It would seem, that in the treatment of dogs in disease, some people draw from a fund of accumulated and transmitted ignorance, and display the least possible common sense and judgment. Remedies of the greatcst efficacy and virtue, become exceedingly dangerous in the hands of the careless and incompetent, and many dogs are sacrificed by man's stupidity, as well as destroyed by that flend incarnate, the dog poisoner.

No where will that old saying better apply than in connection with the use of medicine, "a little knowledge makes men foolish".

An article lately appeared in a prominent sportsman's paper, under the heading, "Treatment of Poisoned Dogs," which well illustrates this. It said, "The lives of many valuable dogs can be saved by the prompt use of a very simple remedy. As soon as you know a dog has been poisoned, inject about an ounce of hydrate of chloral into his back with a hypodermic syringe, the quantity to be governed by the size of the dog and severity of his symptoms. As long as there is life in him do not despair. I have known dogs to have been saved by this treatment when in the death throes". Nothing could be either more absurd, or more dangerous than this advice. One ounce of chloral hydrate is four hundred and eighty grains; the dose of this agent is from five to twenty grains. The rule when medicine is administered subcutancously is one half the quantity given by the mouth. In cases of strychnine poisoning, the need is more urgent, and the usual doses can be safely increased; twenty grains however would be quite enough to introduce hypodermically, as it acts quickly, and the need of a larger dose would be readily apparent. The adviser says "the quantity to be governed by the size of the dog". It is presumed it would matter little, were anything near four hundred and eighty grains administered. Again to " inject into the back," an abscess would surely result, leaving an unsightly scar. While chloral hydrate is indicated in cases of poisoning by strychnine and other drugs producing convulsions, its use would surely prove fatal in poisoning by narcotics.

Not alone in the care of animals, is shown this same stupid reasoning. The writer recalls a case he once treated, that of* woman who had effectually used creosote on a pledget of cotton pressed into an aching tooth. Shortly after on being attacked with earache, reasoning that the remedy, if a success in one instance, must surely be good in another, had a quantity dropped into her ear; the result can be imagined.

The writer had a valuable horse overcome by the heat. His driver much alarmed, was ready to do anything and everything advised. A bystander recommended am ounce of the tincture of aconite root, which was at once secured and administered. At least eight hundred drops were given of the drug, whereas ten to fifteen drops would have been reasonably large. Man's stupidity will never allow the limit of illustrations of this character to be reached.

While on the subject of poisons, certain rules in the use of medicines are appropriate.

Never undertake to prepare complicated prescriptions, but depend upon a competent and reliable druggist.

Protect your labels. If one is lost, sacrifice the contents of the bottle rather than be in doubt.

Use great care in dropping medicine. When uncertain about the accuracy of the dose, throw it away and drop again.

Remember that medicine can be repeated if necessary, but cannot be recalled after once given. Give too small rather than too large doses.

All drugs require a certain time to act in, and must not be repeated until a proper interval has been allowed.

There is no protection from the poisoning flend. Apothecaries are by law forbidden to sell poisons. They can easily be obtained however without legal responsibility. Fills of strychnine, nux vomica, arsenic, etc., each containing the proper dose can be bought without suspicion, implying they are for personal use, several of them pressed into meat, thrown into the vicinity of the hated dog, and the hellish purpose be accomplished.

One author has stated, "as a general rule for distinguishing between the evidence of poisoning and the symptoms of disease, the suddenness of the attack must weigh largely, and by tracing where the dog has been, and what he has or is likely to have picked up, a pretty accurate conclusion can be arrived at".

This is about all that can be said on this subject. At the same time, it is essential to remember that there are many exceptions to this rule.

Borne agents are more readily absorbed than others. Poisons taken into the stomach when empty, necessarily act much more speedily than when full, thus if that organ is loaded the appearance of the symptoms may be delayed some hours. Sleep may retard the action of some agents. It must be also remembered that there are many diseases which commence suddenly, and rapidly run to a fatal termination. Internal hemorrhages, severe inflammations of the stomach or intestines, often set in suddenly and might be taken for poisoning.

The process of diagnosis by elimination, described elsewhere, will aid much in cases of suspected poisoning.

It would be advisable where valuable dogs are owned, that a few remedies be prepared, and kept in anticipation ot possible poisoning. Sulphate of zinc for an emetic, laudanum or paregoric for pain, chloral hydrate for convulsions (mixture of one drachm of the drug to an ounce of water). These, with a glass syringe holding from one to two tablespoonfuls, are of great use in emergences where delay is fatal.

In cases of poisoning, the methods of treatment indicated are: - Get rid of the Poison - Stop its action - Remedy the mischief it has done.

A consideration of the more common poisons and their antidotes, is all that space permits. Aside from drugs, other means are sometimes em. ployed by the destroyers. Powdered glass is often used, and a sponge compressed while wet, then tightly rolled with twine, dried, and introduced into a piece of meat, is another method, producing certain death by intestinal obstruction. When glass is known to have been taken into the stomach, never give cathartics, but exclude drinks and give solid food with the hope of enveloping the particles, and thereby protecting against internal laceration.