This is a new disease, confined so far, to dogs in the Southern states. Personally, I have never seen a case of it, and do not pretend to try to advise as to treatment. The following was written by the late Polk Miller of Richmond, Va., (and a valued friend of mine he was), and I am giving his article and treatment, due to the great confidence I felt in him as a gentleman sportsman, and lover of dogs.

Black Tongue Or The "New Disease."

There is a new disease among the dogs in our Southern States, and in some of the Northern and Western States (though to a limited extent), which is giving great trouble and anxiety among dog-owners. I say new, because it has appeared in the last ten years. It is called "Black Tongue" by the majority of people, but as that does not appear in all cases, it is called the "New Disease." A dog which is perfectly well today may be extremely ill tomorrow, 'and if the disease is not arrested in twenty-four to thirty-six hours, it generally proves fatal. A close watch should be kept to see that it doesn't get too good a start. The symptoms, as nearly as I can describe them, are as follows: General languor, dullness about the eyes, little or no appetite, a dryness about the mouth and throat (sometimes swelling), and high fever. In some cases the glands are excited-and a profuse flow of saliva is noticed, but in most cases the tongue is dry, and the poor brute seems anxious, though unable, to swallow water, on account of inability to lap the liquid. These are some of the most noticeable symptoms, and the dog thus affected is indisposed to notice the call or caresses of his master, and manifests a disposition to roam about in a listles manner, preferring to be "severely left alone." Whatever may be the opinion of others as to a proper treatment, or a name for this disease, it is my belief, from personal experience with it, that it should be treated in the same manner as our old physicians treated diphtheria in human beings before the new remedy - anti-toxin - was discovered. I give that, and trust that the lives of many dogs that would otherwise die may be saved. I have never failed to cure a dog by the prompt use of this treatment at the very first appearance of the trouble, and I have never known one to get well when two days have elapsed before the remedy was applied:

Chlorate of Potassium.........................1/2 ounce.

Mur. Tine. Iron ..............................1/2 ounce.

Water ...................................... 1 pint.

Sig

Mix, shake, and with a soft rag protruding over the end of a stick, dip into the solution and thoroughly mop out the mouth and throat twice daily, for two days.

The following was written by someone south, who seemed to know from experience as to Black Tongue. The 3 grain dose given of thymol, was used on a Foxhound, probably a fifty pound dog, therefore exercise judgment, (as thymol is a dangerous drug), for smaller dogs:

"As to black tongue, I use the thymol, as it is a better, antiseptic for the intestinal tract, and, in addition to this I use alternately a wash of permanganate of potash and a saturated watery solution of alum. I give the thymal rubbed up with pure Castile soap and put into capsules, giving one capsule containing three grains of thymol every four hours. I wash the mouth out before each capsule is given, alternating with the two solutions mentioned above.

As the dog sick with black tongue will not eat, as a rule, I drench him with milk morning and night, sometimes adding a raw egg to the milk.

I want to give just a few warnings to those unfamiliar with the use of thymol. Its use in the human being is attended with a certain amount of danger, and this is doubly so in the dog. It should never be given to a dog until the intestinal tract has been thoroughly cleaned out with salts. The dog should then be starved for at least twelve hours before the thymol is administered, and this should be followed in six hours with another dose of salts. The dog should then be given nothing to eat for several hours more. Under no circumstances should the dog be allowed any fat for several hours after the last dose of salts and he should have nothing whatever to eat between the first and last dose of salts.

Several fatal cases of poisoning are on record from the use of thymol in the treatment of hookworm in the human. Chenopodium, or the oil of wormseed, is a far safer drug to use. In addition to its being a safer drug, it has been proven that it effects cures of hookworm in the human where thymol has been given and has failed. In the Journal of the American Medical Association of. November 28, 1914, Dr. Robert L. Levy of Johns Hopkins Hospital reports two cases of hookworm treated and cured with oil of wormseed where thymol had failed. He also gives the 'coefficient of efficacy' in the same percentage as the article you have quoted. He gives the following mode of administration: First day - Liquid diet; 8 p. m. one ounce Epsom salts. Second day - Omit .breakfast and lunch; at 5 a. m. one ounce of Epsom salts; at 7, 9 and 11, sixteen drops of oil chenopodium on a little granulated sugar; 1 p. m. one ounce castor oil containing fifty minims of chloroform; soft supper (this for a dog would be a little baker's bread soaked in milk). Third clay - Resume full diet."

Another southern writer has this to say:

"While it has not been definitely determined whether or not this disease is due to hookworm infestment, indications suggest a very close relation, as postmortem examinations have shown hookworms and great intestinal inflammation. Lt is probable that the toxin which the hookworm injects into the dog's blood may cause the disease. It is not contagious, nor can it be communicated by feeding or drinking from the same vessel. An experiment was recently made by feeding parts of stomach and intestines of a dog which died of an acute case of black tongue to several healthy dogs, and no ill effects developed. Another fact that is quite apparent is that black tongue is never found except in sections of the country, which includes the entire South, where the hookworm is known to exist" As to the treatment for hookworms, see "Hookworms" in the regular worm article.