The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-04-28
agrirultupal,
From The Coaajry Geatieman.
The ssesf Es0fGog fQT Animals.

for SieN Fl!EulalS, ~op4Ae sAccesstul, and a
great deal Of it unsuccessful and We
have lutFg SINCE Cone 10 tne gonsla-ion
that the most skiElfli physician we have
ever met With Doctor Nurse. If an
aLimal, as well as Il human being Is
hot carefully taken care af,-nR@cd3--all
thc n,cdiupe in the world can Do but lit
,lc euod Aud, OH the other hand, e"h
good np5eipg, medicine IS generally an
MccesSary. Our own observations lead to
the opriurg that in at least nine cases out
OF ten, as vulnmonly administered. medl
cine does more harm than good.
An eminent New York Physician said
that taking medicine was always choice
OF eyil--th4t being poisons in nearly all
instances, hey necessarily did harm to
the SYSTEM and were never to be employ
I'd unless there was strong probability
that they would benefit more than injure
This is not the rule adopted in docto~ing
h"rscs, BY most horse.iookies, and others
having care Of theae animals, five might
judge frunrthe way in which gunpowder,
salt>, red Pepper, tuFpeHtInc, whl>key,
corrosive sub,Imate, aud other yiolenl
remedies, are administered at hap hazard
increasing in nearly all easps the violence
al the disease. Il may be laid down as Il
general rule, that il IS much safer to give
too little than too mach medicine; and
that none should he given unless we know
distinctly how it is to 0perats, aud what
il is for
Some years ago. a yaluaclG horse eaught
cold. and was troubled with cough 50 Sc
we're tha, he mighlbe heard half nile, and
which appeared to be rapidly reducing
his flesh We had an abundance of pre-
Ecriptions ,fFoH neighbors Of all kinds of
trighttu4 medicines, enough to have killed
him had lie been in perfect state Of health
We concluded to discard all, aud to piace
him under the attention of DR.. Nurse
Great care was taken never to work him
t. pcrspiration was blauketed when
ever the weather was chily-he was fed
gularlv and moderately on sHrcHiem
food, all such food pavtaling Of the char
Acter of eXpectorants, and farorlng free
discharge from the lung -@and all his
other wants were observed az we'll as we
were able to, and promptly supplied. In
Fix weeks he was perfectly well. lad
some nostrum been employed, it might
lave injured him and prcYcnted recovery;
or if it had not, DR.. Nurse might not
have been called in; but If he had, and
the medicine had not greatly retarded his
recovery, and he had got we'll i'll SIX
months, it would unque@tionaby have
been regarded as an extraordinary cure.
At another time, a valuable mare, eleven
years old, was swccnied by hard work
the worst case Of swcehy we eyer met
with. 1t was generally regarded as a
hopeless case-but various remedies were
proposed and offered, costing from $50
down to s.. We concluded that our
friend DR.. Nurse shonid be again called
to the exclusion of all these fellows, and
the consequence Is that with simple mod
crate treatment, the animal is well and the
sweeny filed up.
The majority of sick hor=os get we'll /;
every owner tries some remedy and that
particular medicine that he happened to
be using at the time, gets all the credit
although, as general thing, it retarded
more or less hi, recovery.
We must make one exception in the
general rejection of medicines 10
one, which it given moderately, can SCARCE
w ever iniurc, and may do much good.
This is p0,oacreR ch.rc0ai--a powerful
antiseptic, and absorbent of bad matter.
while, unlike most other medicines, It
does not irritatc--a most important al
vantage A clear illustration Of thus ad
vantage recently occurred in the case of
. fine calf five months old, which had be-
come bloated BY eating too many apples,
blown down by violent gale. It's sides
became extended by wind to an almost
Incredible size solution of saleratus
was poured down its throat repeatedly,
aud as often thrown out violently on ac-
count of its irritating action Oh the throat
uf the young animal. 1t continued for
eighteen hours with little or no improve
ment, when a large tablespoonful Of pow
lered charcoal mixed With half a pint OF
water was given The dose was swallow
ed without any difficulty, and in foul
hours the calf appeared to be perfectly
well. Charcoal may be given in nearly
all cases Of arrangement of the digestion
whether with men or beasts, with grea
advantage. One-half to teaspoonful is
a f,,li dnan for man and as much for ar
animal as his foud exceeds that Of a man
We do not mean to say that there az
Lot other medicines that do not OCCASION
ally prove emiueptly useful; bat Hnles
they can be given Understandings lY,-witI
full comprehension Of their mode Of &C
ton, and with an undoubted knowledg
of the exact nature Of the diseasc. .-ant