POISONING BY CAUSTIC ALKALIES.
The cause consists in the administration of insufficiently diluted solutions of ammonia in cases of tympanites, or the ingestion of quick-lime, used for disinfecting stables, by animals suffering from depraved appetite.
The symptoms indicate injury to the anterior part of the digestive tract. They consist in salivation, loss of appetite, colic, indigestion, diarrhœa, and progressive loss of strength.
Diagnosis is only possible when the history is clear.
The prognosis is grave if the doses swallowed have been so large as to cause severe burning of the mouth, œsophagus, rumen, etc. The local lesions are grey and soft.
Treatment consists in immediately giving acidulated draughts containing vinegar or 1, 2 or 3 per cent. of hydrochloric acid, and emollient, mucilaginous drinks containing opium for the purpose of calming the irritation.
POISONING BY CAUSTIC ACIDS.
Cases of this kind are rare. Gerlach described a case of poisoning by straw which had been removed from sulphuric acid carboys. Abadie saw a number of cases which were traced to the unskilful treatment of two empirics.
The symptoms point to the existence of stomatitis, œsophagitis, and gastro-enteritis. Death occurs rapidly, with a running-down pulse. On post-mortem examination one discovers more or less deep burning of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract.
The diagnosis is difficult in the absence of information.