will furnish them with the right kind of information. We would, however, suggest to those who are desirous of making experiments, to comply with the conditions already alluded to, viz., plant a perfect germ, by which means the potato may be improved. Yet, in order to restore its identity, we must commence by germinating from the seed, and plant that on soil abounding in the constituents necessary for its development. Elevated land abounding in small stones, and hill sides facing the south, are the best situations. Potatoes should never be cultivated on the same spot for two successive years.

In relation to the insect theory, we would observe, that it throws no light on the cause of the potato rot; for, in its gradual decay, that vegetable undergoes various changes; the particles of which it is composed assume new forms, and enter into new combinations; its elementary substances are separated, giving birth to new compounds, some of which result in an insect. We all know that animal and vegetable bodies may remain in a state of putrefaction in water, and be dissolved in the dust; yet some of their original atoms appear in a new system. Hence the insect theory has no more to do with the cause of the potato rot than the fungus.

TREATMENT OF DISEASE IN DOGS.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

A good watch dog is of inestimable value to the farmer; and as very little is at present understood of the nature and treatment of their maladies, we have thought that a few general directions would be acceptable, not only to the farmer, but to every man who loves a dog. We have paid considerable attention to the treatment of disease in this class of animals, and have generally found that must of their maladies will yield very readily to our sanative agents. Most of the remedies recommended by _allopathic_ writers for dogs, like those recommended for horses and cattle, would at any time destroy the animal; consequently, if it ever recovers, it does so in spite of the violence done to the constitution. We hope to rescue the dog, as well as other classes of domestic animals, from a cruel system of medication; for this we labor, and to this work our life is devoted. We ask the reader to take into consideration the destructive nature of the articles used on these faithful animals. Some of them are the most destructive poisons that can be found in the whole world. For example, several authors recommend, in the treatment of disease in the canine race, the following:--

_Tartar emetic_, a very few grains of which will kill a man--yet recommended for dogs.

_Calomel_, a very fashionable remedy, used for producing ulcerated gums and for rotting the teeth of thousands of the human family, as the dentists can testify. Not fit for a dog, yet prescribed by most dog fanciers.

_Lunar caustic_, recommended by Mr. Lawson for fits; to be given internally with cobwebs!! Our opinion is, that it would be likely to give any four-footed creature "_fits_" that took it.

Cowhage, corrosive sublimate, tin-filings, sugar of lead, white precipitate, oil of turpentine, opium nitre--these, together with aloes, jalap, tobacco, hellebore, and a very small proportion of sanative agents, make up the list. In view of the great destruction that is likely to attend the administration of these and kindred articles, we have substituted others, which may be given with safety. Why should the poor dog be compelled to swallow down such powerful and destructive agents? He is entitled to better treatment, and we flatter ourselves that wherever these pages shall be read, he will receive it. In reference to the value of dogs, Mr. Lawson says, "Independent of his beauty, vivacity, strength, and swiftness, he has the interior qualities that must attract the attention and esteem of mankind. Intelligent, humble, and sincere, the sole happiness of his life seems to be to execute his master's commands. Obedient to his owner, and kind to all his friends, to the rest he is indifferent. He knows a stranger by his clothes, his voice, or his gestures, and generally forbids his approach with marks of indignation. At night, when the guard of the house is committed to his care, he seems proud of the charge; he continues a watchful sentinel, goes his rounds, scents strangers at a distance, and by barking gives them notice that he is on duty; if they attempt to break in, he becomes fiercer, threatens, flies at them, and either conquers alone, or alarms those who have more interest in coming to his assistance. The flock and herd are even more obedient to the dog than to the shepherd: he conducts them, guards them, and keeps them from capriciously seeking danger; and their enemies he considers as his own."

DISTEMPER.

_Symptoms._--If the animal is a watch dog, (such are usually confined in the daytime,) the person who is in the daily habit of feeding him will first observe a loss of appetite; the animal will appear dull and lazy; shortly after, there is a watery discharge from the eyes and nose, resembling that which accompanies catarrh. As the disease advances, general debility supervenes, accompanied with a weakness of the hind extremities. The secretions are morbid; for example, some are constipated, and pass high-colored urine; others are suddenly attacked with diarrhoea, scanty urine, and vomiting. Fits are not uncommon during the progress of the disease.

_Treatment._--If the animal is supposed to have eaten any improper food, we commence the treatment by giving an emetic.

_Emetic for Dogs._

Powdered lobelia, (herb,) 1 tea-spoonful.
Warm water, 1 wine-glass.

Mix, and administer at a dose.

(A table-spoonful of common salt and water will generally vomit a dog.)

If this dose does not provoke emesis, it should not be repeated, for it may act as a relaxant, and carry the morbid accumulations off by the alimentary canal. If the bowels are constipated, use injections of soap-suds. If the symptoms are complicated, the following medicine must be prepared:--

Powdered mandrake, 1 table-spoonful.
" sulphur, 1 tea-spoonful.
" charcoal, 2 tea-spoonfuls.
" marshmallows, 1 table-spoonful.

Mix. Divide the mass into six parts, and administer one in honey, night and morning, for the first day; after which, a single powder, daily, will suffice. The diet to consist of mush, together with a drink of thin arrowroot. If, however, the animal be in a state of plethora, very little food should be given him.

If the strength fails, support it with beef tea. Should a diarrhoea attend the malady, give an occasional drink of hardhack tea.

FITS.