ORIGIN.--Mined in a native state and obtained by evaporation of brine,
spring or sea water.
PROPERTIES.--It is officially described as in “colorless, transparent,
cubical crystals, or a white, crystalline powder, odorless and heavy, a
purely saline taste.” Permanent in dry air. Soluble in two and
eight-tenths parts of water at 25° C. (77° F.), and in two and a half
parts of boiling water; almost insoluble in alcohol.
ACTIONS.--Sodium chloride in small doses is a condiment, restorative,
tonic, stomachic, antiferment, alterative, laxative, anthelmintic
antiseptic emetic for dogs and used as an injection for pin worms.
Animals deprived of salt do not thrive as it is an essential constituent
of food necessary to the composition of HCl in the gastric juice, and of
blood plasma, from which it is constantly eliminated in the urine. As an
emetic for dogs one to four drams of salt, and one dram of powdered
mustard dissolved in four ounces of tepid water. Common salt as an
eye-wash is a tonic to the eyes; one dram to a pint of water. Feed
animals refined salt, as rocksalt contains irritating properties due to
its great impurity. A cooling and stimulating lotion for sprains and
bruises may be made by dissolving two ounces of common salt, nitrate of
potash and chloride of ammonia in a quart of water.
Use pure cooking salt in _normal salt solution_, which contains six of
one per cent (about fifty grains to a pint), or may be made at once by
adding a heaping teaspoonful of pure salt into a quart of sterilized
water at a temperature of 100° to 110° F. In cases of azoturia give
plenty of salt; it acts as a diuretic, makes the horse thirsty and
causes him to drink water freely and flushes the kidneys.
DOSE.--Horse, ¹⁄₂ to 1 oz.; cattle, 2 to 3 oz.; sheep, 2 to 4 dr.; pigs,
1 to 2 dr.; dogs, 5 to 20 gr. These doses are stomachic alterative; when
used for cattle as a cathartic and vermifuge give 10 to 20 ounces in
water, usually combined with magnesium or sodium sulphate.