[Illustration]
The spaniel of St. Bernard exceeds all others of the same tribe in size
and beauty. He generally reaches two feet in height at the shoulders,
and is upwards of five feet from the nose to the tip of the tail. His
coat is much more curled than that of either the springer or the cocker,
and his hair is very closely set, with short woolly fur at the roots;
his feet like those of all the dogs of cold climates, are protected from
the possibility of being cut by the frost, by being covered with a thick
fur, which, besides, enables him to climb those almost inaccessible
ridges of ice which are so numerous on the Great St. Bernard. There is a
peculiarity about the corners of the eyes of this dog which is
attributed to the snow, and the high Alpine regions which he inhabits.
In point of intelligence, the Alpine spaniel may be reckoned at least
equal to any of the species; and he has the greatest aptitude for
learning anything to which he may be trained. He is peculiarly adapted
to those stormy regions, the Swiss Alps; and Providence, in the wisdom
of its arrangements, seems to have placed him where he was to be most
serviceable to mankind.
These dogs are kept by the monks of the monasteries of the Swiss Alps
for the express purpose of searching, during heavy snow storms, for
travellers who may have fallen into cavities or pits, in which
situation, without timely assistance, they would soon be starved or
frozen to death. The practice is to send them out in pairs, and being
perfectly conversant with the nature of their employment, they traverse
a great extent of the adjoining country. By marks in the snow, but
principally from the scent formed from the breath of persons so situated
exhaling through the drift, they discover the pit that contains the
buried traveller; in which case they instantly return and give the
alarm, when assistance being procured, these sagacious animals lead the
benevolent monks to the relief of the unfortunate individual.
* * * * *
The following anecdote appears to be well authenticated:—In crossing the
mountain St. Gothard, near Airola, the Chevalier Gaspard de Brandenberg
and his servant were buried by an avalanche; his dog, who escaped the
heap of snow, did not quit the place where he had lost his master: this
was fortunately not far from the convent; the animal howled, ran to the
convent frequently, and then returned; struck by his perseverance, the
next morning the people from the house followed him; he led them
directly to the spot, scratched the snow, and after thirty-six hours
passed beneath it, the Chevalier and his domestic were taken out safe,
hearing distinctly, during their confinement, the howling of the dog,
and the discourse of their deliverers. Sensible that to the sagacity and
fondness of this creature he owed his life, the gentleman ordered by his
will, that he should be represented on his tomb with his dog; and at
Zug, in the church of St. Oswald, where he was buried in 1728, they
still show the monument, and the effigy of the gentleman, with the dog
lying at his feet.—_Brown_—_Daniel._
ALTERATIVES, _s._ Gentle medicines which act gradually upon the
constitution.
Those commonly employed are nitre, antimony, sulphur, resin, and
Æthiop’s mineral, exhibited in combination. _Laxative Alteratives_ are
substituted for purgatives: _diuretic_ are recommended for reducing or
preventing swellings of the leg; and _diaphoretic_ to increase
insensible perspiration, and assist the coating of the horse.
ALUM, _s._ A saline body, composed of sulphuric acid, alumine, and
potash.
It is used internally as an astringent, in diarrhœa, diabetes, &c., and
externally as a remedy for grease. When burnt it is efficacious in
cleansing ulcers, and for this purpose usually combined with red
precipitate.
Alum is produced by placing a quantity of crude alum in an iron ladle,
and keeping it over a slow fire until the watery particles are
evaporated, and the mass becomes a light and pulverisable substance.
ALUMINOUS, _a._ Relating to alum, or consisting of alum.
AMAUROSIS, _s._ A dimness of sight, not from any visible defect in
the eye, but from some distemperature in the inner parts,
occasioning the representations of flies and dust floating
before the eyes.
In horses, this disease is caused by a pressure of blood upon the nerve
of the eye; and in the earlier stages may be relieved by bleeding, but
when of long standing it is incurable.
AMBLE, _v._ To move upon an amble, to pace; to move easily; to walk
daintily.
AMBLE, _s._ An easy pace.
AMBLER, _s._ A pacer.
AMBURY, _s._ A bloody wart on a horse’s body.
The removal of amburies, or warts, is commonly effected by a tight
ligature of silk; but, in every case, no matter where the wart may be,
the use of the knife is preferable. Some farriers touch them with
arsenic, mixed with a little soft soap; but this is a dangerous method,
and often produces a serious degree of inflammation and sloughing.
Farriers generally endeavour to get rid of wens by blistering, but this
never answers; and sometimes they use arsenic and soap; but this is not
only very dangerous, but generally ineffectual also. The knife is the
safest, most expeditious, and most effectual remedy for wens, and every
kind of encysted tumour. When a considerable artery is opened in cutting
out a wen, the bleeding may be stopped by tying it, by means of a
tenaculum or a crooked needle, or the bleeding vessel may be laid hold
of by a pair of forceps and tied.