(seq. 475)

468

Materia Medica

Sialagogues

dog supposed to be really mad he is salivated & no hydraphobia
ensues, but here verry probable the dog was not really mad, another is
bitten by a dog actually mad, he uses mercury and escapes the disorder
and here mercury has the credit of preventing the disease.
Hydraphobia does not always follow the bite of a mad animal, though
doubtless it may have been prevented by mercury. I believe that if
salivation could be induced at the time the disease would have
commenced it would verry probably prevent its accession, the
interval between the time of the bight and the occurrance of the disease,
is generally about 30 or 40 days, the question is at what time
the ptyalism should be induced, it has been a common practice
to give the mercury immediately after the bite of the animal has
been inflicted, the salivation commenced a few days after, and
continued a short time, and was suffered to subside before a
return of the symptoms. I think we should not attempt to bring
on a salivation untill a few days before the shortest period at
which the symptoms may be expected to appear. Mercury has been
employ’d as a remidy in the bite of Poisonous animals, but with
not much effect.

Yaws. Or Phrambesia of Nosological Writers.
Mercury has been employ’d. Physicians differ respecting its use,