THE SURGERY AND MEDICINE OF HORSES.

BY BRACY CLARK, F.L.S.

Member of the Royal Institute of France, and Ecole Roy ale de Medicine, of the
Copenhagen, Berlin, Stutgard and Frankfort Royal Agricultural
Societies, tyc.

PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, No. 7, TAUNTON PLACE, REGENT'S PARK,

AND SOLD BY CHARLES CLARK, GILTSPUR STREET, SMITHFIELD,

AND RENSHAW, BOOKSELLER, 356, STRAND.

As the anatomy of the Horse should ever form the first class of Horse-knowledge, under the title Hippo-
tomia ; so the second class will be the whole therapeutic, or healing art of this animal, making a very large
and comprehensive class, to which we give the title of Hippiatria ; and which we divide, for greater con-
venience of handling, into five orders, as follows, viz.�

HIPPOCHIRURGIA ; or, the Surgery of Horses.

HIPPONOSOLOGIA; or, the Diseases of Horses ; their Symptoms, and Treatment.

HIPPOPHARMACOPOIEA; consisting of the Medicines used, and their proper combinations. To

which we add the
HIPPOCOM1A ; treating of the Dieting of the horse, and of any medicaments used to promote his good

appearance, or condition, as 'tis called, and to this we may add the

HIPPIATRIA MISCELLANEA; for the entering all matters not properly referable to any of the
above divisions, as Mechanical Apparatus of all kinds ; Galvanics, if such be used ; Natural History of
the Horse ; his General History ; Litigation also, arising from Morbid Affections; and all the other
auxiliaries appertaining to Horse Medicine and Surgery; thus constituting something of a System in
these affairs.

Having formerly in Dr. Rees's Cyclopaedia given a brief sketch of several parts of the Equine anatomy,
of those parts more especially of this noble animal which required it, as differing- the most widely from those
of the human, to which more ample details were afterwards added respecting that important part, the foot of the
horse, and of his shoeing, exhibiting for the first time its dire and hitherto mysterious evils. We afterwards
took up the pharmaceutic department, and hope and trust we have left useful matter for the Veterinarian in
that publication: also a General History of horse knowledge, and some parts of the natural history of this
precious animal. We are now venturing not without apprehensions, upon the departments of the medicine and
surgery of this noble slave, from a pretty extensive period of experience and labor upon it, which has been
mercifully permitted us ; and after a few general prefatory strictures, or remarks, we shall pursue this elncida-
tion in a simple alphabetic order, as being the most easy for reference of any, to the practitioner.

It may not however be without its use in the first place, just to explain the meaning of the terms above
employed for divisions, as all practising these arts are not alike versed in the Greek and Latin languages, and
to whom therefore it may not be unacceptable. Such terms are ever useful, indeed necessary, as saving much
circumlocution and affording more precise boundary lines than long definitions, and in facilitating also the
writing, thinking, and even reasoning, upon these subjects.

The word Hippiatria is derived from the Greek hippos, a horse, and iatros, a physician, forming together
a term that was much wanted in our art, since the word Farriery usually employed for it, has in reality no
relation'whatever to medicine or surgery, referring only to the shoeing department, being derived from the
Latin Ferrum, iron. Hippotomia is from hippos, a horse, and tomo, to cut. Hippochirurgia, from hippos,
a horse, heir, the hand, and urgos, work; signifying, bone-setting, and sawing, and other operations of the
hands, the very mechanical part of surgery, in which, though adroitness be a very commendable thing, it is an
inferior quality to that of a solid judgment in the knowledge of the powers and wonderful resources of nature,
in performing cures, without our too officiously resorting to operations, especially painful ones, or any such under-
taken from unworthy motives. Hipponosologia, from nosos, a disease, and logos, a discourse. Hippocomia,
is from hippos, a horse, and komoo, to adorn, or to ornament, and hence perhaps our word comely, also I
hardly doubt if the familiar word comb, may not have had its origin in some way, from the same root.

In entering on a work of horse-surgery one should be failing in our moral duties not to recommend
earnestly the employment towards these worthy slaves of the utmost kindness and humanity, which their merits
certainly entitle them to, and not to let them be exposed, to any wanton suffering or infliction ; remembering
that they are defenceless, therefore claiming our best protection, and to him who is merciful, mercy will be
meted out in the day of awful account. The truly enlightened and intelligent veterinarian also will not take
up the profession solely and wholly to make all the money he can by it, but to do all the good that lies in his
power, in relieving their wants and necessities, and in saving them from any unnecessary abuse and persecution,
too readily dealt out by the mercenary and the interested. At the same time, by intelligence in his profession,
he can teach the public how to secure their efforts and make the most of their services without loss or injury
to their owners or themselves, and in what consists their truest interests in their use.

By many it was hoped, and it might certainly very reasonably be expected, that the establishment of a
Veterinary College in this kingdom, by taking the affairs of the horses very much out of the hands of the
common Smiths, and Farriers, would ensure a more enlightened, and a more humane treatment of the animal,
almost as a natural consequence, but alas ! we are obliged to confess that, at the present, no such effects
have been produced by it, but that operations as they are called, upon them, under one pretence or other, have,
increased in a tenfold ratio, and such scenes of cruelty have been perpetrated as would make a man shudder.

It may perhaps afford some extenuation of such conduct, and that it does not wholly proceed from cruelty, and
a desire to get money at the expence of their feelings, that it is almost ever the case that in passing from a
course of vulgar routine, or ignorant empiricism, to one founded on really scientific rules, and principles,
blunders will be committed, and let us charitably hope they may have proceeded from this state of transition,
at any rate such is their best apology. An enumeration of a few of these errors may not be without its use
in preventing a repetition, or revival of them when the present period may have passed away, and been forgotten.
The first error these reformers of the college fell into, and were most deeply embogged in, was the doctrine of
frog-pressure, first introduced from France by St. Bel, but who was, from past experience perhaps in France,
more cautiously occupied with it, but which was taken up by his successor with headlong devotion. The mistake
consisted in supposing the horse's furch, or frog, as they called it, was intended by nature as a kind of bolt or
wedge to force the inflexions, or heels asunder, and sometimes that it acted the part of a plough, in driving
into the ground, and stopping the horse! This delusion was worked upon with blind pertinacity for the space
of thirty years, or more, although for the last two thirds of that time, the clearest evidence of the folly and
falsity of such doctrine existed in full radiance before the eyes of the blind zealot, but alas, to no purpose !
the idea was clever, and abstracted and it therefore must be right, said they. Horses innumerable got punished
and thump't upon their tender frogs, some by hard iron bars attached to the shoe, and some by having their
inflexural columns removed and lowered, to bring this part in contact with the road, which it was rarely or
never meant to touch, of such inflexible materials is a College.* The falsity of the system now almost
every tyro in the art understands, which was for so long a period incomprehensible to the professor, and in his
harangue to his pupils any allusion to it now only serves to excite a smile. But what recompence can he make
to the poor creatures, for the tortures he thus inflicted upon them, in this obstinate manner, when evidence clear
as daylight existed of its absurdity ? and every experiment of his own must have evinced it. What recompence
can he make to the youths thus deluded, and who lost their professional reputation, and business perhaps, by
following such an infatuation ? or, what benefit have they awarded to him who first discovered the cheat ?

One other abuse of the art, we would wish now to speak of and repudiate, which, although not proceeding
directly from the college, is proceeding from one of its favourite emissaries, and has not met with its veto: and
that is the unspeakable abomination of firing through the skin of horses' legs. It always appeared to me
revolting enough, after an animal had lent us his assistance and had done his best, and beyond what ought to
have been required of him, both for his own sake and his owners, for he had injured himself thereby, instead of
receiving rewards and caresses for such meritorious exertions, which had, it is to be hoped, benefited his owner
also, he should receive instead of kindly treatment the glowing favour of a red hot iron, applied to the sensible
skin of his legs: and our debutant of the college, not content with a light firing, has proposed the above
horror. For my part, I always thought a light firing the best, and so did M. Crepin, one of the best veteri-
narians in Paris, with whom I conversed on this subject when in that metropolis, and can only compare such
an abominable proposition to the killing the goose that is to lay the golden eggs.

* It is truly curious to observe the vast deference that is often shown to a place so designated, a sort of blind reverence
that is unaccountable, or as though there was something superhuman about a college, although the word has its sole source
from the simple Latin verb colligo, to collect; meaning therefore, nothing more than a collection, and such may be good,
bad, or indifferent, as it happened, and nothing demanding such an implicit acquiescence. It is lamentable however, to
see, that corporate bodies having vested interests ingrafted in this way, dare to perpetrate iniquities that no individual dare
attempt, suppressing often that very knowledge which they were bound in duty to foster and encourage, but which they
keep out of sight for fear of laying open some interested corruption, or some glaring ignorance, deficiency, or inconsistency,
of their own.

Legs most hideously enlarged, have we seen from this scandalous practice, with imminent peril of a general
sloughing of the skin ; and one instance of a fatal issue has come to our certain knowledge from this frightful
method of firing. We consider it a paragon of folly as an operation for producing beneficial effects, and as
surpassing in cruelty all the operations in use with the unwashed, unreformed school, of the old farriers. A
stroke of the red hot iron we should suppose about equal to the cutting of twenty knives, in stripes of the
same length, that it may be imagined a little what the animal has to suffer from some scores of these lines,
when inflicted in the cool, deliberate manner, we have at times seen it done, by one of the reformed school, to
eVince to the bystanders"his complete self-possession, in doing an operation. If a horse has been so damaged
by his employer as to make it necessary to resort to such measures, surely it would be a hundred times more
merciful to destroy him at once, than to torment him in this way. We here desist from further remark on this
subject as there wiU be again occasion to advert to it in its place under the article, Firing.

There is still another piece of refined cruelty in the operation way, and proceeding from the College itself,
that we feel bound to notice in the preamble to a work of this sort and this is, nerving, or rather, unnerving,
the legs of horses, usually adopted for lamenesses of the feet. Where the sagacity of the reformed school
is unable to discern the cause of a horse's going lame, for instance in cases of contracted feet, the common
and most frequent source of lameness among horses, it is a ready means of getting rid of the question to pro-
nounce it a case of founder, and then to propose a severing of the nerves, going to the part, and proclaiming
it, " a brilliant discovery," and from the frequency of contracted feet, they would not fail of having plenty of
such cases to reward the operator. Now if this most exquisite operation, for cutting of nerves is an exquisite
affair, was really performed in a bona fide manner, upon the principal, or main nerves of the limb, the
animal went stumping about, for it could hardly be called going, till his hoofs came off, and sometimes, as we
ourselves saw examples of, the accident happened whilst the horse was in the middle of the road performing
his work, at other times the separation was first detected while standing in the stable, by the finger of the
groom, and such was inevitably leading to the destruction of the animal, since a succedaneous hoof is well
known to be of little, or no use. This dread catastrophe it would appear, results from a want of due nutrition
to the hoof, and the other parts concerned, as arteries, when deprived of their accompanying nerves, do not
act with the same energy as when these are present, and further that, by the removal of these faithful watch-dogs,
which are bestowed to give timely notice of any part not being in a state fit for service, that such in proper
time may be desisted from ; for, a part that is not in a condition for use, being used, some derangement or
dismemberment, will be the consequence. Finding these calamitous results, they became pretty quickly
more cautious, and wary, and took to partially, or only half nerving, snipping only twigs and branches of
nerves, but as such did not always remove the sensation of lameness, and occasioned demurrings, and unsatis-
factory results, so the rage for this wholesale proceeding, then begun to experience some degree of remission.
However, malgre tout cela, an operation was much too good a thing to be given up, and abandoned, which
afforded such opportunity of surgical displays, and of profit too, so that it became less cautiously exhibited in
the skirts of the town, and in the country, in the former we knew those who made it a boast of the numbers
they had so served, and had hopperated upon, and of the astonishing quickness with which they did the
same, and the great traffic they had made in carrying on the game. At length however, they began to
discover, and the public also began to assist them a little in this knowledge, that these cases of founder were
only mere cases of contraction, and that by a proper attention to the shoeing these might be relieved, by giving
the foot a little more liberty upon the expansive principle, and this they then added to their operation, but took
good care to ascribe all the good, to the operation only, and nothing to the shoeing ; in this way a slight

scratch or two and a little blood issuing, was found would do as well in some cases, in securing the bonus, as
the real operation, and at length we hear but little of this nerving, and as the expansion principle becomes
more and more practised, and understood, we shall hear still less and less of it. My friend Moorcroft indeed
first raised the suggestion of nerving, but from humane motives, and from fearing the abuses of it in vulgar
hands, kept it very much to himself.

In an introduction to the surgery of horses, it is proper that any surreptitious practices, and abuses, so easily
fallen into, should be exposed, as much for the honour of the profession, as out of regard to the animals
themselves. We shall therefore notice in this place another pruriency of the reformed college, which appears
to deserve some little attention, if not castigation, not at all fearing to lose by it, the support and patronage of a
college, or indeed of a profession, we never, except in a very few instances indeed, cordially obtained, although
always endeavouring by the most earnest means to merit it, and by our researches to promote and deserve it.
We shall not now therefore at the eleventh hour on that account withhold anything which we think may be
of benefit to the animals, or may render the future profession more intelligent, more useful, or more humane.

The practice lately fallen upon, and which we have above alluded to is, that of running setons through the
horse's furches, or frogs, as they are called, under pretence of discovering a disease which can in reality only be
known by dissection after death, the interest concerned in so doing the reader will readily divine without its
being particularly mentioned by name.

The facts of the case appear to be these, that there is undoubtedly occasionally found in shod feet an ulceration
or erosion, of the shuttle, or nut-bone, (os nuciforme,) which bone is placed across the foot, immediately behind
or at the back, of the coffin-bone. It has appeared to us not imnrobable, that this disease may have had
its origm, or been occasioned, by an undue pressure upwards of the horn-sole, and all the lower parts of the
foot, from the too violent nailing on, of the shoe, and in some cases, more especially where a lowness of the
bones of the foot from natural structure existed, or from the want of a sufficient mass of elastic material, between
the horn-sole and this bone, or otherwise from an unusual elevation of the commissural ridges of the sole, or
from one or all of these circumstances combined, an unusual pressure then upon this cross-disposed bone of the
foot would take place, and at length an erosion, more or less extensive, of its inferior surface. Now this they have
chosen to eall the Navicular Disease, confounding thereby this bone, at least in name, with the navicularis
bone of the human anatomy, to which in situation, appearance, or use, it has not the smallest affinity, thereby
creating much confusion, and obscurity. Moorcroft appears to have been the first to notice such an erosion,
but did not conjecture its cause, and indeed so very rare is it, that in fifty years' close application to the feet
of horses, and very frequent dissections of them, which those perhaps who have witnessed, and read my labours?
and discoveries therein, will give me credit for, I never met with but a single, solitary case of this disease, which
I figured, and gave an account of, in an extra, or supplementary plate, with other matters, adding it to the eleven
plates I had previously given in that work on the foot. Others I know have collected together numerous
bones of this kind, ulcered and eroded, but many of them obviously, had been the results of kennel-nail cases,
or cases of canker, which should not have been at all confounded with it; or it may be that this disease may
also have its source from the long continued constraining exertion necessary in going on the toe, as where the
heels had become tender from a contraction of the whole foot, the usual effect of common shoeing, or from
other bad practices, aided perhaps also by the presence of, and tenderness from, running frushes.

Now the discovery of this rare disease has been made quite a mare's-nest of, with some of this profession,
who have also turned it to good account, and if any case of lameness presented, that was a little obscure, and of
such there will be always plenty, it was immediately declared to be, a Navicular ! And what might the reader

imagine was then the remedy proposed, why an operation of course, and no other than that of casting down
the poor horse, always attended with affright and terror, almost as bad as the operation, and running a kni�e
through his furch or frog, as it is foolishly called, a part wholly unfitted by its texture and construction for any
such operation, and at too great a distance from the nut-bone, the seat of the disease, to do any real good. In
passing the blade through, he first had to encounter the whole thickness of the horn of the part, of little use
truly, in procuring a suppuration from, he next transfixes the cartilaginous capsule lining the horny cavity of the
furch, and he then drives it through the cartilaginous, constrated layers, extending across the cavity of this
lining capsule, and finally and lastly through the intervening pulpy gelatinous membranes which are interposed
between these layers, precious materials all, truly, for obtaining a suppuration from, and how such suppuration
when obtained, was to heal an ulcer situated at the distance of the shuttle-bone, with all the various matters
interposed between these two parts, is no easy matter to explain.

Where such an ulcer, from any circumstances attending the case, might fairly be supposed to exist, the
remedy to be adopted, as we believe, should be, at least as it at present appears to us, is to insist upon a total
remission of the original cause of the evil viz. the nail shoeing; and next, to order a prolonged run at grass, without
shoes, where the cooling sod to the foot itself, and the refreshing herbage to the body, or system, would generally
after a time, it is probable, bring back the suffering parts, to their pristine tone, and condition, and then would
take place, the healing of the sore. But if of necessity the horse could not be spared from his work, the working
of him as moderately as possible, without shoes, or with shoes only lightly applied, and upon the expansion
system, or with tips, or a paratrite, such would enable him to perform as much as an injured subject of this kind
ought to be expected to give. In short, he ought to be treated in all respects, we apprehend, as for a general
contraction of the whole foot from shoeing, as we can never get at the ulcer itself.

Now there are many in this profession no doubt, who intend honourably, and well, and men also of humanity,

but such is not always the case in the motley groups who go up to pay their twenty guineas to get a sanction from

the college for all this sort of practice, we are therefore desirous to warn the public against this intolerable passion

so many are found to have, for resorting to operations, some to exhibit their coolness and surgical skill, and others

for ends we need only allude to, without particularly naming. And further to augment this frightful

propensity, there has lately an Italian veterinarian, come over to this country, recommending various absurd

operations upon the round bone of the poor horse, in cases of lameness behind, on pretences the most absurd,

and with a most revolting cruelty, reviving to the letter the tricks that used to be played formerly, by the old

farriers with this part, a part so truly strong by nature, as hardly ever liable to be out of order.

An account of this Italian's most wise, and most merciful suggestions, duly displayed, may be seen in the
veterinary periodical of the day.

In human surgery the practice is not half so sanguinary as formerly; nor are half the operations now
performed that used to be eagerly resorted to. A slight depression of the cranium was enough for the surgeon
formerly to fetch out his trephine, and bore through the skull of the poor patient; now it is found nature can
remove in most cases such an inconvenience, without any other aid than keeping the system right. The painful
operation of cutting for the stone now is nearly superseded by the crushing instruments ; heavy splints for broken
bones are much abandoned for the simple compress and cushion, and every progressive step in the art, leads
into a more easy, less painful, and more simple treatment, for nature it is true must ever perform the cure at
last. In confirmation of this remark, a very eminent surgeon, Sir Benjamin Brodie, has the following
remarkable passage. " In a table I constructed of cases, it was curious to observe how large a proportion of
the recoveries occurred in those cases in which the surgeon avoided an operation altogether, or confined
himself to the removing of some loose, or detached pieces of bone; a person who has a musket ball lodged in

the brain is in a very dangerous condition, nevertheless it appears to be safer to allow it to remain, than to
endeavour to extract it." v. Introd. Discourse, p. 19. And I know also by long experience, from an
extensive business among horses, having myself attended for years, some of the largest breweries and horse
concerns, of the metropolis, that such may be done without much casting down, of the horses, and that such I
can say is not by any means frequently necessary. Simplicity again may be carried too far, and I am convinced
that I have seen in Paris amputated stumps treated with simple lint, or lint dipped in water, that have
mortified, and great numbers there do so, and which a little of our warm digestive, of rosin softened with oil,
would we believe have certainly brought to a healthy suppuration, and to a sound healing. So that it is
obvious we may err on either hand.

There is one comforting reflection however, amidst all this, which has attended the attempt at reform in
these arts in this country, and that is, that the horse's ears, and their tails, are now left more at their ease, and
free from amputation, and the practice of nicking, and of docking, we hear but little of comparatively at present.
A practice however has sprung up of late of shearing the horses of their coats, or of clipping them close as it
is called; how this fashion originated, or with whom, I know not, but believe it to be a very absurd one, and
would not be much practised, did there not a small gratuity, or douceur, attend the doing of it, and if there were
no scissor-makers to recommend it. That it makes horses go better, and that it will cure a cough, I have
heard some say, but what will not interest, and fashion, make people assert in aid of her practices ? I am
myself no believer in such doctrines. A fatal case has just come to my knowledge of a beautiful and most
valuable Norway horse, by inflammation of the lungs, immediately consequent to a clipping operation of this
sort. Like the hateful list of Banquo's Progeny, " another and another comes, and the last fool was welcome as
thejirst." The sub-professor to his former unlucky attempts has lately proposed yet another operation, that
of pricking, and digging, through the skins of horses' legs down to the periosteum, by way of relieving them
from spavins, splints, &c, one of these cases we hear, by extending the inflammation to the joint, terminated
in a general anchylosis, as might be expected, this operation is called for brevity, the periosteotomizing
operation.

Operations also on the genitals of the horse, of a most cruel description, under the pretence of calculi in the
bladder, have been ostentatiously exhibited, and I believe if fairly investigated will be found to have no real
grounds for them, that can truly sustain, or justify, any such exhibitions as these.

Whilst upon these unpleasant, but very necessary topics, I may also just observe, that the profession would
be much more useful, and respected, if its votaries were more select, instead of allowing the admission of all
that please to offer themselves, with twenty guineas ready for the professor's opening palm ; if some sort of
previous examination was required, as to the extent of education, and degree of fitness, of the candidate,
for becoming an authorised member of what ought to be, a liberal profession, and indeed such inquiry was actually
enjoined by the original rules of this corrupted institution, but at present we do not hear of any being unfit
who can only command the requisite fee, and the accumulation of such fees beyond a certain amount, ought
we think to form a fund, for the various wants of the college itself, and for the encouragement of its more poor,
or meritorious members, especially for paying the examination fee given to the human doctors that the
professor appoints on these occasions, or for prizes given for good essays on the art, instead of its being a
continual seduction for the admission of as numerous a host as possible of all sorts of characters. The income
at present in this way is enormous, and for what!!! we observe also that the lowest characters are ever the
most flexible, and readiest, to be supporters of its corruptions, and abuses, whenever the professor has occasion
for their aid.

THE SURGERY OF HORSES.

Arteriotomia, Arteriotorny, or the opening and closing of arteries. The only large artery we
are used at present to open in the horse is the Temporal Artery, more particularly useful in
affections of the brain, which however in this animal generally arise from some disordered action
of the bowels or stomach, where the chief attention should be directed; also in violent inflam-
mations of the eyes. In respect to making the opening it may be well just to remark, that this as
well as all other arteries are more difficult to arrest the bleeding of when partially divided, than
when completely severed, since the divided ends or extremities can then more freely contract and
arrest the effusion of blood, than in the former case, therefore in taking away blood from this large
vessel, we have found it best to pass a sharp-pointed bistoury under or behind the vessel, and so
near to the bone as in bringing it out completely to sever it, by which a sudden and copious flow
of blood was obtained, and any danger from too great a flow was obviated.

By this proceeding however, the accompanying vein is usually divided along with it, and blood
of both colours is seen to flow, and it will be observed that after a time, not very long generally, the
blood will cease to flow by its clotting and coagulation, and plugging up of the vessel, and also
perhaps from the ends of the vessels themselves contracting at the same time. We thus rapidly
and fully effect the unloading of these vessels, and of all the adjacent parts, and of the system
generally.

Of bleeding the Coronary Arteries, and Veins; which circulate upon the rounded summit of the
foot beneath the skin and cutidura, spreading upon the cartilages. These may be usefully divided
in injuries of the foot from sprains, wrenches, treads, or inflammatory affections, or arising from the
shoeing by its compressive power, or from a too deep nailing. It is done by successive dips with
a round-pointed lancet through the integuments, which should not be plunged in too deep as the
vessels lie superficially chiefly, and are ramifying in reticulations, and endless anastomosings upon the
surface of the cartilage. They are veins chiefly with numerous arborescent arteries coming through
the cutidura for the secretion of the horn perhaps, and which are divided along with the veins.
The bleeding ceases after a while of itself from coagulation in the orifices; neither have I seen
injurious consequences ever result from this mode of depletion. If a more copious stream be
thought advisable, it may be obtained by using the lateral edge of the lancet in longitudinal gashes
on the part. And if the utmost local evacuation be required, the application of cloths wrung out
of warm water will procure it.

On bleeding the Toe, or Pince Artery and Vein. In case of bruising, wrench, compression, or other
inflammatory affection of the foot, these can be opened with good effect. For this purpose we thin
away the horn of the sole extensively from its front part, by a small fine drawing knife, and when
so thin as to be felt sharply by the animal, we plunge in the same sharp tool, or small drawing
knife, (called a searcher by the smiths) and by dividing both artery, and vein, procure a copious
discharge of blood. The blood flows freely from both vessels, and though the artery be divided,
it in a general way stops after a time of itself, without any particular measure being resorted to
for this purpose. It may perhaps admit of some doubt if after thinning the horn sufficiently, the
lancet might not be employed, instead of the drawing knife, as being attended with less laceration
of the parts, the flow of blood however would in this case probably be much less copious.

Complaints have been made by some that a festering of the sore has followed this operation,
arid such we believe can easily happen, but we do not remember however of any such instance in
our own practice, and believe where it has occurred, that it has been from a neglect in not
thinning away the horn sufficiently before making the opening of the vessels, and that the wound was
not dressed as it ought to have been afterwards, with a mild resinous dressing, first on lint, and then
with a pledget of tow deeply immersed in the same and laid upon it, and lightly packed in, but not
forcibly rammed upon it, the resinous digestive should have a consistence of considerable tenacity
that it might not so soon be lost by sinking away among the tow and dressings. The wound
should also be inspected in a few days after, that if any hard, or impinging point of horn offend,
which is known by a limpid oozing from the part, such should be thinned away and removed, when
the healing will readily take place. It is in this case only the small circumferential artery and
vein of the sole that is divided, the main artery being snugly enclosed within the solid body of
the coffin-bone, encasedmost curiously in its semicircular recess, and is from thence sending forth
by numerous ramifications the blood to the outside of the bone and ti» the reticulum and the
podophylla, &c.

This singular feature in the circulation of the blood in the horse's foot being completely new to
us, we give a woodcut of it, see fig. 1. A triangular piece of the bone being removed presents a
view of this remarkable cavity, which on the vessels being drawn out affords on its receding surface
eight or ten, or more openings, which are found, using a thin wire for the purpose, to communicate
with all the exterior apertures of the bone, especially those larger and oblong ones which are
situated near its lower edge. The roofing of this cavity, see fig. 2, presents also the two oblong
foramina, which are conveying the arteries into this cavity from the back of the bone, and between
which openings is visible a large cell that sppears to act as an air vessel upon the circulating
apparatus, and on minutely inspecting it, we see this deep cell is formed at the bottom of various
oblique ribs, and threads of bone, placed at acute angles to each other, and having in the inters
mediate spaces numerous small and hardly visible openings, which again are found to supply the
upper parts of this bone, and its coverings probably, with blood, making altogether perhaps more
than twenty vessels, and which together appear to form a radiating centre, from which proceeds
the chief arterial circulation of these parts. As this singular part does not appear to have been
before intelligibly described, figured, or named, we shall call it the Cavitas Semilunaris, and hope
it may prove an acceptable acquisition to our knowledge in these arts. 11 will also be pretty obvious,
that the two currents *m**.

course of the blood in the foot, and to render it, even under strong exertion, more uniform.

On Closing Arteries, or other large vessels that refuse to stop bleeding, compression is the usual
means resorted to, or the severing of the vessel, as we have above noticed in respect to the temporal
artery; if these avail not, a ligature is passed round the vessel by a curved needle, observing to tie
the extremity of the vessel next the heart in arteries, and the contrary extremity in veins, or both
if requisite. Torsion has also been recommended by some, but is not at present greatly approved
of by our English surgeons, and my friend Sir Anthony Carlisle has an ingenious method of
stopping the effusion of blood in a different way, by employing a solid iron cylinder of about the
size of the forefinger, and of about half an inch in length, attached to a thin iron rod or wire,
for a handle; by immersing this solid cylinder of metal in boiling water, a certain degree of heat
only, is soon acquired, and which is sufficient if held to the part, to coagulate the blood, and to
form a plug in the orifice of the vessel, adequate to the arrest of any further effusion, the coagulable
lymph of the blood being rendered solid by a less heat than 212 degrees.

On Bleeding the Horse, Venasectio. There is no operation the veterinarian will be called upon
to perform so frequently as that of bleeding, it behoves him therefore and is of essential conse-
quence to his practice, that he should be familiar with it, and perform it with address and dexterity.
And be also well acquainted with the various accidents, and evil contingencies which may at
times result from it, however carefully or skilfully, it may be performed.

Bleeding from the j ugular vein in horses, is of all operations the most useful; for diminishing the
general mass of blood in the system, and thus counteracting any local or general, inflammatory action�>
for destroying plethora or over-action of the heart and arteries�also for removing oppression from
engorgement of vessels when it is suppressing their proper actions. Asa general rule in doing it, it
is to be observed, that the larger the orifice and the more copious and sudden the stream, the
greater will be the effect upon the system, and that with the loss of a less quantity of blood, which
in some cases of fevers liable to sudden collapse, and debility, is of the very greatest consequence, as
being more easily recovered from, the effect being greater even than would be afforded by a larger
evacuation taken away more slowly. The Fleam therefore we prefer in a general way to the lancet,
in removing blood from the neck, as giving a more copious stream, and as being less liable,
especially in common hands, who are often sent to do these operations, to abuse.

By pressing upon the vein below the point intended for the orifice, we swell the vein above, and
enlarge it to a size that makes it no very difficult matter to strike it. The vein is however often
not opened though a vigorous stroke has been given, and such formerly used very often to be the
case, and arose not from missing the vein, but from the fleam being made with too slender and
genteel a back, such being often put into a knife-handle, so that the prominent, rising muscles of
the neck enclosing the vein receiving the impression of the stroke, the vein yielding before the
instrument, was not opened, but now they are usually made otherwise, and with a very broad back.

It is usual to wet the hair over the part intended to be punctured with saliva, and then if these are
drawn parallel to the direction of the vein, the lancet passing between them, there is less resistance
than if they presented transversely to the blade, in which case they must necessarily be divided
before the incision could take place. It is however true, that very much wetting the vein outside
may occasion the jet of the blood rather to take the direction of the neck and not deliver well,
that this should be also attended to.

In timid, shy, and suspicious subjects, as in some kinds of blood-horses more particularly, we
have sometimes tied a common bottle-cork in a string, and pressed it upon the vein, then passing the
string round the neck, we set the hands more at liberty for the use of the fleam, or lancet, which in
delicate or timid subjects is best used, held short between the thumb and forefinger, and so managed
as to go only to the prescribed depth. An abscess lancet is the best for this purpose, but not too large
however, or very long in the point, as it may pass through the vein on the opposite side.

The proper Recipient for the blood in these cases of jugular-vein bleeding, appears to be a light
Tin or Zinc Can holding about a gallon, or rather more, and graduated inside or out, or both, in pints.
The handle of it may project from the side in such a way as conveniently to be made to press upon
the vein below the orifice, thereby facilitating the bleeding, or which is better, a globular Qr
hemispherical hollow boss, or ball of tin, may be placed on the side for this purpose, instead of
violently as is now usually done, pressing the edge of a stable-bucket against the vein, which can
be only applied in a very partial manner, on account of the projecting muscles of the neck.

To execute this manipulation conveniently and satisfactorily, two things are requisite, good
tools and keeping them in perfect order, ever ready at a moment's notice ; a commodious apparatus
for this purpose is the following: an oblong square piece of morocco or other leather, ample enougli
to turn down on the sides, to cover the following instruments, confined by a strap running down
its middle, viz. a large and smaller fleam, an abscess lancet, a smaller one for bleeding the eyes,
a pair of wire-nippers, a small pocket or pouch at the end, for a lock of long fine tow, and a
floating leaf of kerseymere for the insertion of pins, &c. will furnish all perhaps that is actually
and indispensibly necessary, and being wrapped in the leather will occupy the smallest possible
space in the pocket.

A Fleam is often made with a spring, commodiously to plunge it suddenly into the vein, being
less alarming than the employment of the hand and of the blood-stick. The objection to them is,
that the instrument from being pressed firmly against the neck in using it, cannot be so suddenly
withdrawn as might be desirable, and we have seen the horse plunge immediately on receiving the
stroke, and the projected blade has ripped up the neck to a considerable extent. To prevent such
an accident another spring let loose by the stroke might bring back the fleam again within its
frame or case, by which such an accident would be obviated.

Ulceration of the Jugular Vein. Bleeding the horse's neck-vein is certainly not a very difficult,
or hazardous manipulation�considerable care, and attention are however requisite afterwards,
to ward off evils which in various ways are attached to this operation, and in this particular case
most true is the maxim, that prevention is better than cure, and a slight attention may remove
very serious troubles. For this immense vein is very liable to subsequent inflammation and
ulceration of its cavity, extending often in one or both directions, along its internal surface,
obliterating the cavity of the vein itself, and often going on in a backward course, till it reaches the
head, and causes the destruction of the animal. Immense thickenings of the surrounding cellular
membrane generally attend this lesion of the vein, forming abscesses into which the blood often
finds its way, and becomes very troublesome, and which, continuing on in succession, at last reach
the head, when death ensues. To avoid therefore so calamitous an event, it will be well to observe
the following attentions: To use a clean, sharp, smooth instrument; not to strike the vein where

it has been often opened before, and has become enlarged, thin, and bladder-like, but rather to go
above or below such part; in pinning up not to include more than the skin. Nor to leave the
pin of its full length, as being liable to catch objects and getting entangled, tear out the piece, and
rend open the cicatrix ; a pair of wire worker's nippers are the best for this purpose. The pin also
should not be allowed to remain in the neck too long, in a general way perhaps twenty-four hours
is sufficient, but where the horse is very full of blood and the orifice has been large, and has bled freely,
eight and forty hours will not be too much, and not whole days or weeks as we have often seen it
negligently left. For the wound in drying and cicatrizing with the pin left in, is apt to become itchy,
which may induce a rubbing upon the manger, that may be attended with injurious consequences.
Now the pinning of the neck is sometimes, with high fed and skittish subjects, a troublesome affair,
more so than the bleeding; in some cases therefore, where it is likely to be so, pressing the lips
of the wound together between the thumb and finger, holding it a short time, and then tying up
the horse's head to the rack, or to the heel-posts, and to let him so remain an hour or two, till the
desiccation of the blood shall confirm the union, and render the pinning unnecessary. Also to avoid
pinning, where the bleeding has been very free or profuse and the orifice large, it maybe better to
place a bit of dry lint upon the closed vein, holding it awhile, and then placing upon it a thick
lock of tow, and with a ribbon or fillet carried round the neck, make it fast by passing it between
the hairs of the mane for greater security. In removing these pledgets however, into which the
blood may perhaps have extensively insinuated itself, and strongly glued them together, we should
proceed cautiously, not to rip open the wound, leaving, if it seemed requisite, a small portion that
immediately covered the orifice, to fall off of itself; also sometimes it may be better to use warm
water to dissolve and relax the blood in such a case, but this should not be done coarsely so as to
dissolve the cementing blood in the orifice itself, but be used short of this, as it may otherwise
relax the tender cicatrix, and bond of union, and so renew the bleeding, which at this period
is particularly to be deprecated. If any part of the dressing be left on the sore, the groom
should have notice of it,and be warned in cleaning the neck to have respect to the part, and not
tear it off, for it is better the part should go uncleaned for a few days than to run any risk of this
sort. The wound also should not be left in a wet condition, as such may unglue and open the
orifice again. By attentions like these we may perhaps almost entirely avoid any ill consequences
from the performance of this very frequent and often most beneficial evacuation.

After trying many stratagems with these unfortunate cases of ulcerated and obliterated vein,
such as poultices, cutting out the thickened parts, causticking, &c. we found at last, mildly
blistering the skin over the part, as efficacious as any, very much assisting in the reduction of
these tumours ; though, we believe, measures more immediately efficacious than this will probably
hereafter be discovered for these unfortunate cases. However, after the precautionary measures
above urged to prevent them, much may also be done by attention to the evil in its early stages ;
for when the vein does not heal kindly, it is known by an oozing, or weeping of lymph from the
part, which, if neglected, is sufficient of itself to prevent the drying and cicatrizing, or healing of
the wound. It therefore behoves us now, without loss of time, to give it our best attention, and
to destroy this first indication of so pernicious a mischief.

In order to divert or change the enfeebling and languid action going on in the surfaces of the
sore, in a case of a neck lately bled by the groom, that I was called into of David Ricardo's, Esq.
of a noble coach-horse that had been bought under my own inspection a few months before, and
for the sum of two hundred guineas; I immediately touched the weeping, oozing sore, with lunar
caustic, not violently however, or so as to force anything open that was already closed, but gently,
doing it once or twice, and then to prevent this high-bred, high-fed, noble animal, from rubbing
the part, which in all probability smarted pretty handsomely, against the manger, I ordered him to
be turned round in his stall, and his head to be secured by the reins, in medies rebus, between the
two heelpostsof the stall, and to remain in that attitude for two hours, by which time the smarting
would have gone off, and the effects of adhesion in the surfaces of the wound be produced, that
were sought for by these means, and then being set free, to be watched for another hour to see
that he did not abuse his liberty. In this way in about a week, this unpromising case, having been
twice or thrice gently touched with the caustic, healed, was dried up, and skinned over, and a very
valuable horse probably saved from destruction.

The same measures were pursued with a cart-horse in Lambeth, a little before this, and with the
same happy results, adding after the dressing a minute portion of lint to the wound, that it might,
being light, stick in the wound, without any addition of plaster or bandage, thus assisting in drying
the sore, which would materially facilitate the healing of it. And since then, in another case, I
used the conglutinum, or strong solution of sulphat of zinc, and with the same success. Getting
the wound to dry appears to be of the greatest consequence in assisting the cure.

It may be well just to remark, that where the jugular vein has been obliterated, the horse is, I
apprehend, very much deteriorated in value thereby. A distiller's horse which I had cured of this
injury was sent to grass at Peckham, and after being there about three weeks, word was brought me
that he had suddenly dropped down dead ; and there is little doubt, as the same thing has occurred
;n other cases, that it was from apoplexy, the blood not returning freely from the head on account
of the obstructed vein, which caused the disaster, so that every exertion should be used to prevent,
if possible, such a miserable conclusion by early care.

On Sudde?i Death jrom Bleeding, fyc. Only two cases of horses dying immediately after being
bled have come to my knowledge; in the one the artery appears to have been divided and was
soon fatal; in the other, Nesbitt v. Kent, the vein would appear to have been cut through both
sides, and the blood extravasating into the cellular membrane of the throat and larynx, the horse
was rather killed by the choaking than by the loss of blood. If a ligature had been placed on the
vein above the orifice, and a free issue given to the extravasated blood, the horse might perhaps
have been saved.

On Bleeding the Conjunctive Membrane of the Bye. Which consists in simply everting the
lid, and scarifying it freely with the sharp point of the lancet. After this it has also been usual
to bleed the angular vein, proceeding from the canthus of the eye, by an oblique incision through
its coats. It sometimes yields a pretty abundant flow of blood with eminent advantage, at other
times only suffering a few drops to escape. I need hardly add, that it is the inflammation of the
organ itself that urges the performance of this operation. Blistering the cheek also we generally

add to it, and if the case is very violent, a copious bleeding from the neck also, and repetitions of
it. Some persons in performing this bleeding of the eye pursue a ceremonious course of twitching
the animal first, and putting him to a good deal of pain, which is for the most part superfluous, as by
rubbing his face freely with the hand containing the lancet, the puncture can be made so suddenly,
that it is done before he has time either to move or think of it, or make any defence, which mode
we have nearly always pursued, and with perfect success.

The Venapalati, or Palate Veins, are conveniently situated for opening, by making a transverse
incision upon the palate with a lancet. We have resorted to it in relaxation of the palate, termed
the lampeis or lampas, perhaps from an imagined resemblance to a lighted lamp or lantern, the
parts being dependant and red. Some say they have been deterred from this practice by the
difficulty they have experienced in stopping the blood, and there may be difficulty in this respect
in some cases. In the very few where we have performed it, we have not known any ill conse-
quences result from it. It certainly makes an uncouth disagreeable appearance, and we are not
assured of it having much useful effect.

On Bleeding from the Radial Vein, running down the inside of the fore-arm, which can also be
opened, and was a very favourite proceeding of the old farriers, who declared every lameness they
could not well understand was a shoulder lameness, and then this vein being nearest to the part
was fixed upon for being opened. It appears also to be the corresponding vein to the vein of the
human arm which the surgeons find most convenient to bleed from. It is however but ill placed
in the horse for being opened, and has the serious disadvantage and objection of being much
enveloped in the fascias and tendinous expansions of the part, therefore apt to swell and be trouble-
some afterwards. It is a vein also that does not usually yield any great quantity of blood, and
therefore is at this time but seldom resorted to. It was called by the old French mareschaux
La Veine Plat, or Vein of the flat, and also by our old practitioners the Plate Vein, no doubt from
its occupying or being situated in the inside of the flat part of the leg, for we received at that
period our farriery, and terms, very much from the continent, and especially the French. For
affording a good local and much less general bleeding, it seems of too insignificant a character
to deserve being further dwelt upon.

On Cupping the Horse. There appears no absolute necessity for denying to this animal, on
account of his hairy skin, the advantage of this invaluable remedy, a little soap and a razor soon
remove these hairs and then a fair surface presents. His skin though less vascular probably than
the human, is more so than the ass's, and will yield blood sufficient to the scarificator. In peri-
pneumony or in enteritis we may perhaps more especially avail ourselves of this aid, applied to
the abdomen or thorax. I know not what difficulties may attend it, from my own experience,
having never used it, but my friend John Field has employed it and speaks favourably of it. It
may be used also in bruised parts enlarged and swollen in the upper muscular parts of the limbs,
and whether on the cheeks or not I know not, in eye cases : I leave it therefore for future inquiry.

ON BLISTERING THE HORSE. A means much resorted to by the human Physician, and not
less so the Veterinarian for the mitigation or removal of a variety of diseases, internal as well as ex-
ternal, relieving in both cases probably by its strong irritation and counter impression upon the parts
adjacent to the disease, thereby obstructing its progress and sometimes wholly removing it, and
perhaps on the principle that two morbid actions cannot well, or only with difficulty, be maintained
in the same system at one and the same time. On this account it is particularly useful in internal
inflammatory diseases and affections of the viscera, and not less so in reducing morbid enlarge-
ments of bone or thickenings of tendons, ligaments, or periosteum, superseding with great
advantage often the application of the actual cautery, and considering the great simplicity and
nature of the remedy, in a way that is truly and really wonderful.

These beetles, (Lytta vesicatoria,) cluster I had almost said, in the trees they inhabit, contrary
to the habits of most others of this race, at least they congregate in considerable numbers, and
from which one would be almost led to imagine they were more expressly designed than other in-
sects by their beneficent creator to do these invaluable offices for the human race, though I believe
most other insects of this class would have much the same effects, and perhaps even ants and flies
if dried and powdered. In my rambles in Switzerland about the year 1798, which I recur to with
feelings of delight, I often met with this beautiful insect, in the woods and delicious valleys
about Chavorney near Orbe, at the foot of the Jura, chiefly on the Privet bushes collected in
considerable numbers feeding on the leaves, after getting used to them I could scent them at some
distance and even before I got sight of them, from a certain musty smell not very unlike a
neglected cupboard frequented by the mice.

These beetles, vulgarly called flies, and in the late human pharmacopoieas designated melue
vesicatorius of Linnaeus, are now changed again to lytta vesicatoria, because Fabricius has thought
proper to change the generic name, and the Dispensatory makers have followed him; it is however
much to be regretted that officinal names should thus be subject to capricious changes of this
sort, and these beetles having for a long time and not very improperly been called Cantharides, we
shall continue that appellation in which there can be no misunderstanding or confusion. It is
certain however the insect employed by the ancients under this name for this purpose, was not the
same we now use, though of the same genus or natural tribe at least. This blistering quality is
found by the chemists to reside in a peculiar native oil.

Perhaps the singular phenomena attending the operation of these flies on the human or brute
skin have never been satisfactorily accounted for, that with so little comparative excitement, pain or
disturbance, or indeed much increased heat of the part, they should excite the cutis in such a manner
as to cause it to throw out a great abundance of lymph, and raise the cuticle entire from its surface,
rendering visible an important part the keenest eye or finest dissection could hardly alone be able to
exhibit. It would almost appear as though the exhaling mouths of the cuticle were stopped, and
permitted not the excited lymph to escape through them, and thus caused this fine membrane to be
raised in one entire piece to almost any extent. Violent mechanical friction however will do the
same thing, and even hot water; still the essential oil of the cantharides without any heat or friction
does in a singular manner operate the same effects. The pricking sensation which attends the

blister may be perhaps from the elevation of the cuticle, in its leaving the skin, to which it had
strongly adhered.

The vesication of the horse's skin is attended with some rather remarkable circumstances, the
effects of the cantharides being somewhat different from the human, a much less degree of intensity
of their application will excite a blister in the horse than would be required for the human skin,
arising apparently from a more acute sensibility in the skins of animals covered with hair, and which
acuteness and susceptibility of feeling may have been given them perhaps by their beneficent creator
in order to their better protection from the numerous host of their external enemies; whether
the hair has anything to do with it, or that it is that the nervous distribution is different I know
not, but so it appears; for the dog's or the horse's skin is most violently affected by the application
of oil of Turpentine which a man may wash his hands and face in with impunity. This excitability
of the skin among cattle keeps them in a perpetual state of apprehension and motion during
summer from the teazing of flies, of the blood-sucking tribes, and also those that by depositing
their eggs with them, not only agitate them by their present operations, but leave them also a
resident permanent stimulus, which abiding in their stomachs, or under their skins, keeps up an
almost perpetual irritation, and in hot weather a necessity for motion and excitement of some kind,
which appears to be a salutary means of saving them from the effects of an idleness and inactivity
which their stomachs when full, and the weather hot, would dispose them to give way to indul-
gence to their great injury by the invasion of diseases and of indigestions to which they are but
too prone.

Now in regard to artificial stimuli, or irritants of the skin, if we were to notice them in the order
of their effects, we should commence with the mildest as the Fat oils, and terminate with the Red-
hot iron, or actual cautery, applied in lines more or less dense, and which, on account of its painful
nature, ought not, we apprehend, to be resorted to, but in cases of extreme necessity, being but
an unworthy return for injuries received in our service often, by a cruel and unnatural demand �>f
labour and exertion.

From this excessive irritability or susceptibility of the skin of the horse, it is found that the
milder oils, and even animal fats, will occasion an increased warmth in the surface to which it is
applied; even Hogs-lard, or Horse-oils, will do this, as we have frequently noticed; also the oil of
olives, and linseed oil, which afford an irritation of the mildest kind. If a more impressive excite-
ment be thought requisite, it may be readily obtained by the addition of any of the vegetable
essential oils, as the Oil of origanum, or the Oil of turpentine. Sometimes, for distinction, the old
farriers used to call these applications sweating oils, adding, very often deceived by names, as
another oil, the concentrated oil of vitriol, or sulphuric acid, which, when mixed with the former,
produced a pungent unpleasant application, creating great heat in the part and much uneasiness,
and often increasing the lameness it was meant to allay, for it was often injudiciously applied in
recent strains and injuries, where already there was too much heat and inflammation going on in
the part. No sweating however, we should apprehend, is ever produced by it, but an anomalous
excitement of an unpleasant character, attended with a peculiar and disagreeable smell, given out
apparently by the part so treated. Acids, particularly the mineral acids, do not appear to have any

proper vesicating properties, but attacks the skin as a corrodent or escarotic, acting destructively
on the whole general structure of the part.

The unctuous oils can be easily rendered stimulant in different degrees by mixing with them,
in various proportions, the hot essential oils of plants, as the oil of origanum, &c. and next to these,
we pass on to the further exciting actions of the cantharides, for whilst naturalists are making their
almost continual changes in the nomenclature of this department, and indeed in all others of
natural history, it is not safe to use any other than the commonly understood officinal name.

In the application of these insects to the horse's skin, it is only necessary to mix them with
almost any kind of oil as a vehicle, and if they are fresh, or have been well kept in the dry, their
effect will be pretty constant; as however this part of the subject, that is, as to the arrangement
and proportions to be observed, is the proper business of the Pharmacopoiaa, we must therefore
refer the reader to our labours on that head, where he will find three very useful Formula given
viz. common blister, strong blister, and moist blister. The latter we know not how better to express
or name, though not exactly what we could wish, for we found in the course of various experiments
on this subject, that the addition of a little rosin to the blister, dissolved previously in oil, caused
the blisters or vesicles to vastly augment in size, and apparently by keeping the parts from getting
too quickly dry. Vid. Pharmacopoiaa Equina, 3rd Ed. p. 38.

It is usual however, in order to increase the action of the cantharides, and it may be sometimes
to economise the use of them, to add oil of origanum, which serves also to afford an agreeable
smell, which those who are accustomed to it expect to have in a stable where these processes are
going on, or they perhaps are not so perfectly well satisfied with them. It may be also proper first
to observe, that the hair of the part must be carefully removed previous to the application of the
blister. It was very much the practice formerly for chemists, who love a compound, to add the
Gum Euphorbium to the blister, and also many other articles. It is however, we believe, much better
omitted, the cantharides and oils doing all that is intended, or indeed really required, for simplicity
is always better than complexity, making results more certain, and in cases of failure, inferences
of the cause not so difficult to be understood. In order to ascertain with more precision the real
effect of this Euphorbium, we applied it with oil alone to the leg of a horse, and a dry, hot scab
was the consequence, and but very little or no vesication, that we afterwards omitted it without
any visible detriment to the effects of the blister, which acting well, there is a copious discharge of
serum, of almost the thickness and consistence of honey, from the skin of the legs.

11 is a common practice also with the farriers to mix Corrosive Sublimate with their blister, and
where it may be desirable to destroy the skin this should be used, but not otherwise; for it is no
vesicatory, but a most violent escarotic, soon destroying any living matter it comes in contact with;
and we have seen, from the ignorant use of it, the most deplorable effects, bringing away extensive
sloughings>f the skin, and even penetrating to the parts beneath, and so injuring them as to
render the horse for ever after unserviceable, and indeed made it necessary his being immediately
destroyed.

There is one effect however produced by the cantharides on the skin of the horse, and which, as
far as we know, has not met with much attention, and that is a prodigious general thickening of the

integuments, which sometimes does not subside for weeks, nay whole months have not been
sufficient for its entire disappearance. A blister, therefore, not producing these effects, which are
not constant however, would be a desirable thing in the Veterinary Pharmacopoiaea.

In this general notice respecting blistering, which we are now taking, it may not be out of place
to notice another cutaneous irritant, The Pyroligneous Acid, or that empyreumatic acid obtained
by the distillation of wood in close vessels, which proves a cutaneous irritant, or rather cleanser, of very
valuable properties, especially in cases of rough, hardened skin, and in mangy horses, the skin
being simply wetted with it, it slightly inflames it, and occasions it to peel off, bringing away with
it any foulness that may be adhering, and greatly reducing the hardness of the skin. It may be
perhaps also applied as an ointment mixed with lard. Great assiduity and perseverance however
is often necessary where the disease through neglect has long time existed.

It may be excusable also to notice here another way of exciting the skin, which has been of late
years very fashionable, though at the present we do not hear so very much of it, and that is what
the French call the moxa, a sort of Fungus prepared with nitre, &c. which is slowly burnt on the
part, or otherwise of cotton dipped in spirit, which answers pretty much the same purpose. With
our patients it is hardly likely it will ever be much resorted to, as the heated iron, or actual
cautery, in various degrees of heat, will supply us with a less tedious substitute. We may also
notice a suggestion of the ingenious Sir Anthony Carlisle, which may be of eminent service where
the cantharides or other irritants cannot be obtained, which is to employ an iron of a proper figure
for the part, heated in boiling water to 212 degrees, when it is applied to the skin, either naked
or with thin linen interposed between; his communication on this subject maybe seen in the
Lancet, vol. xi. p. 315.

Also in this general view of the whole family of the Skin-frets, or Cutaneous Irritants, we believe
we ought not to pass over entirely unnoticed those which nature herself seems to have provided,
no doubt for very wise purposes. In this remark we allude externally to the flies, and to the
cutaneous bots of domestic and wild animals, which live beneath their skins, in the grub or larva
state, keeping up a continual irritation there, as in oxen and various other animals, tending to
divert affections of the head, and perhaps bowels, and to keep them on the stir in warm weather,
when too much disposed to be idle. The sheep are particularly wrought upon by them, being
lodged in their noses and crustaceous sinuses of the face and throat, and so are the antelopes, deer,
and other wild animals, intimating to us thereby, as it were, the great usefulness of such exciters.
And again, from the skin we may go to the stomach-irritants, which we find acting as extensively,
there being not less than four distinct species found within the horse's stomach alone, and as the
lining of the stomach and the skin are one continuous surface, as it were, passing by the interme-
dium of the lips from one to the other, so by a continuous connexion, they are well known to be
attended with sympathies in common, and acting therefore in concert for the general good. These,
we believe, may be called into action, perhaps artifically, more extensively than they have ever yet
been, and in the Cuterebrtz and the (Estri, Genera, will be found objects not unworthy our research
and attention. Perhaps, at a future day, the art of administering these stimuli may be known;
at present, exposure in places where they most prevail seems to be the only practicable means of
doing it.

BLINDNESS, Opthalmia, a disease very frequently happening to horses. The eye of the
horse is subject to various diseases which may'occasio^blindness, as the cataract, the gutta serena,
the opacity of the cornea, or its coverings, 8tc.

The disorder however, generally inducing blindness among horses, is the Cataract, and the
inflammation of the external parts of the globe of the eye, which precedes the obscuration of the
crystalline, is usually termed blindness, as though the disease was really confirmed, so that horses
so effected are considered as such,"and denominated blind, though at this period of the disease the
sight is only rendered imperfect, or with a prospect of it.

This destructive disorder in general commences with an inflammation of the outer coats of the
eye, as the membrana conjunctiva, or cornea, or both together, and extending gradually to the
interior, inflames and destroys the transparency of the crystalline, and obstructs the admission of
light, producing blindness.

These attacks of inflammation not unfrequently disappear for a time, or, at least, become much
less distinguishable, and then return again, observing something like regular periods of accession
and remission ; and from hence the disease has been termed by some the moon blindness, and these
changes were considered as under the influence of this planet, and corresponding with the periods
of its change ; there are, however, other causes more powerful in their influence, to which these
changes in this disorder may, with more appearance of truth, be attributed, as improper exposure
to excessive cold, drafts of air, a close, low, overheated stable, or sudden alternations from
the one to the other ; violent exercise and sweating, then washing with cold water, leaving the
hair drenched with it; acrid volatile salts rising from the dung; over-feeding with too hot, dry,
and stimulating food, and all other causes, which inducing an increased action of the heart and
arteries, naturally tend to induce a recurrence of this complaint.

As this disease is one of the most interesting in the veterinary art, and the most necessary to be
well understood, as well by professional men, as by dealers and possessors of horses, we shall
describe at some length the appearances by which it is known to exist, and the means that have
hitherto been employed, as far as they have come to our knowledge, for the removal of it. Those
who may desire to be acquainted respecting the information possessed by the ancients of this
complaint, and their practices for its cure, may be referred to the writings of Absyrtus and
Vegetius: the latter, in his elegant work, de arte Veterinaria, lib. 2. cap. xvi. de supusione
oculorum, has divided this disorder into three kinds, under the titles stenochoriasis, protochoriasis,
hypochoriasis; by his definitions, however, of these three kinds, it appears that he only meant the
different stages of the formation of the cataract, from the first inflammation of the eye, to the
crystalline becoming perfectly opake and bursting its capsule, rushing to the anterior chamber of
the eye, and resting like a white opake ball, against the cornea, occasioning a total loss of sight,
and which he compares to the yolk of an egg bursting from its situation in the centre of the egg,
and to which it can never again be reduced. He considers the cause of this complaint to be the
rupture of the membrane containing the sight, by excessive heat, or more certainly from the
fatigue of a long journey, or the neglected injury of the eye, from the inattention of the master.
His hypochoriasis, which appears to be the first stage of this disorder, he says, descends from the

head, and often shows itself in one eye, and then migrates to the other, and is attended by a flow
of water or tears. His treatment is to bleed often from the eye-lids and from the temples; to
foment frequently with warm water in which rue and fennel seeds have been boiled; to anoint the
eye "ciim collyrio et opobalsamato"�remedies we hardly know at this day. He also recommends
the actual cautery to be applied to the temples above the veins. This author in another chapter
recommends in this complaint, that you should inspect the nostril on the same side with the
morbid eye, and you will find a small opening, through which, by inserting a pipe, you may fill
the eye with wine and relieve the disorder; a remarkable proof of the minute and accurate obser-
vation of these ancients. The existence of such an opening (for it is in reality, the opening of the
lacrymal duct that is alluded to), is not known to many who profess to practice on the diseases of
horses at this day.

Absyrtus, a Greek writer, who lived about the reign of Constantine the Great, and prior to
Vegetius, recommends in this disorder, and which he calls vaXwfia, that the ear should be pierced
with an awl, and a piece of white hellebore should be inserted in the perforation for relief. At
this day the ears of milliners' girls and apprentices are pierced to improve their sight and render
them capable of small work.

The following we venture to give as a more natural and true description of the appearance of
the eye, during the presence of this complaint, than has before been exhibited; though, no doubt,
subject to many omissions and imperfections, which future observation may lead to the
rectification of.

The earliest indication of this disease is exhibited by the external transparent parts of the ball
of the eye becoming obscured, assuming a blackish glassy hue, sometimes blue or brown, or a dull
opaque white, and streaked with blood, according to the degree of the inflammation or the disten-
sion of the blood-vessels, admitting, according to their capacity, the different parts of the blood
which are not transparent; and this inflammation, it may be remarked, takes place more frequently
in young horses of five or six years old, than in those of a more advanced age, and the upper half
of the cornea generally appears more obscured than the lower; this however may be a deception,
arising merely from the point of vision, the observer being placed below the eye, and seeing
directly through the lower part, but more obliquely through the upper. The blood-vessels also
may be observed increased in number and size, passing over the opaque white surface of the
sclerotica in order to go to the cornea and conjunctiva -, for it has not, as far as we know, been
ever ascertained from actual dissection or experiment, whether it is the cornea that is inflamed,
or the conjunctiva, or both; nor is it absolutely necessary for the treatment, that this should be
actually ascertained.

The eye and eye-lids feel hotter to the hand than usual; and often times there is a deposit of a
white matter resembling pus, in the bottom of the anterior chamber of the eye, and which, perhaps,
proceeds from the vessels of the ciliary fringe, or uvea, which are particularly large in the horse
depositing it.

After this opacity of the coats of the eye has existed some time, the eye of itself, or still more cer-
tainly if antiphlogistic means have been used, returns to its natural brilliancy, and the disorder seems

removed; and a few weeks or months may elapse before its return; and if proper remedies are
had recourse to very early, the disorder may be often permanently removed; it very frequently
however does return, and again disappears, and this several times before the inflammation of the
crystalline, and the destruction of sight takes place. In other subjects, one uninterrupted course
of inflammation, without any interval, takes place, till the cataract or opaque crystalline is fully
formed.

When this morbid process begins in the crystalline, the inflammation of the exterior parts of
the eye often disappears, and they assume their usual brightness and transparency, which affords
us an opportunity of distinctly observing the changes which take place in the lens.

And, with respect to the cataract itself, or the opacity of the lens we may remark, that the whole
crystalline shall assume a milky appearance at once, or a small speck only near the centre
shall be seen, which often remains for years, without the least perceivable increase, and without
producing blindness, or any sensible detriment to the animal: in other cases, no speck is observable
but whitish lines which reflect the light, stretching like rays from the centre of the lens to its
circumference; and sometimes the capsule containing it, is said to be only affected.

The cataract, as it is called, being fully formed, the complete opacity of the lens being esta-
blished, and the light being no longer admitted, the iris begins to lose its properties, nearly
closing up the opening of the pupil, from its relaxation, and the whole eye becomes diminished,
and apparently sunk in the head, and the capsule, especially in draft horses, bursts, and the lens
is forced from its situation, and falls into the anterior chamber of the eye, subsiding there and
resembling as we have before observed, an opaque white ball.

As perfect clearness and distinctness in all parts of the eye, with a due contraction of the
pupil, are the most certain indications of its goodness, so the slightest dullness or opacity in the
external coats, or diminution of the pupil, should lead the purchaser to be cautious; for it cannot
be too often observed, that this opacity of the coats, after it has been of some standing, is almost
certain destruction to the eye: and there are no remedies at this time known that can prevent its
fatal termination, though numerous attempts and experiments have been instituted with this view;
and the operation for cataract is useless in the horse; for if it succeeds, the vision would be
still so imperfect, that blindness itself would be preferable.

Though various useful offices can be found for horses that have lost their sight; yet it is of
importance for most of the purposes to which they are applied, that it should be preserved. We
cannot recommend with too much force therefore, the necessity of an early recurrence to the
prescribed remedies for destroying the inflammation; for, at its very commencement, it has prob-
ably only the characters of common inflammation, and might be entirely and effectually subdued
as in other parts; but neglected, this disorder soon assumes its peculiar properties, arising perhaps,
from the particularly delicate structure and functions of the parts affected, that in a short time
it becomes perfectly beyond the reach of any remedy; for though, no doubt, there are insulated
instances where this disorder has been removed, yet, as the termination of the generality of cases
is of an opposite nature, it would be unwarrantable to make the conclusion from such cases of the
general possibility of cure in this complaint.

Where the inflammation has not yet received the specific properties above described, the
following remedies will frequently remove it; and in more confirmed cases, we shall mention the
means that have been unsuccessfully employed for this end, that we may show the insufficiency
of such attempts, and promote further experiment and research respecting it.

Iii the very commencement of this complaint, the abstinence from heating food or hard exer-
cise ; exposure to stables of cooler temperature and well aired, not from partial drafts, but their
loftiness only; exclusion of too much light, or of the light altogether; diluent drinks and purga-
tives may be employed to the general system. To the part itself, washes of cold water or ice and
water, or litharge water, the latter however has been found by Wheatly, an eminent surgeon, to
discolor and thicken the parts if much used, or water with a minute portion of opium dissolved in it;
others think more favorably of stimulating or caustic washes, as weak solutions of the sulphat of
zinc, very dilute acids, or even spirits and water.

Blisters applied to the cheek or over the masseter muscle, care being taken that the fascia over
the muscle is divided, otherwise there is no suppuration; produce an irritation which is very
successful in removing this inflammation, and in particular the insertion of a seton or two in the
muscular parts surrounding the eye: these will tend, as we have experienced, powerfully to carry
off an attack of this disorder. Firing with a hot iron has also been employed with the same view,
on the surrounding skin; and likewise blood-letting from the jugular vein, or from the temporal
artery, or locally from the vessels proceeding from the inner canthus, or anterior angle of the orbit;
also scarifying the vessels passing over the sclerotic coat, which become very much enlarged and
visible in this disease, as those also in the lining of the lids.

Mr. Coleman, the professor of the veterinary college, seared up the vessels of the sclerotica
with a hot iron, forming an entire circle round the ball of the eye, at some distance from the cornea,
to prevent access of blood to this part, and so endeavoured, mechanically, to put a stop to the
inflammation; it was found however insufficient to destroy the disorder, and we believe that any
hope of relief from this cruel mode of treatment has since been entirely abandoned; and for this
reason perhaps, the experiment has proved insufficient, that when communication is stopped from
the exterior vessels, there are others whose trunks are short of these, which supply the substance
of the cornea; and others again, out of our reach, on the inside of the cornea; but above all, the
habit in the parts to disease, and the disposition in the system to generate it, are not overcome,
the morbid tendency is not thereby destroyed.

The farriers who practice medicine, in treating this complaint, often remove the lacrymal gland
(caruncula lacrymalis,) which they call the haw, from its supposed resemblance to this fruit,
and as this part partakes of the inflammation, and is much swelled, they mistake it for the source
of the disorder. The removal of it, which is easily done by drawing it out with a fine hook and
cutting it off, occasions a copious discharge of blood, which in slight attacks may relieve the eye
and encourage them to the practice; but from our own personal experience we have learned, that
in cases of any duration, it is totally inadequate to the removal of the complaint, and that the eye
must obviously suffer from the loss of a part necessary to its well-being, as it collects and conveys
the tears away; and since means less injurious to the eye may be equally well employed with
as much or more success, such as we have before pointed out.

An infusion of the polygonum hydropiper injected into the nostril, so as slightly to inflame the
membranes of this part, produces very good effects in this complaint.

It has been observed, that in the human eye, long coutinued inflammation of the exterior coats
rarely produce cataract as they do in the horse; and the reason that has been assigned for this is,
that the same blood-vessels which supply the tunica conjunctiva and cornea, supply the lens and
the humours of the eye of the horse, which they say is not the case with the human, these parts being
supplied from the eye-lids and integuments; there is however, in the horse, a singular propensity
to inflammatory complaints, arising perhaps, from their highly stimulant food, the cessation of the
growth about the fifth year, and from much hard work and exposure at this period ; and to which
disposition and to these causes perhaps it is rather to be attributed.

In the inflammation of the cornea, which is attended with a black, glossy appearance of this
part, there is seldom any increased discharge of tears from the eye and nose; but in the other
kinds which we have before enumerated, there is in general a considerable increase of this secre-
tion. When blood-streaks or blotches appear, it is probable that the vessels are ruptured, and
that this blood is really in a state of extravasation. Copious bleeding however from the jugular,
often repeated purgatives, with counter irritants and light food are chiefly to be depended upon in
reducing the inflammation of this organ.

BROKEN KNEES. The situation of the rider on the falling of his horse is often a truly
pitiable one, as these accidents generally happen suddenly and at unawares, and he may be quite
unprovided for such an unlooked for occurrence, and sometimes also the rider may have suffered
with his horse; to make the best of his calamity we would venture to recommend the following
course to be pursued in respect to his horse at least, leaving him to his own resources in
what respects himself.

To draw forth his handkerchief and turning two of the corners of it to the centre or middle of
the handkerchief, and folding it again, apply it in front of the knee, bringing the other two ends
to tie behind, or in front, as its length may permit; first taking care if there be any loose flaps of
skin, to lay them in their proper places, wiping out with the fingers any casual gravel or stones
that may be adhering to them or to the general surface of the wound. Tie moderately and not too
tight the handkerchief, and pin it if possible above and below the knee to prevent its sliding off'.

Now lead the horse quietly to the first convenient resting place, for there cannot be much
pleasure or advantage in riding a horse that has been so injured and disfigured, or if riding to a
distance be imperative, let it be done with all quietness and caution. If no veterinarian be found
at hand to undertake the case, we recommend the following manner of proceeding:�

First, in order to obtain as speedy and as sightly a cure of the wound as may be, and especially
as to the latter, that of preventing as much as we can, any very material disfiguration of the parts,
which at this present time is often frightfully the case, and diminishes the value of the horse,
from the proper degree of digestion and healing the wound not being properly understood, the for-
mer being often carried on too long, and the latter at last suffered to take place by a general
exposure to the air, thus making a large unsightly scab, which may cover nearly the whole
surface of the original wound,

If the handkerchief applied as above round the torn knee be left on for four and twenty
hours, the wound being thus wrapt up in the warm blood, no great harm could arise from it, as
during this time, many of the loose points of the flaps and torn pieces of skin would be found to
have adhered to their proper surfaces and attached by vacular connexion, such should be
carefully suffered to remain undisturbed, and the blood which covers the wound should not be too
assiduously removed, except when the masses of it are very dense and black. The general
wound may then be washed over extremely lightly with a piece of tow or soft rag, dipped in
Tincture of Myrrh or of Aloes, or if these are not to be had, with brandy and water, but if the
parts are much bruised and hot, with simple cold water.

When however it shall be deemed necessary to remove the handkerchief, whether after twenty-
four or forty-eight hours, if the lacerations have been considerable, it should be proceeded in with
extreme caution and not at once, but by gentle degrees, using warm water to relax it if the
adhesions be strong; for the blood is as a body of firm glue when dry, and passing between the
threads of the handkerchief, it becomes as it were part of the general mass, or if a veterinarian be at
h and or the rider be so provided, a calico bandage should be used, made by tearing a piece of calico of
about a foot or eighteen inches square into five tails on the two adverse sides, leaving an entire
piece in the middle for covering the front of the knee, which is perhaps the most simple bandage
that can be contrived.

If we wash much in the early stage of the business, we wash away our best friend the blood, and
if we probe much or grope it about, we shall remove points that are uniting, by gratifying an idle
curiosity, the objects of which could avail but little, if known.

In wetting the handkerchief, I would not advise doing it more than was just sufficient to set it at
liberty without unglueing the parts that had united, as yet very tenderly, removing however any
hanging or dense masses of clotted blood, since blood is the best possible bond of union of living
parts, and there can be no substitute provided like it; however any portions of it that only hang
about or are become offensive are to be drawn away. The wound having been put in order and
the parts brought as near their natural position as possible, we would give them a further time to
unite and confirm their adherence before we begin to digest the more naked and exposed parts,
by the applying a thick pledget of tow, in the lightest manner tallowed over its surface to prevent a
too strong adhesion and sticking in the wound, then the bandage above described beifg applied
over it to retain it in its situation, we leave it for another twenty-four hours.

At the third or fourth dressing, the deeper cut parts which may have been damaged by
rough sharp pieces of flint or of gravel stones, should be dressed alone with small bits of lint covered
with digestive, leaving the other parts to the general pledget not densely soaked, but lightly
covered, so as to prevent any injurious sticking in the wound, as by dryness, or rather absence of
moisture, the less injured parts will best acquire their powers of union one to another and
to the general surface; this in a very few days will be accomplished as far as it need be carried;
we have then only to attend to the denuded and deeper cut parts, perhaps in some cases with the
sheath of the front extensor tendon cut or removed, when we now apply to the whole general
surface a pledget of tow, thickly smearpd with resinous digestive of stiffish consistence,

sufficient to ensure the exclusion of air and the reaching the bottom of these cut points and
digesting them. Granulations will rise and successively fill these vacuities till they attain the
general level of the sore, and will, if we go on digesting and excluding the air, rise higher than
the surface, and perhaps become troublesome to reduce; the digestion therefore should not be
proceeded with as is too often the case at present, till the wound is healed, but having attained to
this point which is usually the case in a week or two�we then omit the dressings for a day or so,
exposing the parts to the atmospheric air, which is the best drier we have, and closes, or reduces at
least the extent of the sore, and permits the healing and skinning process to have their full
operation round its edges, more particularly by the surrounding skin extending itself and creeping
upon it, leaving the centre however naked, and in its granular state, that is, if the wound be
large, and we have all along supposed such to be the case.

This process, if continued, will only extend from the circumference of the sore to a certain
point, where it will stop leaving the central parts in a naked state, which then will make an
attempt at a scab, leaving a sore of a wider and more unsightly appearance when dry, than is
at all necessary, for after this exposure to the air, we again resort to our digestive, and, covering it up
we shall put the parts in a state, by their renewed suppleness, to creep further'over the surface of
the sore, and very much to diminish its extent, not however continuing it more than a few days?
when again we expose it, and thus get it by slow degrees, to almost close up : iu this way I have
often seen a sore larger than a crown piece brought into the compass of a silver fourpence.

When the part has scabbed over, it is best that it should be carefully protected from being
hastily or suddenly forced off, as the skin has opportunity, thus sheltered, to heal and diminish
the extent of the sore under it, but if it be torn off, and exposed to the air too suddenly, drying
it makes a more broad surfaced patch, which never afterwards much contracts, and sadly disfigures
the limb, or perhaps by such violent evulsion, tears open the wound and renews it; it should not
therefore be allowed to scab before it has contracted to a small space, using a little tallow only for
the last dressing, such being a sufficient covering. For nothing can be more senselessand mistaken
than the mannerin whichthesecasesareoftentreated,leaving the knees a horrid spectacle ofbunches
and large scabs. Onarecent injury of this sort, a common application of the grooms andfarriers
is gunpowder and lard, which by its blackness, certainly very much conceals the mishap, but
as the gunpowder is chiefly made of nitre, and nitre has no digestive or healing powers, and
applied to a wound, will probably have the effect of keeping it in a negative sort of depression
and chill, and at length, which is usually the case, getting wiped off or dried up; the wound
is left without a covering, exposed to the air, and quickly forms a large scab of the extent
nearly of the original injury.

We may now consider another also not very unfrequent condition of the accident; and
instead of a violent laceration of the skin and subjacent parts, we get perhaps only a
very severe defrication or scrubbing, from the great force with which the parts have met the
ground, and from the weight and actions of the horse at the time of the fall, attended with a
loss of the hair, sometimes of the cuticle, and it may be, extending also to the cutis vera,
destroying the roots of the hair, or partially injuring them: this state of things, though not in

appearance so terrific, yet in the cure may be attended with more difficulty, or at least
requiring more consideration and attention than a mere laceration of the cuticular covering,
that is, in the obtaining a good surface of natural looking hair upon it, without its being
white, short, or curly, since it may be often observed, where hair has been much disturbed
or removed on the shoulders, withers, or sides of the animal, by the defrication of the harness,
that white hair usually succeeds. To prevent such a result as the friction which attends a fall,
if severe, is ever accompanied with a great heat of the parts; first and as speedily as possible,
it is proper to foment them with cold water, and even if none such be at hand in the moment
of the accident, it may be well to lubricate them with saliva, which not drying very rapidly,
may be of some help in such a case.

To procure a favorable state of the skin for re-producing the hair, the constant application
of grease of some kind to the part is necessary, perhaps tallow from its oiliness and consist-
ence may be as good as any; if it should be thought not stiff enough, a little bees' wax may
be added to it, and if the hair be of a dark colour, a small portion of pitch melted with it
would afford it; lard has the objection of becoming too thin and fluid from the heat of the parts,
to be long retained upon them ; it may however by such as prefer it, be united to wax or pitch
in the above way, though not easily. This application should be renewed every morning till
the hair is fully formed again upon the parts; and if, during the first few days at least, the
application of a thin calico bandage of the description above mentioned may not be without
its use, in shading and keeping the parts more cool, and obstructing the too rapid flying off of
moisture; stroking the hair down in its proper direction when it begins to appear, may also
very much tend to prevent its being curly, and encourage its length and proper color.

To recur again to the more common cases of broken knee, our business appears to be then
not to dry up the sore too hastily, as that will disfigure the part, but to let the process proceed
gradually but not protractedly, as is too much the case at present, and without much of
system. Asa digestive, we may use a mild, warm, resinous compound, made of common
resin, softened with common olive or linseed oil. Common turpentine, the usual resource
of farriers, which we consider on account of the spirit of turpentine contained in it, of too
stimulant a nature and where a certain stiffness in the compound is required, not stiff enough ;
the former, from a long experience, we can vouch for giving general satisfaction, beyond
any composition we have ever known, and also as recommending itself by its extreme
cheapness; for some further observations on it, see Pharm. Equina, 3rd ed. p. 36. It is
applied most conveniently and easily by forming a lock of tow in the hand, by the usual
process of pulling it out and turning in the ends, and is then charged with the dressing, not
by any knife or spatula, but simply by smearing it in drawing it over the surface of the
ointment contained in a large gallipot, by which we leave adhering a mass of any thickness
we desire. It was a common practice with us, in commencing this art, to use this digestive
till the sore was entirely healed, which often took a very long time, and elevations of flesh
would often arise; for florid luxuriant growths, if parts are left uncovered and neglected,
easily arise in the horse, and are troublesome to subdue. Over these elevations of the flesh,

the skin or cicatrix appears to have but little power of extending itself, and the parts would
remain a very long time unhealed, for formerly we used, as we have said, to go on digesting
with our ointments to the very last; these luxuriant growths, if such have been allowed to
occur, must be reduced by covering and pressure and dissicatives, and if very large, by the
knife and cautery; smaller ones, if recent, a drying air will usually subdue, and the mildest
measures, if they will effect the purpose, are ever the least detrimental and best. In this
way, much loss of time, of suffering, and of desightment will be obviated. If sinuses form,
we resort to the conglutinum, which usually quickly closes them.

When by carelessness in cleaning the horse, as by a too free and rapid use of the currycomb,
a scab has been torn off, as will sometimes happen and should be carefully guarded against,
whether on the knees, hips, or other parts, and which we have had sometimes to experience ; we
then have applied to the denuded and abraded surfaces, the finest scraped powder of charcoal,
which adhering, would prevent an excessive discharge and ill condition of the sore, and
falling off from time to time, induce a better healing, rather than by a total exposure to the air,
with no covering at all, which is often inducing a florid growth; this proceeding may perhaps
in many cases be further improved upon, by dusting these surfaces with Fuller's earth, steatite,
or calaminaris powder.

In finishing the cure of these cases after the healing, which are at this period often neglected
and not attended to, the young tender growth of hair should not be suffered to get too dry, or
their roots impoverished by want of succulence, being weakened by a too free exposure,
and thus grow deformed and curled; the parts therefore should be kept during this process,
assiduously covered and protected, shaded by some thin soft wrapper, and the hairs be
dressed with deer suet, or fat of some kind every morning applied fresh, sometimes washing
the parts with a little soap and warm water, or if the part appears hot, with cold water,
giving the hairs a proper direction with a piece of a tallow candle to keep them straight.

In this way, even old neglected cases may be brought into some tolerable condition, and
others rendered with difficulty visible, whilst a careless treatment in drying up the recent
w'ound with the after inattentions, would render the parts bald and unsightly to a great extent.

We have now to contemplate and consider yet another condition of the accident of the falling
horse, where not only the skin is torn up or entirely removed, but where the parts beneath it are
injured also, and it may be, the joint itself laid open ; when so triste an affair takes place, it
is, if it be extensively laid open, the best conduct, mercifully to destroy the animal and finish
his miseries at once, rather than to go through the terrible sufferings that usually terminate
attempts at cure in these cases, which can only be effected at the expence of the motion of the
joint, viz. by anchylosis, when the animal is of little or no use; it may however happen where
synovia is given out and abundantly, that the tendon only is suffering, its sheath having been
damaged or removed. In this case, there are hopes that nature, if duly aided in her endeavours
may repair the damage, and such we have seen; the resinous digestive is then our best
resource, not using it altogether for its digestive qualities, but as excluding effectually the
access of air, and affording opportunity for union to take place, under its guardian protection,

availing ourselves of its tough and plastic properties, the ointment being made sufficiently stiff and
tenacious for this purpose, and liberally applied, small cases of opened joint have yielded to its
application. In worse cases, it may be well perhaps to confine the knee by splints, from all motion
whatever during the cure, which would we apprehend much contribute to the success of the
attempt, nature a little aided by art being most powerful in her resources, although in very desperate
cases, it is better at once, as we have said, to destroy. If a reparation of the breach in the joint
can be effected however, there is the more hope that the horse may be rendered useful, for some
low and not very violent service, by the circumstance, that there are seen two Tanges of bones in
the knee, and it would indeed be a hard case, that both of them should be laid open by the fall,
and one would supply a slight, yet sufficient degree of motion to the joint, for such humble
purpose. A most careful exclusion of the air is always necessary, in these cases, otherwise a
high degree of inflammation of the joint itself will take place, with a copious flow of thin, hot,
synovia, terminating the case usually by a fatal irritation, extending itself along the course of
the tendons and other connected parts.

In a case where the opening is small and fistulous, a light touch of the actual cautery will have
excellent effect; which seems to operate by arresting the flow of synovia, closing up the wound by a
solid plug, the lymph flowing out being arrested in its course, rendered solid by the heat, gives a
favorable opportunity for the union of the injured parts, by adhesion of surfaces.

We now bring to a conclusion this small essay on broken knees, without any remarks on the
causes contributing to so many funeste accidents, for they are daily occurring and to all classes of
society; havjiig aforetime sufficiently exhibited that the horse is not a tumble-down animal by
nature, the Almighty ever making every animal firm on his legs, that it is the effect of the shoeing
with an inflexible hoop of iron, destroying by it the structure and functions of the foot, and this it is
that is the cause of so much calamity, which is not only simply stated, but demonstrably proved to be
the case in the work we have alluded to, entitled Podopthora, to which we beg to refer the reader's
most serious attention. And not only are the knees of horses broken, but hundreds of valuable hu-
man lives sacrificed also to this defective and foolish principle of defending the foot; an error in
principle, scarcely before suspected, and certainly not at all understood.

BURNS AND SCALDS. The horse, like most other wild animals, has a remarkable innate
dread of fire, so much so, that on this alarming visitation, they are but too frequently the victims
of it, and perish miserably in the flames, and are thus put beyond the reach of the veterinarian's
skill: blinding them by covering their heads, is generally resorted to for delivering them from the
impending danger, and their release should ever be a first care on these occasions, for horrid must
be the sufferings and death of so large an animal when proceeding from this cause.

Where, after a partial exposure to the effects of the fire they have escaped, we should first
propose affusions of cold water, abundantly supplied to the parts burnt, so as to take out all
sense of heat and of pain from the parts suffering, which we believe from oft experience on our-

selves and others, to be the most natural, simplest, and best means of obviating its ill effects, and
the sooner recourse is had to it, the better for preserving the parts from death and sloughing off.

But, although this remedy appears to be very simple, and we believe it to be the best of any,
some law or discretion appears to be necessary, in many cases at least, for its administration, and
which law is simply this, not to carry the cooling process too far by chilling the parts too much; for
after so high excitement as the heat has produced, the sudden reduction or expelling of it, to an
extreme the other way, may endanger the death of the part, and occasion extensive sloughings to
take place. The point therefore to be aimed at, as it appears to us is, the point of no pain, which
in the human can be readily known, by inquiry of the patient; but not so in the horse, where there-
fore more attention to indications of his feeling, and other indications as by the touch of the hand
by sight, or otherwise, by which he might tolerably well ascertain the actual state of his patient.
The pain ceasing, we immediately desist from our labours, by the remission of the cold affusion,
and on the return of it, which at first will be after a very short interval, we again resume our labours
and continue our attentions, waiting after each application to watch its effects, till the pain finally
ceases to return, by which the parts may be wholly or partially preserved, and breaches in the skin,
where the fire has been sharply applied or long continued, that may happen however, and cause
ulcers and sloughing of those parts, such are to be treated with the mild cooling ointments, as the
cerates, or the spermaceti ointment, till they are in a state for cicatrizing, when a temporary
exposure to the atmosphere, from time to time, will much facilitate their closing up and skinning
over, using digestives however if necessary, for the granulating and filling up of any deeper
vacuities.

This salutary method of treating burns and scalds, we may perhaps best illustrate by a case
which actually occurred to us, than by any generalizing upon it, and which case occurred to us
early in life and was under our own notice, and direction also, in the way following; and which
probably by the common methods we have been but too often witness too, of drugging and oint-
ments, would have been attended with great suffering of the patient, and been several months in
hand.

Whilst studying at the Veterinary College about the year 1794, I was one day invited, by a
gentleman of Finsbury Square, sometime since deceased, which enables me more freely to speak to
it, and who was a great admirer of horses and possessor also of some very remarkably fine ones,
to dine with him, and after dinner wine was brought on the table from a large wine cooler or
cellaret, which stood in a corner of the apartment; after an agreeable afternoon's conversation,
the evening approaching, tea was announced in the next room, and from whence, very shortly after,
proceeded the most violent screams from a child and various female voices were heard, and,
with horror depicted in his countenance, entered my friend and host, who had but a few moments
before left the dining apartment, exclaiming�" For God's sake come immediately, for I have
scalded my child to death." Having, as he explained afterwards, had a few rough words with his
wife, he had upset the boiling tea-urn into his child's lap, the whole contents having been received
on his legs and thighs.

On my entering the room I found various women assembled round the child, whose cries had

called them into the room, who were busily employed in stripping his clothes off, and his cries
were indeed most vehement; the skin seemed to be peeling off in following the stockings, and I
begged of them therefore, to desist and leave him to me, and immediately ordered the capacious
wine-cooler to be brought from the next room, and into it I immediately plunged the child, just as
he was; and, after being there a very few minutes, he found himself so much relieved as to cease
crying, and even was laughing with his mother and attendants. I now took a pair of scissors, and
slipping them through his dress entirely disengaged him from it. On finding a cessation of the
pain, I withdrew him from his bath, and in a very short time his roaring recommenced, and by
immersion his pain again was subdued, and in this way we continued immersing and withdrawing
him for nearly two hours, when, being tolerably free from pain for a long period, he was carried
up stairs to a bed-room and laid on the bed, wetted cloths being applied wherever the pain
appeared; and finally, as I thought they rather began to despise the simplicity of my remedy, I
wrote a prescription for some goulard to mix with the water, and which was continued occasionally
during the night. It being warmly solicited, by my friend, that I should proceed with the case to
its conclusion, I dressed with mild cerate, sparingly applied to the sores, wherever the cuticle had
been denuded by their too hastily tearing off his dress, and in about four or five days my little patient
wanted no further assistance. Other striking cases I could give, but they would be much of the
same complexion I therefore desist, where by the application (not of evaporating lotions, as they
are called, or dabbling with the hundred and one nostrums for burns,) immediate cold, by potentially
subduing the dire effects of heat, and by bringing the parts only to their natural feeling and tone,
I destroyed all the suffering, and produced a sore also that quickly healed.

So that I confess myself on most occasions, if not all, a decided advocate of counteracting the effects
of heat by the direct application of cold; ill effects have arisen from such treatment, there is no
doubt, but this lias proceeded from not observing the laws required by the living animal economy,
which should be strictly attended to in doing it, and not to do it at random. I consider this much
better than the bit-by-bit process in applying moderately stimulant lotions to the parts, by which the
heat is retained in the part for a longer time than is necessary, and perhaps, by its exhausting effects
destroys the vitality of the parts, with injurious consequences. That there is danger in chilling the
parts that have been over-heated and extremely excited is certain, as in the converse case of warming
too suddenly parts frost-bitten; but then it is by abusing the remedy, and going too far with it,
and running into the opposite extreme ; as we have pointed out a sort of grade in doing it, such
generally may be resorted to. Solid ice therefore, I would not, at any rate, in severe cases,
resort to, as it might be so easily abused.

And I admit that in regard to cold affusions to the horse, after the effects of fire upon this
animal, may be attended with some little difficulty to know exactly when to desist, since we cannot,
as in the human, ask questions of our patient, to ascertain the precise point of no pain; however,
it is certain that, in this respect, it is not so absolutely necessary, in usual cases at least, that this
point should be so very exactly ascertained, and that if we aim to come as near to it as we
can, from our own feelings of the part, and from our views and reasonings on the case, and by the
animal's own indications, we shall arrive near enough to do what is required, without much fear

of any very ill consequences, and thus save the animal much suffering and ourselves much trouble-
some labour in the after-treatment of those ulcers that may arise.

If the water, from being procured above ground, should not be found cold enough, a few
pieces of ice, if procurable, might be added to it; or, if this was impracticable, some sal ammoniac
pulverized, to render it more speedily soluble, thrown in, would make it several degrees colder.

The above will suffice for thousands of common cases of burns and scalds; there are however,
it must be admitted others, of most dreadful burns more particularly, and of a more extensive injury
to the parts, where the system appears to receive so great a shock that she never rallies again, and,
whatever is done, it is all alike, nothing succeeds; such cases, in the hospitals, treated for the
most part with spirit of turpentine, generally end fatally, and death closes the scene often in
rigours and chills, and where it would appear wrong to apply cold; possibly, however, if the heat
had been subdued very early after receiving the injury, there would have resulted a better chance
of saving the parts from death and slough, than by using measures only partially suppressing the
fatal presence of this heat, by only half combating it by those stimulant or warm measures, a view
that perhaps may afford a subject not totally unworthy our consideration. Desisting however,
from any further speculation or suggestion on these dreadful cases, I am well assured, from fre-
quent experience on myself and others, that the generality of cases of scald and burn, will give
way most successfully to the direct application of cold, and that where ulcers do arise, they will
yield more readily after a treatment of this sort than by the common treatment, which leaving
the heat longer in the parts, occasions also much more suffering.

On CASTRATION or EMASCULATION.

Although many pretended improvements and novel proposals for performing this operation, are
continually being presented to the public, none we believe to be better, and we speak after consider-
able experience, than the old operation of all. I have followed it, with an uniform success, through
a practice of forty years and upwards, and with invariable satisfaction, not having ever lost a
single case, though at times cutting old horses, whose lives I ensured to their owners, before the
operation, at a small advance in the premium of two guineas, the usual and proper fee for a per-
formance of this kind*.

A plan, which at first was thought highly of, for castration, by my friend Wm. Moorcroft, was
by ligature,�the enclosing of the spermatic chord between two pieces of stick, or of one par-

* And which the public, we believe, should on their part be willing cheerfully to pay to a well and regularly
educated practitioner, if, at least, they wish to maintain a respectable class of persons in this profession, and not
to suffer it, with bad consequences to themselves and to the animals, to be subject to the reproach which Vegetius
tells us obtained in his days; "Ars " he says, "exiguitate mercedis jamdvdvm collapsa est."

tially cleft, so as to stop all circulation, when the parts consequently mortified and came away at
the constricted part; and Moorcroft proceeded to castrate a horse in this way, but the irritation
which ensued was so great that a general inflammation took place, extending to the abdomen, and
which destroyed the horse. My friend Richard Lawrence tried also the same operation upon a
very valuable horse at Birmingham, as he informed me, and with the same fatal results, and which,
as it happened in his early practice, did him much injury.

The magnificence of the generative system of the horse is remarkable, of which we formerly
endeavoured to give a sketch in the Cyclopaedia of Dr. Rees, and which has, without his knowing
probably of my previous labours, been partially described again by my friend J. Earle, surgeon,
of Bartholomew's Hospital, in a communication read at Cambridge, 1836, before the British
Association.

The almost ungovernable effects of this noble machinery on the frame of the horse, has been
noticed by Virgil, in the following beautiful lines;

Nonne vides ut tota tremor pertentet Equorum

Corpora, si tantum notas odor attulit auras!

Ac neque eas jam frsena virum neque verbera sseva,

Non scopulse, rupesque, cavae atque objecta retardant

Flumina correptos unda torquentia montes.------Georg. lib. 3.

In some countries of the East they are said simply to crush the testicles, and not extract them;
this, though simple, would seem rather an uncertain way of destroying the masculine vigour, and
we should apprehend, like the above operation, would create in the end, a source of more pain
and suffering than the extraction, but not having tried it, this is only mere conjecture. In France,
where the crushing between two sticks was introduced, a caustic was also enclosed between the
sticks in contact with the chord, formed of tallow and corrosive sublimate, cutting away the testicles
at the end of forty-eight hours; now as this could not be performed without casting the horse,
there seems very little trouble saved by this mode of doing it.

The ancient and common operation, to which we vastly give the preference, as being less painful
considered altogether, and less fatal in its results, is done in the following manner, and requires
generally no secondary attentions, which must ever be, from the situation and tenderness of the
parts, extremely difficult and dangerous.

The horse being cast on a plentiful bed of straw, is placed on his back with his legs in the air,
being supported in this position by a truss of hay or straw on each side of him, one of the hind legs
or both is drawn forwards to the neck, or fore legs, which affords a convenient opportunity of getting
at the parts. Searching for the scrotum, the testicle is grasped with the left hand so as to extend
and present a smooth surface of the skin of the scrotum; an incision with a scalpel is then made of
about three parts of the length of the testicle. Some use a hot iron, in preference, to make this
incision, which we never practised, believing the other less painful, and better for subsequent
\ealing.

The skin being divided, the testicle rushes out, and we next divide the tendinous expansion
forming the tunica vaginalis testis, carefully avoiding the cutting into the body of the testicle;
the testicle itself then presents, with its beautifully vascular surface, and is easily pressed out of
its coverings and seized upon, a pair of clams being at hand; the chord is included, and held
together pretty forcibly so as to stop all circulation, observing that if the animal struggles,
which he is sure to do at this point of the work, to ease the clams to him, and not to resist, as that
will tear the chord or its envelopments within the abdomen; the section or division of the chord
with the scalpel or the hot iron, it matters not much which, as all sensation must have ceased
on this side the clams, that we rather give the hot iron preference here, as it stops the effusion of
blood. It is well not to divide the chord close to the clams, but to leave a full quarter of an inch of
the chord or epididymis, which some think best, over, for the hot iron to act upon in closing up
the spermatic artery and vein, which if close to the iron cannot so well be stopt from bleeding;
it is usual, after a gentle searing, to scatter some powdered rosin upon the parts fired, and to melt
it over them, for the further security of the vessel, which, if it should bleed after the operation is
over, would be highly dangerous, the small projection beyond the surface of the clams is easily
moulded into a neat ridge or seam, by the hot iron, that will effectually secure the vessels. The
clams being now opened with the greatest care, easing away with the fingers the adhering chord from
the surfaces of the forceps, as by pulling them open rudely we run the risk of tearing open again
the closed vessels, which, if disposed to bleed, we again close the clams, and touch them again
with the hot iron; this done, we return the parts into the scrotum, washing away any clots of blood
that may have lodged there. After this searing, it is usual, and a beneficial practice we believe it
to be, to wash the parts well with cold water, or goulard-water from a bottle; some fresh lard
being taken we rub it into the groin, and all the parts that have in any way been concerned in the
operation, to supple and ease them in the subsequent swelling and irritation which will soon take
place. A considerable enlargement of the scrotum and of the sheath of the penis follows, and a
discharge of yellow lymph and pus often succeed; after about a week, the parts healing and the
swelling gradually subsiding, the horse is again returned to his labours.

At about two years old is reckoned the best period for gelding; the older they become, the more
danger and more resistance; we have castrated however, as late as seventeen or eighteen years
without their dying. The time of the year is not much regarded, nor, as formerly, the age of the
moon.

The effects of gelding upon the make and shape of the horse and his passions, we shall not here
enlarge upon, as not being necessary, or its effects upon his voice also. We now are induced
to subjoin a few hints respecting the fatality of this operation in some hands to what it is in others,
which we believe to have proceeded from an inattention to some circumstances not usually noticed:
one is to be careful not to leave any of the investing membranes or coverings of the testicle un-
divided, but to see them fairly cleared away; some, I am satisfied, careless or ignorant wholly of
the anatomy of the parts, have, on the skin of the scrotum being opened, and the testicle
protruding, proceeded to use the clams; seeing a highly vascular membrane, they mistook it for
the testicle, and so enclosed the tunica vaginalis testis in their clams, and made that to undergo

the compression, as well as the spermatic chord, which inflaming and communicating with the
abdomen destroyed the animal. From momentary inattention I iiad nearly done this myself on one
occasion, which served to point out to me this source of danger. I once castrated a young horse in
Essex, for a farmer; a farrier in the neighbourhood, in a sort of bravado, castrated two on the
same day, to see which would be well first; both his died, mine, at the end of ten days, was
pretty well recovered. The death of the man's two colts, I much suspect, proceeded from some
bungling of the above description; and this also it is, I suspect, that renders the sticks operation
so fatal. This bad plan, though brought out every now and then as something new and
wonderful, is as old as the days of the Romans, and was recommended by Palladius, (a writer in no
great esteem in those days,) at least for the poor calves; neither the Greek writers or Vegetius say
any thing about the sticks operation.

Above all things take care, in the struggles of the animal, and retraction of the parts, on
fixing the clams*, to have a very light hand, and to let them follow easily and without resistance, all
his movements.

ON SPAYING THE MARE. I know of only two instances of this operation being
attempted, both by my friend William Moorcroft, who was a very dexterous operator: the first was
on a mare procured on purpose from the slaughter-house by way of experiment, she died; the
other attempt was on a valuable mare, the property of a gentleman, who complained of this animal
for being continually horsing, to the offence of his lady, being employed in his curricle; she was
next operated upon, and also died; that it seems however it may suit pigs, not to suit horses.

Would it not have been better, rather than sacrificing so valuable an animal, to have
exchanged her for a gelding, or to have covered her posteriors with a net and tassels, &c, so
as to conceal any appearances of the kind, rather than resort to so uncertain and so dangerous an
alternative.

* Experiencing considerable pleasure in unravelling words, where I can, rendered often almost unintelligible
by a succession of corruptions, so, as to this technical word clams or clam, which I conjecture was in its first
application probably clamp, a common machine of the upholsterers for connecting a succession of flat boards to
each other, consisting of two parallel bars conjoined by a rectangular piece, forming together three sides of a
square, and by passing through two staples connects these boards to each other. The word clam or clams how-
ever having obtained a technical signification in this art, and as serving to distinguish a particular and useful
instrument, we shall exactly retain it as it appears, although a barbarism and of no proper meaning in itself.
^Both the above titles have their origin, there is little doubt, in the Latin word, claudo, to close or shut.

As to the instrument itself, when properly made, we apprehend it should be moderately long, as a foot or
more, including its handles, and not very wide or thick, heavy or clumsy, enclosing and bruising more of the
chord than is necessary, but rather thin and light. The two blades should meet by means of a projecting
hinge in two parallel lines, when at about the eighth of an inch asunder, and it should be provided also with
a clasp to keep it fixed without holding whilst embracing the chord.

ON THE CONGLUTINUM. Having been among the first, if not the very first, who
publicly recommended this useful article, more than forty years ago, and having given in the
Pharmacopcea Equina the prescription for its preparation, we desisted there, as being out of place
descanting on its uses, or the giving examples of it; here therefore, with more propriety, may be
given a few successful cases of its application.

Having first used it with extraordinary success in cases of quittor, I was induced to use it in
other obstinate cases of sinus that refused to yield to common dressings, and one of the first of
these cases was a violent bruise of the leg, which had led to a disagreeable sinus, and appeared
to be communicating with the sheath of the tendon, or perhaps the tendon itself, giving out much
glare or synovia mixed with pus; by injecting into it a strong solution of the sulphate of zinc, the
abscess soon healed, and the sinus became obliterated, that I began to suspect it might be used
in many kind of cases, preferably to the knife, in laying them open, as we were used to do
previously.

In cases of quittor, on using this preparation, a violent swelling usually supervened, which ren-
dered the use of a poultice necessary after it, and which, by keeping the integuments moist and
easy, very much contributed to the cure, also removing the lower part of the hoof away, opposite
the injury, from taking any bearing on the shoe.

I further experienced the extraordinary powers of this remedy in procuring adhesion of
surfaces and in the obliteration of old sinuses in a withers of Mr. Sheppard's horse, where a deep
sinus which appeared to communicate with the extremities of the dorsal or long wither processes
and which gave way to the injection and healed presently.

The next was the case of my friend, William Forster's horse, of Tottenham, which had
received a violent kick on the inside of the hock, which laid bare the tendons, which could be seen
working in and out of the sore, when the part moved, or he bent his leg, this also united and
healed by the use of the injection in a short time, though discharging thecal synovia abundantly;
in this case, however, as in some others, an abscess formed, in consequence of the sudden healing of
the wound and which did considerable mischief to the joint. That this powerful agglutinent should
be employed with some care and discretion, and we found in this, and other cases, the great use of
largely poulticing after its use, to sooth and quiet the irritated parts and those connected; in foot
cases we found this particularly necessary, as in quittor. After this I have no notes, and how the
case finally terminated have no distinct recollection, having myself not seen it after.

In a case of a large grey dray horse of Messrs. Tickels, (1812,) which had received a most
violent contusion and cut in the front of the gambril * below the stifle. I endeavoured to heal this
wound by the first intention, but a large abscess was left notwithstanding, and discharged a red
clotted pus, like coffee grounds. I employed the conglutinum, and covered the external wound

* Probably from the French jambe, the diminutive bril being added, signifying the little or lesser leg, the
thigh or greater leg being above it; it is in fact the muscular assemblage in front of the head of the tibia, and
we preserve it, though not often used, as affording us a ready and useful distinction in speaking of this part
of the limb.

with a pitch plaster, injecting it with a pewter syringe through an opening or slit in the
plaster. The swelling became reduced, the lameness went off, and in three weeks he got
perfectly well. The injection thrown in did none of it return, but must have insinuated itself
between the muscles, or between the skin and muscles, and have been absorbed ; and, to our
surprise rather, it produced no ill consequences, the wound healing rapidly.

Sampson Hanbury and Oo.'s black dray-horse had been pricked through the sole by a nail,
and refusing to heal, a mulberry nipple was formed and presented at the orifice, and which is
sometimes difficult to subdue, by dipping a small ball of tow in the conglutinum, and pressing
it against the sore, and keeping it there: it healed in a short time.

David Kicardo's bay coach-horse, a very noble animal, recently after purchase for two
hundred guineas, had a swelled jugular vein from being bled: it broke out in two places, and I
first applied lunar caustic to the wound, but found it not succeed in uniting it. I next tried
the conglutinum (see its composition in the Pharmacopoeia Equina), and the aperture was
soon closed, and the neck did well. I had seen most troublesome cases proceed from such
sores in my former practice. Especial care was taken in this case to prevent the horse, high
fed and impatient, rubbing his neck after the application of the remedy, by turning him round
in the stall, and keeping him tied nearly all day between the two heel posts of the standing,
and this for two or three days when not feeding, and, as we have said, when the wounds were
fresh dressed.

Another beneficial instance of its use occurred in T. A.'s horse, of Merton Mills. He had
been severely cut under the fetlock joint by a broken piece of glass bottle that stood upright
on its bottom in the water, on which it appeared he had trodden. On my being called in, he
was found in great pain, holding it up from the ground, which evinced that thecal inflammation
had commenced; there appeared also a discharge of thecal synovia. I notwithstanding
determined to try the effects of the conglutinum, to see if I could arrest the discharge, and
introduced it into the wound with a feather. I then smeared some lint, a broadish piece,
thickly covered over with softened rosin, or rosin digestive made stiff and tenacious. I next
covered this with a larger plaster of the same, on a denser mat of tow, and kept them well to
the parts by a calico bandage, and over all a soft poultice. The pain went off; and by
repeating the dressing every other day, in about ten days he was perfectly restored.

A singular case of its use occurred to me in a dog, a very fine Dalmatian spotted coach-dog,
belonging to Alderman Cox, where the two tables or skins of which the dog's ear appears to
be composed were detached and separated to a considerable distance or extent, so as to give
the ear an enlarged, almost globous figure, on both its sides. I opened the tumor with a
lancet, and found it contained fluid of a glarey consistence, and then injected into the cavity
the conglutinum; the detached surfaces immediately adhered, and were never troublesome
after, giving much satisfaction.

We have, we believe, already stated, and it cannot be too often repeated, that the use of
this powerful agglutinant was frequently followed, especially in deep cases, that on the closing
of the old, a formation of new abscesses took place, but not of the same extent; and gene-

rally, I believe I may say always, yielded finally to large and frequent poultices; some required
a second opening however, and a second injection, as in the following case.

T. M.'s horse, an old quittor case, was soon healed by the injection, but it broke out again
farther on, in the front of the foot; I continued however to apply it to the new opening till
it got well.

Alderman Price's horse, with a sinus or pipe from a tread originally, got well presently by
its use, and many others; some, however, apparently from the depth or tortuous direction of
the sinus, required the use of the knife, and others swelled and broke out in new places, but
healed not long after by assiduous poulticing. See Dissert, on this troublesome disease
Quittor, and its Cure, London, 2nd edit. 1834.

I also applied it with good effect in several cases of neck vein tumefactions and ulceration,
from the effects of bleeding and pinning up ; the pin if passed too deeply, or being rubbed or
torn out by the horse against the manger. It may often, when the stream of blood is small and
not very free in flowing, be quite unnecessary to use any pin at all, the insertion of which, and
the bruising of the parts attending it, is often more painful than the operation itself. I have
frequently omitted it, and never had cause to repent of so doing.

In the above cases of the swelled vein, the conglutinum was simply applied with a feather;
and cases that used to require weeks to get them well, were healed in a few days. Others would
extend along the course of the vein, and resist for a longer time, in spite of all endeavours.
See art. Bleeding, Surgery of Horses, p. 11.

DOCKING THE TAIL. By this term is understood the shortening or amputation of
the tail of the horse, and which is simply performed by enclosing the tail at the point to be
severed, in a deep notch formed in a wooden lever of some length, as two foot or more, with a
blade of steel in the upper limb working on an hinge; this blade is of a circular or diagonal
figure, and, urged by the lever of the handle, instantly removes the end to be cut off. The
tail, I need hardly say, is denuded of the hairs being turned back from the part and tied
above, and is carefully removed from all about the part intended for division; and it is
surprizing often to see how little resentment the animal exhibits at this lopping off of his noble
appendage.

The bones composing the tail of the horse are long and solid cylinders, with enlarging
extremities for articulation, and projecting lateral processes, which receive within them the
muscles and tendons of the tail, and, still nearer to the bone, inclose and defend the arteries
and veins, the former usually squirt out the blood to some distance on the removal of the
tail, and generally require the application of the cautery to arrest it. This is usually done by
a flat iron ring with a long handle to it, the hole in the ring franchising the central bone, and
permitting the ring itself to have a more free access to the bleeding vessels, closely lodged in
its recesses.

These painful nickings and dockings would not be so much sought after, we believe, if other
consequences did not result from them than the effects produced on the appearance of the
tail; much trouble is saved to the attendant groom in dressing and looking after it, and
keeping it clean; and there is also a small perquisite attends the sale of these hairy ornaments,
the upholsterer finding them the most elastic and best stuffing of his beautiful squabs.

In docking there is little danger; but in nicking, if really and efficiently performed, it is
otherwise, and there is a degree of danger attending it. It was an unfortunate case of this
sort that in a singular manner, led me to write the Essay on the Bots of Horses. An exceed-
ingly beautiful mare, belonging to a banker of Kingston-on-Thames, was nicked by a veteri-
narian expressly sent for from London for the purpose. He exhibited a brisk purgative to her
previous to the nicking, in order to prevent any inflammation proceeding from it. In a few
days afterwards however, inflammation of the tail supervened, and extended to the rectum.
In his alarm, and to arrest the progress of it, he administered an ounce dose of opium; the
consequence was, that the system having been previously debilitated and lowered by the physic,
a most violent inflammation of the bowels ensued, which speedily terminated in the death of
the animal. Living at that time at East Molesey, at my brother's, I was sent for over to her,
to see what could be done, but found her dead on my arrival. I proceeded however, out of
curiosity, to open her, and found her intestines generally and other viscera violently inflamed,
and attended with that peculiarly disagreeable odour, which always accompanies this sort of
death from opium. Opening the stomach, I discovered a cluster of bots, and cut them out with
the piece of stomach to which they adhered. Passing home through Bushy Park, sitting myself
down beneath one of the spreading chesnut trees, I proceeded to dissect them; and being
very much struck with the beautiful pearly appearance of the air vessels, and which was then
new to me, I drew up some account of it, intending it for the Linnean Society. I found
however subsequently, that the fact had been observed before, and therefore was hardly
worth notice ; some other facts however were new ; and still adding by farther researches to
these, I at length presented the paper to the above Society, who thought it worthy of a record
in their Transactions, vol. iii. p. 289, to which I have since further added at various times, as
opportunity offered, making it a separate treatise.

In docking, the number of vertebrae to be removed is quite depending on the taste, caprice,
or fancy, of the operator, or, it may be, the owner of the horse; and very variously is this
taste exhibited, from the naked stump or short dock of the large waggon-horse, to the long
cut of what is called the blood, or nag tail.



			ODU 2jo₉ 41 tl

		HIPPIATRIA; OR, THE SURGERY AND MEDICINE OF HORSES.

	BY BRACY CLARK, F.L.S. Member of the Royal Institute of France, and Ecole Roy ale de Medicine, of the Copenhagen, Berlin, Stutgard and Frankfort Royal Agricultural Societies, tyc.

LONDON:�1838. PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, No. 7, TAUNTON PLACE, REGENT'S PARK, AND SOLD BY CHARLES CLARK, GILTSPUR STREET, SMITHFIELD, AND RENSHAW, BOOKSELLER, 356, STRAND.



		3 INTRODUCTION. Having formerly in Dr. Rees's Cyclopaedia given a brief sketch of several parts of the Equine anatomy, of those parts more especially of this noble animal which required it, as differing- the most widely from those of the human, to which more ample details were afterwards added respecting that important part, the foot of the horse, and of his shoeing, exhibiting for the first time its dire and hitherto mysterious evils. We afterwards took up the pharmaceutic department, and hope and trust we have left useful matter for the Veterinarian in that publication: also a General History of horse knowledge, and some parts of the natural history of this precious animal. We are now venturing not without apprehensions, upon the departments of the medicine and surgery of this noble slave, from a pretty extensive period of experience and labor upon it, which has been mercifully permitted us ; and after a few general prefatory strictures, or remarks, we shall pursue this elncida- tion in a simple alphabetic order, as being the most easy for reference of any, to the practitioner. It may not however be without its use in the first place, just to explain the meaning of the terms above employed for divisions, as all practising these arts are not alike versed in the Greek and Latin languages, and to whom therefore it may not be unacceptable. Such terms are ever useful, indeed necessary, as saving much circumlocution and affording more precise boundary lines than long definitions, and in facilitating also the writing, thinking, and even reasoning, upon these subjects. The word Hippiatria is derived from the Greek hippos, a horse, and iatros, a physician, forming together a term that was much wanted in our art, since the word Farriery usually employed for it, has in reality no relation'whatever to medicine or surgery, referring only to the shoeing department, being derived from the Latin Ferrum, iron. Hippotomia is from hippos, a horse, and tomo, to cut. Hippochirurgia, from hippos, a horse, heir, the hand, and urgos, work; signifying, bone-setting, and sawing, and other operations of the hands, the very mechanical part of surgery, in which, though adroitness be a very commendable thing, it is an inferior quality to that of a solid judgment in the knowledge of the powers and wonderful resources of nature, in performing cures, without our too officiously resorting to operations, especially painful ones, or any such under- taken from unworthy motives. Hipponosologia, from nosos, a disease, and logos, a discourse. Hippocomia, is from hippos, a horse, and komoo, to adorn, or to ornament, and hence perhaps our word comely, also I hardly doubt if the familiar word comb, may not have had its origin in some way, from the same root. In entering on a work of horse-surgery one should be failing in our moral duties not to recommend earnestly the employment towards these worthy slaves of the utmost kindness and humanity, which their merits certainly entitle them to, and not to let them be exposed, to any wanton suffering or infliction ; remembering that they are defenceless, therefore claiming our best protection, and to him who is merciful, mercy will be meted out in the day of awful account. The truly enlightened and intelligent veterinarian also will not take up the profession solely and wholly to make all the money he can by it, but to do all the good that lies in his power, in relieving their wants and necessities, and in saving them from any unnecessary abuse and persecution, too readily dealt out by the mercenary and the interested. At the same time, by intelligence in his profession, he can teach the public how to secure their efforts and make the most of their services without loss or injury to their owners or themselves, and in what consists their truest interests in their use. By many it was hoped, and it might certainly very reasonably be expected, that the establishment of a Veterinary College in this kingdom, by taking the affairs of the horses very much out of the hands of the common Smiths, and Farriers, would ensure a more enlightened, and a more humane treatment of the animal, almost as a natural consequence, but alas ! we are obliged to confess that, at the present, no such effects have been produced by it, but that operations as they are called, upon them, under one pretence or other, have, increased in a tenfold ratio, and such scenes of cruelty have been perpetrated as would make a man shudder.

			' *



			INTRODUCTION.

		It may perhaps afford some extenuation of such conduct, and that it does not wholly proceed from cruelty, and a desire to get money at the expence of their feelings, that it is almost ever the case that in passing from a course of vulgar routine, or ignorant empiricism, to one founded on really scientific rules, and principles, blunders will be committed, and let us charitably hope they may have proceeded from this state of transition, at any rate such is their best apology. An enumeration of a few of these errors may not be without its use in preventing a repetition, or revival of them when the present period may have passed away, and been forgotten. The first error these reformers of the college fell into, and were most deeply embogged in, was the doctrine of frog-pressure, first introduced from France by St. Bel, but who was, from past experience perhaps in France, more cautiously occupied with it, but which was taken up by his successor with headlong devotion. The mistake consisted in supposing the horse's furch, or frog, as they called it, was intended by nature as a kind of bolt or wedge to force the inflexions, or heels asunder, and sometimes that it acted the part of a plough, in driving into the ground, and stopping the horse! This delusion was worked upon with blind pertinacity for the space of thirty years, or more, although for the last two thirds of that time, the clearest evidence of the folly and falsity of such doctrine existed in full radiance before the eyes of the blind zealot, but alas, to no purpose ! the idea was clever, and abstracted and it therefore must be right, said they. Horses innumerable got punished and thump't upon their tender frogs, some by hard iron bars attached to the shoe, and some by having their inflexural columns removed and lowered, to bring this part in contact with the road, which it was rarely or never meant to touch, of such inflexible materials is a College.* The falsity of the system now almost every tyro in the art understands, which was for so long a period incomprehensible to the professor, and in his harangue to his pupils any allusion to it now only serves to excite a smile. But what recompence can he make to the poor creatures, for the tortures he thus inflicted upon them, in this obstinate manner, when evidence clear as daylight existed of its absurdity ? and every experiment of his own must have evinced it. What recompence can he make to the youths thus deluded, and who lost their professional reputation, and business perhaps, by following such an infatuation ? or, what benefit have they awarded to him who first discovered the cheat ? One other abuse of the art, we would wish now to speak of and repudiate, which, although not proceeding directly from the college, is proceeding from one of its favourite emissaries, and has not met with its veto: and that is the unspeakable abomination of firing through the skin of horses' legs. It always appeared to me revolting enough, after an animal had lent us his assistance and had done his best, and beyond what ought to have been required of him, both for his own sake and his owners, for he had injured himself thereby, instead of receiving rewards and caresses for such meritorious exertions, which had, it is to be hoped, benefited his owner also, he should receive instead of kindly treatment the glowing favour of a red hot iron, applied to the sensible skin of his legs: and our debutant of the college, not content with a light firing, has proposed the above horror. For my part, I always thought a light firing the best, and so did M. Crepin, one of the best veteri- narians in Paris, with whom I conversed on this subject when in that metropolis, and can only compare such an abominable proposition to the killing the goose that is to lay the golden eggs. * It is truly curious to observe the vast deference that is often shown to a place so designated, a sort of blind reverence that is unaccountable, or as though there was something superhuman about a college, although the word has its sole source from the simple Latin verb colligo, to collect; meaning therefore, nothing more than a collection, and such may be good, bad, or indifferent, as it happened, and nothing demanding such an implicit acquiescence. It is lamentable however, to see, that corporate bodies having vested interests ingrafted in this way, dare to perpetrate iniquities that no individual dare attempt, suppressing often that very knowledge which they were bound in duty to foster and encourage, but which they keep out of sight for fear of laying open some interested corruption, or some glaring ignorance, deficiency, or inconsistency, of their own.



			*

		7 imagine was then the remedy proposed, why an operation of course, and no other than that of casting down the poor horse, always attended with affright and terror, almost as bad as the operation, and running a kni�e through his furch or frog, as it is foolishly called, a part wholly unfitted by its texture and construction for any such operation, and at too great a distance from the nut-bone, the seat of the disease, to do any real good. In passing the blade through, he first had to encounter the whole thickness of the horn of the part, of little use truly, in procuring a suppuration from, he next transfixes the cartilaginous capsule lining the horny cavity of the furch, and he then drives it through the cartilaginous, constrated layers, extending across the cavity of this lining capsule, and finally and lastly through the intervening pulpy gelatinous membranes which are interposed between these layers, precious materials all, truly, for obtaining a suppuration from, and how such suppuration when obtained, was to heal an ulcer situated at the distance of the shuttle-bone, with all the various matters interposed between these two parts, is no easy matter to explain. Where such an ulcer, from any circumstances attending the case, might fairly be supposed to exist, the remedy to be adopted, as we believe, should be, at least as it at present appears to us, is to insist upon a total remission of the original cause of the evil viz. the nail shoeing; and next, to order a prolonged run at grass, without shoes, where the cooling sod to the foot itself, and the refreshing herbage to the body, or system, would generally after a time, it is probable, bring back the suffering parts, to their pristine tone, and condition, and then would take place, the healing of the sore. But if of necessity the horse could not be spared from his work, the working of him as moderately as possible, without shoes, or with shoes only lightly applied, and upon the expansion system, or with tips, or a paratrite, such would enable him to perform as much as an injured subject of this kind ought to be expected to give. In short, he ought to be treated in all respects, we apprehend, as for a general contraction of the whole foot from shoeing, as we can never get at the ulcer itself. Now there are many in this profession no doubt, who intend honourably, and well, and men also of humanity, but such is not always the case in the motley groups who go up to pay their twenty guineas to get a sanction from the college for all this sort of practice, we are therefore desirous to warn the public against this intolerable passion so many are found to have, for resorting to operations, some to exhibit their coolness and surgical skill, and others for ends we need only allude to, without particularly naming. And further to augment this frightful propensity, there has lately an Italian veterinarian, come over to this country, recommending various absurd operations upon the round bone of the poor horse, in cases of lameness behind, on pretences the most absurd, and with a most revolting cruelty, reviving to the letter the tricks that used to be played formerly, by the old farriers with this part, a part so truly strong by nature, as hardly ever liable to be out of order. An account of this Italian's most wise, and most merciful suggestions, duly displayed, may be seen in the veterinary periodical of the day. In human surgery the practice is not half so sanguinary as formerly; nor are half the operations now performed that used to be eagerly resorted to. A slight depression of the cranium was enough for the surgeon formerly to fetch out his trephine, and bore through the skull of the poor patient; now it is found nature can remove in most cases such an inconvenience, without any other aid than keeping the system right. The painful operation of cutting for the stone now is nearly superseded by the crushing instruments ; heavy splints for broken bones are much abandoned for the simple compress and cushion, and every progressive step in the art, leads into a more easy, less painful, and more simple treatment, for nature it is true must ever perform the cure at last. In confirmation of this remark, a very eminent surgeon, Sir Benjamin Brodie, has the following remarkable passage. " In a table I constructed of cases, it was curious to observe how large a proportion of the recoveries occurred in those cases in which the surgeon avoided an operation altogether, or confined himself to the removing of some loose, or detached pieces of bone; a person who has a musket ball lodged in



		8 the brain is in a very dangerous condition, nevertheless it appears to be safer to allow it to remain, than to endeavour to extract it." v. Introd. Discourse, p. 19. And I know also by long experience, from an extensive business among horses, having myself attended for years, some of the largest breweries and horse concerns, of the metropolis, that such may be done without much casting down, of the horses, and that such I can say is not by any means frequently necessary. Simplicity again may be carried too far, and I am convinced that I have seen in Paris amputated stumps treated with simple lint, or lint dipped in water, that have mortified, and great numbers there do so, and which a little of our warm digestive, of rosin softened with oil, would we believe have certainly brought to a healthy suppuration, and to a sound healing. So that it is obvious we may err on either hand. There is one comforting reflection however, amidst all this, which has attended the attempt at reform in these arts in this country, and that is, that the horse's ears, and their tails, are now left more at their ease, and free from amputation, and the practice of nicking, and of docking, we hear but little of comparatively at present. A practice however has sprung up of late of shearing the horses of their coats, or of clipping them close as it is called; how this fashion originated, or with whom, I know not, but believe it to be a very absurd one, and would not be much practised, did there not a small gratuity, or douceur, attend the doing of it, and if there were no scissor-makers to recommend it. That it makes horses go better, and that it will cure a cough, I have heard some say, but what will not interest, and fashion, make people assert in aid of her practices ? I am myself no believer in such doctrines. A fatal case has just come to my knowledge of a beautiful and most valuable Norway horse, by inflammation of the lungs, immediately consequent to a clipping operation of this sort. Like the hateful list of Banquo's Progeny, " another and another comes, and the last fool was welcome as thejirst." The sub-professor to his former unlucky attempts has lately proposed yet another operation, that of pricking, and digging, through the skins of horses' legs down to the periosteum, by way of relieving them from spavins, splints, &c, one of these cases we hear, by extending the inflammation to the joint, terminated in a general anchylosis, as might be expected, this operation is called for brevity, the periosteotomizing operation. Operations also on the genitals of the horse, of a most cruel description, under the pretence of calculi in the bladder, have been ostentatiously exhibited, and I believe if fairly investigated will be found to have no real grounds for them, that can truly sustain, or justify, any such exhibitions as these. Whilst upon these unpleasant, but very necessary topics, I may also just observe, that the profession would be much more useful, and respected, if its votaries were more select, instead of allowing the admission of all that please to offer themselves, with twenty guineas ready for the professor's opening palm ; if some sort of previous examination was required, as to the extent of education, and degree of fitness, of the candidate, for becoming an authorised member of what ought to be, a liberal profession, and indeed such inquiry was actually enjoined by the original rules of this corrupted institution, but at present we do not hear of any being unfit who can only command the requisite fee, and the accumulation of such fees beyond a certain amount, ought we think to form a fund, for the various wants of the college itself, and for the encouragement of its more poor, or meritorious members, especially for paying the examination fee given to the human doctors that the professor appoints on these occasions, or for prizes given for good essays on the art, instead of its being a continual seduction for the admission of as numerous a host as possible of all sorts of characters. The income at present in this way is enormous, and for what!!! we observe also that the lowest characters are ever the most flexible, and readiest, to be supporters of its corruptions, and abuses, whenever the professor has occasion for their aid.



		12 In timid, shy, and suspicious subjects, as in some kinds of blood-horses more particularly, we have sometimes tied a common bottle-cork in a string, and pressed it upon the vein, then passing the string round the neck, we set the hands more at liberty for the use of the fleam, or lancet, which in delicate or timid subjects is best used, held short between the thumb and forefinger, and so managed as to go only to the prescribed depth. An abscess lancet is the best for this purpose, but not too large however, or very long in the point, as it may pass through the vein on the opposite side. The proper Recipient for the blood in these cases of jugular-vein bleeding, appears to be a light Tin or Zinc Can holding about a gallon, or rather more, and graduated inside or out, or both, in pints. The handle of it may project from the side in such a way as conveniently to be made to press upon the vein below the orifice, thereby facilitating the bleeding, or which is better, a globular Qr hemispherical hollow boss, or ball of tin, may be placed on the side for this purpose, instead of violently as is now usually done, pressing the edge of a stable-bucket against the vein, which can be only applied in a very partial manner, on account of the projecting muscles of the neck. To execute this manipulation conveniently and satisfactorily, two things are requisite, good tools and keeping them in perfect order, ever ready at a moment's notice ; a commodious apparatus for this purpose is the following: an oblong square piece of morocco or other leather, ample enougli to turn down on the sides, to cover the following instruments, confined by a strap running down its middle, viz. a large and smaller fleam, an abscess lancet, a smaller one for bleeding the eyes, a pair of wire-nippers, a small pocket or pouch at the end, for a lock of long fine tow, and a floating leaf of kerseymere for the insertion of pins, &c. will furnish all perhaps that is actually and indispensibly necessary, and being wrapped in the leather will occupy the smallest possible space in the pocket. A Fleam is often made with a spring, commodiously to plunge it suddenly into the vein, being less alarming than the employment of the hand and of the blood-stick. The objection to them is, that the instrument from being pressed firmly against the neck in using it, cannot be so suddenly withdrawn as might be desirable, and we have seen the horse plunge immediately on receiving the stroke, and the projected blade has ripped up the neck to a considerable extent. To prevent such an accident another spring let loose by the stroke might bring back the fleam again within its frame or case, by which such an accident would be obviated. Ulceration of the Jugular Vein. Bleeding the horse's neck-vein is certainly not a very difficult, or hazardous manipulation�considerable care, and attention are however requisite afterwards, to ward off evils which in various ways are attached to this operation, and in this particular case most true is the maxim, that prevention is better than cure, and a slight attention may remove very serious troubles. For this immense vein is very liable to subsequent inflammation and ulceration of its cavity, extending often in one or both directions, along its internal surface, obliterating the cavity of the vein itself, and often going on in a backward course, till it reaches the head, and causes the destruction of the animal. Immense thickenings of the surrounding cellular membrane generally attend this lesion of the vein, forming abscesses into which the blood often finds its way, and becomes very troublesome, and which, continuing on in succession, at last reach the head, when death ensues. To avoid therefore so calamitous an event, it will be well to observe the following attentions: To use a clean, sharp, smooth instrument; not to strike the vein where



		13 it has been often opened before, and has become enlarged, thin, and bladder-like, but rather to go above or below such part; in pinning up not to include more than the skin. Nor to leave the pin of its full length, as being liable to catch objects and getting entangled, tear out the piece, and rend open the cicatrix ; a pair of wire worker's nippers are the best for this purpose. The pin also should not be allowed to remain in the neck too long, in a general way perhaps twenty-four hours is sufficient, but where the horse is very full of blood and the orifice has been large, and has bled freely, eight and forty hours will not be too much, and not whole days or weeks as we have often seen it negligently left. For the wound in drying and cicatrizing with the pin left in, is apt to become itchy, which may induce a rubbing upon the manger, that may be attended with injurious consequences. Now the pinning of the neck is sometimes, with high fed and skittish subjects, a troublesome affair, more so than the bleeding; in some cases therefore, where it is likely to be so, pressing the lips of the wound together between the thumb and finger, holding it a short time, and then tying up the horse's head to the rack, or to the heel-posts, and to let him so remain an hour or two, till the desiccation of the blood shall confirm the union, and render the pinning unnecessary. Also to avoid pinning, where the bleeding has been very free or profuse and the orifice large, it maybe better to place a bit of dry lint upon the closed vein, holding it awhile, and then placing upon it a thick lock of tow, and with a ribbon or fillet carried round the neck, make it fast by passing it between the hairs of the mane for greater security. In removing these pledgets however, into which the blood may perhaps have extensively insinuated itself, and strongly glued them together, we should proceed cautiously, not to rip open the wound, leaving, if it seemed requisite, a small portion that immediately covered the orifice, to fall off of itself; also sometimes it may be better to use warm water to dissolve and relax the blood in such a case, but this should not be done coarsely so as to dissolve the cementing blood in the orifice itself, but be used short of this, as it may otherwise relax the tender cicatrix, and bond of union, and so renew the bleeding, which at this period is particularly to be deprecated. If any part of the dressing be left on the sore, the groom should have notice of it,and be warned in cleaning the neck to have respect to the part, and not tear it off, for it is better the part should go uncleaned for a few days than to run any risk of this sort. The wound also should not be left in a wet condition, as such may unglue and open the orifice again. By attentions like these we may perhaps almost entirely avoid any ill consequences from the performance of this very frequent and often most beneficial evacuation. After trying many stratagems with these unfortunate cases of ulcerated and obliterated vein, such as poultices, cutting out the thickened parts, causticking, &c. we found at last, mildly blistering the skin over the part, as efficacious as any, very much assisting in the reduction of these tumours ; though, we believe, measures more immediately efficacious than this will probably hereafter be discovered for these unfortunate cases. However, after the precautionary measures above urged to prevent them, much may also be done by attention to the evil in its early stages ; for when the vein does not heal kindly, it is known by an oozing, or weeping of lymph from the part, which, if neglected, is sufficient of itself to prevent the drying and cicatrizing, or healing of the wound. It therefore behoves us now, without loss of time, to give it our best attention, and to destroy this first indication of so pernicious a mischief.

			'�



	,.

19 integuments, which sometimes does not subside for weeks, nay whole months have not been sufficient for its entire disappearance. A blister, therefore, not producing these effects, which are not constant however, would be a desirable thing in the Veterinary Pharmacopoiaea. In this general notice respecting blistering, which we are now taking, it may not be out of place to notice another cutaneous irritant, The Pyroligneous Acid, or that empyreumatic acid obtained by the distillation of wood in close vessels, which proves a cutaneous irritant, or rather cleanser, of very valuable properties, especially in cases of rough, hardened skin, and in mangy horses, the skin being simply wetted with it, it slightly inflames it, and occasions it to peel off, bringing away with it any foulness that may be adhering, and greatly reducing the hardness of the skin. It may be perhaps also applied as an ointment mixed with lard. Great assiduity and perseverance however is often necessary where the disease through neglect has long time existed. It may be excusable also to notice here another way of exciting the skin, which has been of late years very fashionable, though at the present we do not hear so very much of it, and that is what the French call the moxa, a sort of Fungus prepared with nitre, &c. which is slowly burnt on the part, or otherwise of cotton dipped in spirit, which answers pretty much the same purpose. With our patients it is hardly likely it will ever be much resorted to, as the heated iron, or actual cautery, in various degrees of heat, will supply us with a less tedious substitute. We may also notice a suggestion of the ingenious Sir Anthony Carlisle, which may be of eminent service where the cantharides or other irritants cannot be obtained, which is to employ an iron of a proper figure for the part, heated in boiling water to 212 degrees, when it is applied to the skin, either naked or with thin linen interposed between; his communication on this subject maybe seen in the Lancet, vol. xi. p. 315. Also in this general view of the whole family of the Skin-frets, or Cutaneous Irritants, we believe we ought not to pass over entirely unnoticed those which nature herself seems to have provided, no doubt for very wise purposes. In this remark we allude externally to the flies, and to the cutaneous bots of domestic and wild animals, which live beneath their skins, in the grub or larva state, keeping up a continual irritation there, as in oxen and various other animals, tending to divert affections of the head, and perhaps bowels, and to keep them on the stir in warm weather, when too much disposed to be idle. The sheep are particularly wrought upon by them, being lodged in their noses and crustaceous sinuses of the face and throat, and so are the antelopes, deer, and other wild animals, intimating to us thereby, as it were, the great usefulness of such exciters. And again, from the skin we may go to the stomach-irritants, which we find acting as extensively, there being not less than four distinct species found within the horse's stomach alone, and as the lining of the stomach and the skin are one continuous surface, as it were, passing by the interme- dium of the lips from one to the other, so by a continuous connexion, they are well known to be attended with sympathies in common, and acting therefore in concert for the general good. These, we believe, may be called into action, perhaps artifically, more extensively than they have ever yet been, and in the Cuterebrtz and the (Estri, Genera, will be found objects not unworthy our research and attention. Perhaps, at a future day, the art of administering these stimuli may be known; at present, exposure in places where they most prevail seems to be the only practicable means of doing it.

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			2-2

		removed; and a few weeks or months may elapse before its return; and if proper remedies are had recourse to very early, the disorder may be often permanently removed; it very frequently however does return, and again disappears, and this several times before the inflammation of the crystalline, and the destruction of sight takes place. In other subjects, one uninterrupted course of inflammation, without any interval, takes place, till the cataract or opaque crystalline is fully formed. When this morbid process begins in the crystalline, the inflammation of the exterior parts of the eye often disappears, and they assume their usual brightness and transparency, which affords us an opportunity of distinctly observing the changes which take place in the lens. And, with respect to the cataract itself, or the opacity of the lens we may remark, that the whole crystalline shall assume a milky appearance at once, or a small speck only near the centre shall be seen, which often remains for years, without the least perceivable increase, and without producing blindness, or any sensible detriment to the animal: in other cases, no speck is observable but whitish lines which reflect the light, stretching like rays from the centre of the lens to its circumference; and sometimes the capsule containing it, is said to be only affected. The cataract, as it is called, being fully formed, the complete opacity of the lens being esta- blished, and the light being no longer admitted, the iris begins to lose its properties, nearly closing up the opening of the pupil, from its relaxation, and the whole eye becomes diminished, and apparently sunk in the head, and the capsule, especially in draft horses, bursts, and the lens is forced from its situation, and falls into the anterior chamber of the eye, subsiding there and resembling as we have before observed, an opaque white ball. As perfect clearness and distinctness in all parts of the eye, with a due contraction of the pupil, are the most certain indications of its goodness, so the slightest dullness or opacity in the external coats, or diminution of the pupil, should lead the purchaser to be cautious; for it cannot be too often observed, that this opacity of the coats, after it has been of some standing, is almost certain destruction to the eye: and there are no remedies at this time known that can prevent its fatal termination, though numerous attempts and experiments have been instituted with this view; and the operation for cataract is useless in the horse; for if it succeeds, the vision would be still so imperfect, that blindness itself would be preferable. Though various useful offices can be found for horses that have lost their sight; yet it is of importance for most of the purposes to which they are applied, that it should be preserved. We cannot recommend with too much force therefore, the necessity of an early recurrence to the prescribed remedies for destroying the inflammation; for, at its very commencement, it has prob- ably only the characters of common inflammation, and might be entirely and effectually subdued as in other parts; but neglected, this disorder soon assumes its peculiar properties, arising perhaps, from the particularly delicate structure and functions of the parts affected, that in a short time it becomes perfectly beyond the reach of any remedy; for though, no doubt, there are insulated instances where this disorder has been removed, yet, as the termination of the generality of cases is of an opposite nature, it would be unwarrantable to make the conclusion from such cases of the general possibility of cure in this complaint.



		23 Where the inflammation has not yet received the specific properties above described, the following remedies will frequently remove it; and in more confirmed cases, we shall mention the means that have been unsuccessfully employed for this end, that we may show the insufficiency of such attempts, and promote further experiment and research respecting it. Iii the very commencement of this complaint, the abstinence from heating food or hard exer- cise ; exposure to stables of cooler temperature and well aired, not from partial drafts, but their loftiness only; exclusion of too much light, or of the light altogether; diluent drinks and purga- tives may be employed to the general system. To the part itself, washes of cold water or ice and water, or litharge water, the latter however has been found by Wheatly, an eminent surgeon, to discolor and thicken the parts if much used, or water with a minute portion of opium dissolved in it; others think more favorably of stimulating or caustic washes, as weak solutions of the sulphat of zinc, very dilute acids, or even spirits and water. Blisters applied to the cheek or over the masseter muscle, care being taken that the fascia over the muscle is divided, otherwise there is no suppuration; produce an irritation which is very successful in removing this inflammation, and in particular the insertion of a seton or two in the muscular parts surrounding the eye: these will tend, as we have experienced, powerfully to carry off an attack of this disorder. Firing with a hot iron has also been employed with the same view, on the surrounding skin; and likewise blood-letting from the jugular vein, or from the temporal artery, or locally from the vessels proceeding from the inner canthus, or anterior angle of the orbit; also scarifying the vessels passing over the sclerotic coat, which become very much enlarged and visible in this disease, as those also in the lining of the lids. Mr. Coleman, the professor of the veterinary college, seared up the vessels of the sclerotica with a hot iron, forming an entire circle round the ball of the eye, at some distance from the cornea, to prevent access of blood to this part, and so endeavoured, mechanically, to put a stop to the inflammation; it was found however insufficient to destroy the disorder, and we believe that any hope of relief from this cruel mode of treatment has since been entirely abandoned; and for this reason perhaps, the experiment has proved insufficient, that when communication is stopped from the exterior vessels, there are others whose trunks are short of these, which supply the substance of the cornea; and others again, out of our reach, on the inside of the cornea; but above all, the habit in the parts to disease, and the disposition in the system to generate it, are not overcome, the morbid tendency is not thereby destroyed. The farriers who practice medicine, in treating this complaint, often remove the lacrymal gland (caruncula lacrymalis,) which they call the haw, from its supposed resemblance to this fruit, and as this part partakes of the inflammation, and is much swelled, they mistake it for the source of the disorder. The removal of it, which is easily done by drawing it out with a fine hook and cutting it off, occasions a copious discharge of blood, which in slight attacks may relieve the eye and encourage them to the practice; but from our own personal experience we have learned, that in cases of any duration, it is totally inadequate to the removal of the complaint, and that the eye must obviously suffer from the loss of a part necessary to its well-being, as it collects and conveys the tears away; and since means less injurious to the eye may be equally well employed with as much or more success, such as we have before pointed out.

			t



			�28

		the skin or cicatrix appears to have but little power of extending itself, and the parts would remain a very long time unhealed, for formerly we used, as we have said, to go on digesting with our ointments to the very last; these luxuriant growths, if such have been allowed to occur, must be reduced by covering and pressure and dissicatives, and if very large, by the knife and cautery; smaller ones, if recent, a drying air will usually subdue, and the mildest measures, if they will effect the purpose, are ever the least detrimental and best. In this way, much loss of time, of suffering, and of desightment will be obviated. If sinuses form, we resort to the conglutinum, which usually quickly closes them. When by carelessness in cleaning the horse, as by a too free and rapid use of the currycomb, a scab has been torn off, as will sometimes happen and should be carefully guarded against, whether on the knees, hips, or other parts, and which we have had sometimes to experience ; we then have applied to the denuded and abraded surfaces, the finest scraped powder of charcoal, which adhering, would prevent an excessive discharge and ill condition of the sore, and falling off from time to time, induce a better healing, rather than by a total exposure to the air, with no covering at all, which is often inducing a florid growth; this proceeding may perhaps in many cases be further improved upon, by dusting these surfaces with Fuller's earth, steatite, or calaminaris powder. In finishing the cure of these cases after the healing, which are at this period often neglected and not attended to, the young tender growth of hair should not be suffered to get too dry, or their roots impoverished by want of succulence, being weakened by a too free exposure, and thus grow deformed and curled; the parts therefore should be kept during this process, assiduously covered and protected, shaded by some thin soft wrapper, and the hairs be dressed with deer suet, or fat of some kind every morning applied fresh, sometimes washing the parts with a little soap and warm water, or if the part appears hot, with cold water, giving the hairs a proper direction with a piece of a tallow candle to keep them straight. In this way, even old neglected cases may be brought into some tolerable condition, and others rendered with difficulty visible, whilst a careless treatment in drying up the recent w'ound with the after inattentions, would render the parts bald and unsightly to a great extent. We have now to contemplate and consider yet another condition of the accident of the falling horse, where not only the skin is torn up or entirely removed, but where the parts beneath it are injured also, and it may be, the joint itself laid open ; when so triste an affair takes place, it is, if it be extensively laid open, the best conduct, mercifully to destroy the animal and finish his miseries at once, rather than to go through the terrible sufferings that usually terminate attempts at cure in these cases, which can only be effected at the expence of the motion of the joint, viz. by anchylosis, when the animal is of little or no use; it may however happen where synovia is given out and abundantly, that the tendon only is suffering, its sheath having been damaged or removed. In this case, there are hopes that nature, if duly aided in her endeavours may repair the damage, and such we have seen; the resinous digestive is then our best resource, not using it altogether for its digestive qualities, but as excluding effectually the access of air, and affording opportunity for union to take place, under its guardian protection,



		32

	of any very ill consequences, and thus save the animal much suffering and ourselves much trouble- some labour in the after-treatment of those ulcers that may arise. If the water, from being procured above ground, should not be found cold enough, a few pieces of ice, if procurable, might be added to it; or, if this was impracticable, some sal ammoniac pulverized, to render it more speedily soluble, thrown in, would make it several degrees colder. The above will suffice for thousands of common cases of burns and scalds; there are however, it must be admitted others, of most dreadful burns more particularly, and of a more extensive injury to the parts, where the system appears to receive so great a shock that she never rallies again, and, whatever is done, it is all alike, nothing succeeds; such cases, in the hospitals, treated for the most part with spirit of turpentine, generally end fatally, and death closes the scene often in rigours and chills, and where it would appear wrong to apply cold; possibly, however, if the heat had been subdued very early after receiving the injury, there would have resulted a better chance of saving the parts from death and slough, than by using measures only partially suppressing the fatal presence of this heat, by only half combating it by those stimulant or warm measures, a view that perhaps may afford a subject not totally unworthy our consideration. Desisting however, from any further speculation or suggestion on these dreadful cases, I am well assured, from fre- quent experience on myself and others, that the generality of cases of scald and burn, will give way most successfully to the direct application of cold, and that where ulcers do arise, they will yield more readily after a treatment of this sort than by the common treatment, which leaving the heat longer in the parts, occasions also much more suffering.

On CASTRATION or EMASCULATION. Although many pretended improvements and novel proposals for performing this operation, are continually being presented to the public, none we believe to be better, and we speak after consider- able experience, than the old operation of all. I have followed it, with an uniform success, through a practice of forty years and upwards, and with invariable satisfaction, not having ever lost a single case, though at times cutting old horses, whose lives I ensured to their owners, before the operation, at a small advance in the premium of two guineas, the usual and proper fee for a per- formance of this kind. A plan, which at first was thought highly of, for castration, by my friend Wm. Moorcroft, was by ligature,�the enclosing of the spermatic chord between two pieces of stick, or of one par- And which the public, we believe, should on their part be willing cheerfully to pay to a well and regularly educated practitioner, if, at least, they wish to maintain a respectable class of persons in this profession, and not to suffer it, with bad consequences to themselves and to the animals, to be subject to the reproach which Vegetius tells us obtained in his days; "Ars " he says, "exiguitate mercedis jamdvdvm collapsa est."



		35 .

	the compression, as well as the spermatic chord, which inflaming and communicating with the abdomen destroyed the animal. From momentary inattention I iiad nearly done this myself on one occasion, which served to point out to me this source of danger. I once castrated a young horse in Essex, for a farmer; a farrier in the neighbourhood, in a sort of bravado, castrated two on the same day, to see which would be well first; both his died, mine, at the end of ten days, was pretty well recovered. The death of the man's two colts, I much suspect, proceeded from some bungling of the above description; and this also it is, I suspect, that renders the sticks operation so fatal. This bad plan, though brought out every now and then as something new and wonderful, is as old as the days of the Romans, and was recommended by Palladius, (a writer in no great esteem in those days,) at least for the poor calves; neither the Greek writers or Vegetius say any thing about the sticks operation. Above all things take care, in the struggles of the animal, and retraction of the parts, on fixing the clams*, to have a very light hand, and to let them follow easily and without resistance, all his movements. ON SPAYING THE MARE. I know of only two instances of this operation being attempted, both by my friend William Moorcroft, who was a very dexterous operator: the first was on a mare procured on purpose from the slaughter-house by way of experiment, she died; the other attempt was on a valuable mare, the property of a gentleman, who complained of this animal for being continually horsing, to the offence of his lady, being employed in his curricle; she was next operated upon, and also died; that it seems however it may suit pigs, not to suit horses. Would it not have been better, rather than sacrificing so valuable an animal, to have exchanged her for a gelding, or to have covered her posteriors with a net and tassels, &c, so as to conceal any appearances of the kind, rather than resort to so uncertain and so dangerous an alternative.

* Experiencing considerable pleasure in unravelling words, where I can, rendered often almost unintelligible by a succession of corruptions, so, as to this technical word clams or clam, which I conjecture was in its first application probably clamp, a common machine of the upholsterers for connecting a succession of flat boards to each other, consisting of two parallel bars conjoined by a rectangular piece, forming together three sides of a square, and by passing through two staples connects these boards to each other. The word clam or clams how- ever having obtained a technical signification in this art, and as serving to distinguish a particular and useful instrument, we shall exactly retain it as it appears, although a barbarism and of no proper meaning in itself. ^Both the above titles have their origin, there is little doubt, in the Latin word, claudo, to close or shut. As to the instrument itself, when properly made, we apprehend it should be moderately long, as a foot or more, including its handles, and not very wide or thick, heavy or clumsy, enclosing and bruising more of the chord than is necessary, but rather thin and light. The two blades should meet by means of a projecting hinge in two parallel lines, when at about the eighth of an inch asunder, and it should be provided also with a clasp to keep it fixed without holding whilst embracing the chord.

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		37 with a pitch plaster, injecting it with a pewter syringe through an opening or slit in the plaster. The swelling became reduced, the lameness went off, and in three weeks he got perfectly well. The injection thrown in did none of it return, but must have insinuated itself between the muscles, or between the skin and muscles, and have been absorbed ; and, to our surprise rather, it produced no ill consequences, the wound healing rapidly. Sampson Hanbury and Oo.'s black dray-horse had been pricked through the sole by a nail, and refusing to heal, a mulberry nipple was formed and presented at the orifice, and which is sometimes difficult to subdue, by dipping a small ball of tow in the conglutinum, and pressing it against the sore, and keeping it there: it healed in a short time. David Kicardo's bay coach-horse, a very noble animal, recently after purchase for two hundred guineas, had a swelled jugular vein from being bled: it broke out in two places, and I first applied lunar caustic to the wound, but found it not succeed in uniting it. I next tried the conglutinum (see its composition in the Pharmacopoeia Equina), and the aperture was soon closed, and the neck did well. I had seen most troublesome cases proceed from such sores in my former practice. Especial care was taken in this case to prevent the horse, high fed and impatient, rubbing his neck after the application of the remedy, by turning him round in the stall, and keeping him tied nearly all day between the two heel posts of the standing, and this for two or three days when not feeding, and, as we have said, when the wounds were fresh dressed. Another beneficial instance of its use occurred in T. A.'s horse, of Merton Mills. He had been severely cut under the fetlock joint by a broken piece of glass bottle that stood upright on its bottom in the water, on which it appeared he had trodden. On my being called in, he was found in great pain, holding it up from the ground, which evinced that thecal inflammation had commenced; there appeared also a discharge of thecal synovia. I notwithstanding determined to try the effects of the conglutinum, to see if I could arrest the discharge, and introduced it into the wound with a feather. I then smeared some lint, a broadish piece, thickly covered over with softened rosin, or rosin digestive made stiff and tenacious. I next covered this with a larger plaster of the same, on a denser mat of tow, and kept them well to the parts by a calico bandage, and over all a soft poultice. The pain went off; and by repeating the dressing every other day, in about ten days he was perfectly restored. A singular case of its use occurred to me in a dog, a very fine Dalmatian spotted coach-dog, belonging to Alderman Cox, where the two tables or skins of which the dog's ear appears to be composed were detached and separated to a considerable distance or extent, so as to give the ear an enlarged, almost globous figure, on both its sides. I opened the tumor with a lancet, and found it contained fluid of a glarey consistence, and then injected into the cavity the conglutinum; the detached surfaces immediately adhered, and were never troublesome after, giving much satisfaction. We have, we believe, already stated, and it cannot be too often repeated, that the use of this powerful agglutinant was frequently followed, especially in deep cases, that on the closing of the old, a formation of new abscesses took place, but not of the same extent; and gene- l

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		/

39 These painful nickings and dockings would not be so much sought after, we believe, if other consequences did not result from them than the effects produced on the appearance of the tail; much trouble is saved to the attendant groom in dressing and looking after it, and keeping it clean; and there is also a small perquisite attends the sale of these hairy ornaments, the upholsterer finding them the most elastic and best stuffing of his beautiful squabs. In docking there is little danger; but in nicking, if really and efficiently performed, it is otherwise, and there is a degree of danger attending it. It was an unfortunate case of this sort that in a singular manner, led me to write the Essay on the Bots of Horses. An exceed- ingly beautiful mare, belonging to a banker of Kingston-on-Thames, was nicked by a veteri- narian expressly sent for from London for the purpose. He exhibited a brisk purgative to her previous to the nicking, in order to prevent any inflammation proceeding from it. In a few days afterwards however, inflammation of the tail supervened, and extended to the rectum. In his alarm, and to arrest the progress of it, he administered an ounce dose of opium; the consequence was, that the system having been previously debilitated and lowered by the physic, a most violent inflammation of the bowels ensued, which speedily terminated in the death of the animal. Living at that time at East Molesey, at my brother's, I was sent for over to her, to see what could be done, but found her dead on my arrival. I proceeded however, out of curiosity, to open her, and found her intestines generally and other viscera violently inflamed, and attended with that peculiarly disagreeable odour, which always accompanies this sort of death from opium. Opening the stomach, I discovered a cluster of bots, and cut them out with the piece of stomach to which they adhered. Passing home through Bushy Park, sitting myself down beneath one of the spreading chesnut trees, I proceeded to dissect them; and being very much struck with the beautiful pearly appearance of the air vessels, and which was then new to me, I drew up some account of it, intending it for the Linnean Society. I found however subsequently, that the fact had been observed before, and therefore was hardly worth notice ; some other facts however were new ; and still adding by farther researches to these, I at length presented the paper to the above Society, who thought it worthy of a record in their Transactions, vol. iii. p. 289, to which I have since further added at various times, as opportunity offered, making it a separate treatise. In docking, the number of vertebrae to be removed is quite depending on the taste, caprice, or fancy, of the operator, or, it may be, the owner of the horse; and very variously is this taste exhibited, from the naked stump or short dock of the large waggon-horse, to the long cut of what is called the blood, or nag tail. This proceeding of the amputation of the tail is less practised than it was formerly; and nicking also is much less prevalent, especially deep nicking, without which but little good is really done, or alteration made in the set of the tail; and the reward being pretty much the same for the one as the other, in the practice, therefore, so much trouble is often saved. The extensive omission of these nickings of the tail plainly proclaims the improved taste of the times, in regard to these animals; and of cropping the ears, we hardly now see anywhere an example. When I first began these pursuits, at the very first opening of the Veterinary

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		40

College, fifty years ago, I wished much to possess myself of drawings of all the variously cut tails then in vogue, at a time when the tyranny of the stable was at nearly its height; and so great was it then, that few dared to interfere with the grooms in their department, and they ruled all with a despotic sway; even the master himself would be in danger of a rebuff, if he should humbly venture an opinion. Things however are much changed since that time, and sense is taking place of absurd routine; and still more recent discoveries, in the foot and shoeing art especially, and in other departments of the art, have placed the knowledge of these animals fairly out of the reach of the entirely uneducated. The above drawings were done, at my suggestion, by my friend Sydenham Edwards, who had a singular taste and power in sketching after nature; and I had thoughts of recording them as a curiosity, by a lithographic representation; but on considering the very fluctuating taste of the public, and the danger there might be of again reviving such practices, at present fortu- nately on the wane, and comparatively extinct, I thought it safest and best to destroy it. The number of drawings in this curious exhibition amounted to no less than eleven distinct varieties of tail, from the short, naked, lob tail dock, of the great waggon horse, to the nag or switch tail; however, as the former was amputated so very near to the fundament, it was not unattended with real danger, and we have seen above that nickings less close, if deeply cut, were attended with danger also, as was the case of the above mare. To return however to the operation itself. In docking, it is almost impossible to determine whether the knife shall fall upon and divide the body of the bone, or its articulation; if near to the articulation, there will generally be a sloughing off of the extremity of the bone so cut, before it finally heals. And it is usual, and highly useful indeed, to apply a little rosin to the part, and to burn it on with the cautery that is used for staunching the bleeding. If ulceration should follow, the wound is best kept dressed with warm digestive of softened rosin, to protect it from the air and from chills, and in order to prevent any fungous elevations of the part.

	FIRING THE HOESE WITH THE ACTUAL CAUTERY. This operation, by far the most severe of any in our art, and though called an operation, is, when executed severely, and on all four legs, amounting almost to a very martyrdom. It is indeed an infliction of such a nature, that we think it ought not to be entrusted to every man, however brutal or ignorant, to enter upon it at his own single will and pleasure; it may be possibly for gain, or to show himself the determined, expert, and cool operator; and perhaps, from the nature of the case, likely to be perfectly futile, and of no kind of advantage to any one, for it is often used in cases where, from long, hard, and ungenerous service and labour, the parts have been so utterly spoiled and ruined, that nothing which our art affords could avail. And sorry often indeed is such a recompense to the poor animal, after a life of shameful toil, and perhaps of benefit also, to his exigent owner. The only way that at present appears to us as at all feasible for protecting these worthy



	41

creatures from such abuse, would be to make it a law and custom in the profession, never to fire a horse unless by the consent and concurrent approval of three or more veterinarians, whose education and acknowledged skill, and practice in this profession, should warrant them in giving an opinion upon it as to the probable results of the operation in answering any useful purpose to the owner, so as to justify such an infliction. In this case, a small fee, as of five shillings or so, should be given the consulting veterinarians, and should not be despised by them, remembering what it is for; and be paid them before opinion given, that there should be no bias either way. By this means some remission of the infliction might be obtained, and, when exercised, an assurance that it was done with honest prospects and intentions. For many horses are thus cruelly treated that have been brought, as we have said, to a condition that nothing could ever serve, and who had well earned, and that thrice over, their dismission from our service, and by the mildest death that could be devised for them; and such a barrier to abuse, would also much enhance the profession in the view of the public. It is, indeed, a lamentable fact that the worst state of the art brings the greatest profit to it, by the repairing, or pretended repairing, of blunders and casualties resulting from bungling ignorance ; and so it is with unnecessary complexities, even in governments, and of religion herself not exempt, and most deeply is it involving the misery of mankind. Some, to excuse themselves from blame in these practices, might contend that the skin of the horse was less sensible than the human, but the reverse of this can be easily proved, since he is distressingly sensible to the impression of the smallest fly settling on, or touching even his legs; andablister of less force than for the human skin, will readily raise the cuticle from his, that this pretence can have no just ground or hold whatever; and some, perhaps, with the poor apothecary in Hamlet, might say in doing it� " My poverty, but not my will, consents." The farriers formerly told the people that the horse had no brains, therefore could not feel; his exact condition in this respect we now know full well, and further, that he not only has brains, but possesses also many of the finest qualities of our own nature: as, for example, a wonderful share of patience, a great generosity, and a pride of achievement in a difficult task, that particularly qualifies him, and makes him valuable for our use. And as to his dismission from service, some persons of truly creditable and humane disposi- tions, would be for turning him out in the fields for life. We do not, however, from what we have witnessed, quite concur in this very laudable sentiment. Low damp meadows and fields, chilly nights, and morning dews and frosts, to a horse long used to the protection of a stable, is no great treat; but, taken altogether, is rather a worse suffering, than the ending their lives in the most merciful way possible, which, we think, is far preferable to it. Others propose sending them to some farmers for the plough; but the farmers' men to whom they are finally consigned, and mostly are left, often do every thing with them but plough, and their life is a miserable one indeed, and lingering till they drop ; and better much is the merciful stroke that at once puts a final end to their possible suffering, than such uncertain measures as these. Perhaps the reader may not be displeased also with our views as to how this last proceeding in the lives of these beneficent slaves should be best accomplished.

		.



			42

		To dispatch them, with us the pole-axe is mostly used ; we, however, prefer the French mode used in their Abattoirs. A heavy blow on the head between the ears, or in front of them rather, done with a heavy iron mallet, stuns them so effectually that all sense is removed; and instantly after, before any sort of recovery from it takes place, the knife is introduced at the breast, and deep enough to divide all the largest vessels about the heart, and death is nearly instantaneous, and all jealousy of further suffering removed. This we believe to be preferable to the pole-axe, which, even in good hands, which is far from being always the case, is not often at the first, or even second blow, so certainly effectual as the preceding method. Though I could desire to discourage the cruel operation of firing as much as possible, for the sake of these worthy creatures, yet, in candour, I must admit that firing, if judiciously used, has more powerful effects than blistering, and, in certain cases, may be employed advantage- ously; but then it is the mild manner of doing it, if I may be allowed the expression, that I believe succeeds the best, for in its mildest form it is stronger than a blister. Though often- times a blister, twice or thrice repeated, will have very similar effects. Enlargements of bone, as spavins, or curbs, the enlarged and callosed insertion of the powerful tendons at the back of the hock; relaxed and enlarged capsular ligaments of joints, bursse mucosae, and sheaths of tendons from a too severe service or strains, are the objects where firing may be benefi- cially applied, and should be used in a very merciful manner, for it is a dreadfully severe proceeding, as the following case will testify:� Having some years back a leisure day at Brighton (a thing which often happens to idlers there), I turned in for curiosity to a veterinary forge and found a poor animal on the straw about to be fired. I resolved on seeing the proceeding. She was a remarkably fine, lively, resolute, handsome mare, that apparently had been strained and ill-used in her work. One better built, or more spirited, I hardly ever saw. After the operation, which was most coolly laid into her on the part of the operator, she was released, but, to our astonishment, could not rise. Her struggles, which had been most violent, had broke her back, or apparently, her loins, and nothing remained then but to finish the business by knocking her on the head. Another case, of not quite so fatal issue, and in which in truth, I must acknowledge, I was myself concerned, was of a large fine cart horse, who burst his lungs, and became broken winded after; whether the fall did it, which was very sudden, or his struggles, I cannot tell. The firing here was not severe. We now advert to the operation itself, which consists in drawing lines (more or less distant) on the parts to be fired with the red hot iron; the hair being previously removed with the scissors. It is curious that we are made acquainted with the precise period of the commencement of this fiery practice by a passage in Vegetius, and that it began in his own life time, and as he lived under the emperor Valentinian II, the time or period of it is strictly ascertained; and that it was in the decline of that empire, or at least after its brightest periods had passed away. The passage is seen in his first book, and 28th chapter, Be ratione foci, atque cauterii�his words are " licit novissima cum sit." (Ed. Manh. p. 45). It appears to have originated with the army with which he would appear to have



	43

been intimately connected, as his work�De re militari�would appear to evince. He sub- sequently queries whether a copper instrument might not be better than an iron one for it. We had one made of this description, intending to try it, but after remaining by us twenty years it got lost or stolen, and we never ventured on another. His expression respecting it is this�" Sciendum vero Cuprina cautera plus effectus ad curandum habere quant ferrea" We believe, however, it is the heat imparted to the skin alone that influences its effects, and not at all the metal which does it. We were present at the first horse ever fired at our veterinary college, and the operation was performed by St. Bel we believe, and may serve us as a sample of its nature, taken from a book of memorandums made by me at the time (for there is no alteration of any consequence since in the mode), when judiciously done. The French call it " Feu en rayons." The hair was carefully removed by the scissors from the hock to the foot, it being a case of general enlargement and relaxation of all these parts, from severe use apparently. This was done previously to his being cast down. The mucous capsules were stated as being princi- pally concerned, and as being dropsical; but our further experience taught us that these cases belonged rather to an inflammation of the joints, and relaxed capsular ligaments, and sheaths of the tendons generally, than the above parts. The firingiron, of the usual convex figure, heated a little higher than the low red heat, was drawn lightly down the back sinew posteriorly from the hock downwards, so as only to remove the remaining hair; a similar line was then made on the flat side of the leg. The iron being again heated, the above lines were gone over a second time, and deeper, destroying the cuticle, and producing a distinct white line; and diagonal short lines being then made between these lines, meeting each other in the middle space, and forming, by their concurrence, a pennate or feathered appearance of the whole ; these lines were placed about an inch and half asunder, the same was then done on the hock and fetlock, following their direction and figure. He then took an oval pointed iron, and made dots between all the lines. The horse was then turned over, and a similar proceeding pursued with the inside of the limb, and the operation was con-' eluded, and the animal released. I need scarcely say he struggled a good deal. The only art in it is to keep as much straightness in the lines as possible, and to observe an uniformity of depth, without having the necessity of going over them again. The theory entertained at that time of its effects was, that a new action was induced in the parts (which without doubt it was), and that destroying the old or chronic one, this more active one in subsiding, caused a bracing effect, and an absorption of the relaxed parts, and of their fluid contents. We apprehended also that the skin was diminished, and a tightening assisted in these effects, but on handling the skin subsequently, we afterwards were led to doubt of this diminution of the skin, and that such was not exactly true. We, in our own practice, have usually, after firing, blistered also; but not till the force of the firing had begun to subside, as in four or five days after, lest there should be a danger of augmenting the inflammation to the extent of making the skin slough off, and disfiguring the limb with unsightly scabs and scars. We think very light firing the best, both for its effects

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			44

		and the appearances afterwards; and so did one of the best artists in Paris, with whom we conversed on this subject.* I formerly fired many horses, but at each step grew more and more averse to it, especially extensive and very severe firings, often firing with the hair left on, so as to make the lines, though but superficial, appear the deeper to the eye. I should suppose that one line drawn with a red hot iron along the skin, is, at least, equal in pain to ten cuts of a knife of equal extent. Let any one, who has any doubt of its severity, only touch his own hands or legs with the instrument, and he will then believe it ought not to be lightly or inconsiderately used by any body who should please to resort to it, or thus offend these poor defenceless creatures. How many such lines would be required in firing a horse all four legs! which is not unfrequently done. We should be unwilling unnecessarily to magnify or misrepresent the matter, but the more we reflect on it, the more we feel the necessity of some enactment or regulation among the faculty itself, for some kind of restraint in this respect. For all abhorrent cruelties towards these bene- ficial creatures will at all times be likely, instead of advancing the estimation of the veterinary art with the public, to retard its reception and favour; that is, as far as it can be done without much detraction from its real benefit and usefulness. In the racing circles, the horrid spectacle is frequently presented of the young horse that has never done any work being fired, on the mere pretence (which nothing, even if true, could jus- tify), of strengthening them for the race course) a very questionable proceeding indeed as to the fact; but of its shameful cruelty there can be no doubt. We should rather be inclined how- ever, to attribute the suggestion and recommendation of it to those interested in the perform- ance of it, than to the masters who permit it, and whose education ought to teach them better things. It would appear to our shame that the untaught Arab, almost unacquainted with the mild precepts of the Christian religion, has more of true feeling for his beloved animal than we have, and the testimony of travellers seems fully and disgracefully to confirm the fact. We believe, neither are we alone in the opinion, for we have heard an excellent horseman, the late Lord Morton, often express the same sentiment, that the worth of a stallion cannot by any means be inferred from his success on the race course; and, in strong confirmation of this sentiment comes the Grodolphin Arabian, or Barb rather, which he truly was, who, though no racer himself, became the progenitor of the finest racing stock that ever this country beheld; and some horses are of so high a mettle and generous nature, that they wiil not race, or try to win at least, if much beaten or ill-treated. Eclipse himself was a remarkable example of this, and no doubt many others, had their deeds and celebrity made them worthy of a particular record. And it would not be difficult to show that in the ordinary general service of horses, he, who * We are here inclined to suggest that a very useful kind of firing might be instituted with less cruelty, and sufficient effects, by taking the firing iron out of boiling oil, which is about 400 degrees of heat, and would regulate it, or if rather higher temperature was required, melted lead or tin, or a combination of metals, for accomplishing a greater or less heat, might he used.



		45

	by overwork or too straining and severe, damages his horse, also damages himself and his own interests; for the replacing them is vastly too costly not to make it a loss, in most countries at least, and the laming them not less so, from the keep and expenses attending it. The law formerly made little or no distinction in property between dead and living matter, and "a man might do as he would with his own"; this feudal grossness is now fortunately removed, and cruelty can be punished although with his own. Societies also have been formed for pro- tecting these animals; they however, appear at present of too sickly a character to do much good. Now and then notice is taken of an individual instance of barbarity, and they would punish it, if the tory magistrates would let them; still the great mass of cruelty towards beasts and horses wanting reform, goes unnoticed. The abattoirs of France still continue to shame us as to the first, and the ironing and reducing of horses' feet, as to the latter, although producing the most miserable results to both man and horse, and by which fatal accidents that daily are occurring through it, seem to be quite passed over and disregarded, as though unknown to them. Returning, however, to our firing. The legs, after being fired, have generally been by us left for a few days quite untouched, for it to have its full effect; if the inflammation should run too high, the affusion of cold water once or twice will stop it; and, about this time, it is usual to lightly blister the parts, and afterwards, to bring off the scabs more easily, the skin may be anointed with any kind of mild grease. It is usual also to tie up their heads for a few days after firing, to prevent their gnawing and injuring themselves. They should, however, be let down as early as possible, if we find on their being watched, when at liberty, that they show no inclinaton this way, as the tying up night and day is a very heavy punishment superadded to an infliction so severe.

GREASE IN HORSES, a troublesome, foetid, and painful disorder, by the chaps it occasions to the fetlocks ; and, in this country, is of not unfrequent occurrence. This complaint, so common with us, does not appear to have been by any means so frequent with the ancients, since it hardly obtains any mention in the writings of Vegetius, although a pretty copious writer in other respects. On the continent indeed, according to our observa- tions, made in various visits there, although it certainly occurs, it does not appear with that frequency that it is seen with us. Whether this may proceed from the greater dryness of the air, and the warmer climate of the eastern world, or whether it may proceed from our different manner of treating horses in work, I cannot determine; but the fact appears to me undeniable. A climate naturally more cold and humid, may by some be considered as a sufficient cause, of itself, to account for it; but certain we are, that we have certain practices here, generally with the grooms, that cannot do otherwise than very much contribute to it. Although the ancients appear to have been less troubled with it, on a more attentive inspection however, of the Greek writers on the veterinary art, the complaint is to be found described by them, and K

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				-�

		46 by Absyrtus himself, their leading writer, and which renders it the more remarkable that Vegetius, who largely copies from Absyrtus, should not have noticed it. The account of it is contained in a letter of his to his friend Apollonoides, whom he styles horse physician (^xiarpw) on certain defluctions, rheums, seirw, or chiramata, incident to horses.* The last of these, viz. chiramata, he expressly tells us the Romans called suffragines, by which term they unquestionably meant the fetlock-joint of the horse, and on or below which is truly the seat of this disorder. He afterwards states, there are fissures in the hands of men also, and which are apt to occur in the winter season; and that these were also denominated chiramata, and were obviously what we call chilblains. These diseases arise very much from the same cause in both animals, viz. chills and wet applied to the extremities; there is, how- ever, a momentous difference in the nature of the discharge from these clefts, since those of the horse are found, upon pretty clear evidence, to be of a highly poisonous character, and capable of conferring to the teats of the cow the vaccine disease, which, as it has the power of repelling or opposing the access of small pox, must have near affinity with it, and would lead one, naturally enough, to the conclusion, that small pox itself had this discharge for its pro- genitor somehow generated, under circumstances we shall never know, or by some combination of circumstances in both animals, we may, at this period, in vain try to imitate. The description given of this complaint by Absyrtus is somewhat general and vague ; yet enough to identify it. His remedies, also, are of the same class and tendency as our own at present in use, but vastly more feeble, being derived entirely from the vegetable kingdom. We here incline to give some account of them, as a curiosity, and specimen of ancient phar- maceutic knowledge and practice at this early period. " Blood," he says, " is to be taken from the bottom of the foot, and from the interior and exterior veins of the hock. From the origin of the hoof," he says, " it is not proper to take it, but from below the hoof, scraping away the horn of the sole, and then lightly scarifying the part, giving opportunity thereby for the noxious humour to escape; afterwards to dress the sore with wine. The juice of the red acacia, rubbed down in water to the consistence of honey, the part is then to be anointed with, or with hogs' lard mixed with tar. Let him be walked about pretty frequently, but in nowise to be wetted with water. It is a complaint appearing more in winter, and which the summer tends to remove. Animals having the chiramata, are not so susceptible of the arthritis, or joint disease, and geldings also are less susceptible of it." The following remedies are recommended in this disorder : Meal made from tares, mixed up with wine or honey, to be applied about the parts, or, which is better, bean flour. Swine's dung rubbed down with wine, in which pomegranate rind has been boiled, is to be tied round the part; also pounded gallnuts. The dregs of sour wine made warm is also a salutary application. The roots of asphodel boiled in water is also efficacious. Also the fetlocks should be well rubbed with salt, wine, and honey." Eumelus, in a succeeding chapter, recommends strong vinegar, and afterwards sets down a * Script. Grceci Veterin. lib. i. M.B. p. 158. Ed. fol. Latine reddita Ruellio, p. 61. f Without doubt from sub nn&frango, in allusion to the break or angle of the limb at this part.



	+7

most strange incoherent jumble of things we need not trouble the reader with. Such, we see, was the practice in the days of Constantine, or about the fifth century of the Christian era. The French use the term eaux de jambes to this complaint, which conveys too much the idea of a dropsy, with which it has certainly no analogy. Our English name, again, is taken from the unctuous appearance of the discharge, although certainly not at all of a greasy nature, so as to deserve that epithet. The Greeks, with more propriety, made the chaps or fissures the source of their appellation, calling it chiramata, which, probably, was only a copying of their expression for chilblains or chapped hands, and will afford us no classical or technical name for professional use. In resorting to the Latin word suffrage/, the Roman name for the fetlock-joint, we may perhaps get something more to our purpose, instead of carrying on the inappropriate barbarisms at present employed, not admitting of an adjective application, or at all of the inflections of language; we, therefore, with diffidence, as contending on every side with a difficulty, would venture in recommending, rather than go on in error, the appella- tion suffritis to this disorder, derived, as we have already stated, from sub and frango, or the jointed part, the true seat of the disorder; leaving it, however, open to be superseded by a better, if such should be thought necessary. For express terms, founded in truth, are like good tools to the mechanic, enabling him to solve the business without being led astray by delusive, false, or inappropriate terms. Of the cause.�We have now to consider the source of this unpleasant disorder. If a horse, especially in the autumn season of the year, be rather highly fed, and then is exposed in his work to wet and dirty roads, and more especially if, on his return home, or at his journey's end, he be exposed by the groom or ostler to drenching, and slopping of his legs and feet with cold water, which afterwards may be very imperfectly removed, the chances are many that his legs will take to swelling, become hot and painful, and, at the end of a few hours, the skin will burst in various parts, and clefts will be formed, issuing a hot greasy-looking discharge, which, if allowed to remain on the parts, will become very foetid. It is the crease or depressed fold immediately under the back of the fetlock, that is the part usually first to rupture. This disorder we have thought was more brief and frequent in horses of about five or six years old, than at other age, and which we were led to imagine might proceed from their growth, at least upwards, having ceased pretty much at this period of their lives, which caused the blood, or capillary vessels rather, the fabricators of the system, and now less employed to take on more easily inflammatory actions. Added to this, that at five or six years, the horse having acquired his form and stature, his full work was imposed upon him, and, in order to enable him the better to accomplish it, a more generous and liberal allowance, and of stimu- lating food, was administered to him, thus increasing the blood in an inordinate degree, and disposing him to this and other inflammatory attacks. For the skin damped and chilled, and then, perhaps, heated by the stable, from the inferior position of the parts, the blood returns into them with a double force, and distension of the vessels, and inflammation and swelling, is the consequence, with its attendant effects, such as take place in lung cases and bowel cases under similar chills. It is, however, extraordinary, that an apparent simple inflammatory

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			48

		affection of the skin, should produce a discharge of a character so peculiarly poisonous and disastrous, such as almost threatened, at one period, to devastate the human race, that is, supposing the small pox to have proceeded from it, of which there can, we believe, be but little doubt. I have sometimes been almost led to believe that this disease had some affinity or rela- tionship to the farcy in horses, of the poisonous properties of whose discharges we possess abundant proof, since I have seen it alternating with that complaint, one appearing as the other disappeared, the suppression of the one constantly producing the appearance of the other, so that the grease may be but one of the forms of that Proteus disease; and, in obstinate cases, therefore, of grease, I have resorted successfully to the medicines that we have found so efficacious in that disease. These chaps or clefts in the fetlocks of the horse, if left to themselves and neglected, will at length poison the whole surrounding connected skin, and thicken it, and cause large warty excrescences to rise on its surface with great inveteracy, and the disease then assumes, vulgarly, the name of the grapes. Of the cure.�One essential indication, or object rather, seems to be, to keep the parts as clean and warm as we can, and in the early stages of it, to bleed, purge, and use emollients locally; afterwards we may employ aromatics and tonics internally, and astringents topically, using assiduous care that these topical remedies reach to the very bottom of the clefts or cracks in the skin, which are deep, otherwise uncertain will be their effects. The following case occurs in my note-book of a coach-horse that had this complaint, which had resisted more than a twelvemonth all the nostrums of the coachman, and of his friend at the forge : A favourite coach-horse belonging to J. P. D., Esq., had the back parts of the pastern badly chapped, the chaps extending to the side cartilages, and to the skin above the inflections, which was broken in chaps, thickened and hardened at their edges, by the long continuance of the disease. I ordered a gentle dose of aloes, some egyptiac to the chaps, and to clothe the parts with a large square piece of chamoy leather or skin, such as they use for cleaning plate with, lapped about the posteriors of the pastern and hoof, and fastened in front by ties or straps and buckles, to be worn in the stable, and one coloured red, he being a bay horse, to be used out of doors, in order to quicken the languid circulation of the parts, and stimulate to more healthy actions. I ordered, also, after the operation of the laxative, some tonic cordial powders, consisting each of five grains of finely-powdered cantharides, four sulphate of zinc, eight grains of powdered tumeric-root, ten grainsof powdered pimento berry, rubbed together with a dram of sifted barley meal as a diluent, one to be administered every morning in his corn. The effect of this treatment was remarkable, for, in about ten days, all the chaps, which had extended into the very bulbs at the back of the inflexion, were healed. I ordered, however, for safety, the continuance of the chamoy leather for a week or two after, and a little stiff mild ointment, to encourage the formation of hair, and keep it growing in a right direction. I am not assured, not having witnessed its effects, after a horse has been much exposed in his work to dirty wet roads, and on coming into the stable, being well cleaned and perfectly



	49

dried, if we were to employ a dressing of some mild ointment to the bend of the fetlock, such as a little lard or fat, might not be of useful service in preventing the skin inflaming and cracking. In recent cases, warm, and sufficiently large, poultices of bran, softened with linseed meal, are useful for some days before the astringents are applied. My friend Samuel Bloxham, of the Life Guards, informed me he often succeeded in healing a chap behind the fetlock, with tying on a poultice made of oatmeal, and strewed over with alum in powder, on the surface presented to the sore, leaving it on till the parts healed. G-rapey heels would require greater care, and daily washing and cleanliness, and a more frequent application of the remedies, to bring the skin into its natural tone and elasticity again, in which the use of lard or tallow might for some time be required, and used also for some time after the cure has been accomplished. Urine balls have been much recommended by some in this complaint; we think, however, one dose of the aloes of more effect than many of these. The complaint called malenders, occurring in the bend of the knee, appears very much of this description, and yields to the same remedies. And the sallenders, appearing in the flexure of the hock behind, is also of the same family, and yields to a similar treatment, unless there exists in the habit an inveterate disposition to farcy, when these cases must be undertaken and treated as in a regular attack of that disorder.* The low position of the hind legs, owing to a too rapid declension of the stall, has a great influence on this complaint. I have seen a horse cured by only reversing every day his position in the stall: this should, therefore, be kept ever in view. Thick-legged and thick- skinned horses also are apprehended more subject to this disease, than thin-skinned ones and less hairy. This may be true, and assuredly the former are with more difficulty made dry after being wetted, which may in part account for it. If egyptiac be not at hand, a solution of sulphate of zinc is not a bad substitute for it, and is in some cases, more directly efficacious. In the healing of these chaps there is sometimes a horny ridge formed in the skin, which is thought by some indicative of a poisonous sore. The greasy appearance of the discharge, probably arises from a disturbed or changed coagulable lymph. In old cases the legs become cedematous after the cure, which is best removed by bandages of calico, physic, exercise, and rubbing with hay bands. Poultices alone we have found quite adequate to the removal of the disease, if perseveringly used, without any astringents whatever ; indeed, warmth seems a leading feature in the cure. Corn, and especially beans, in large quantities, will reproduce its appearance, whilst grass seems to diminish its access, and to cure it. The lymphatics of the legs get disordered by the discharge sometimes, and the point on the skin, where their mouth terminates externally, forms a kind of small ulcer, and sometimes occasions a sinus up the leg in the course of the absorbent. To prevent the chaps from getting too dry and bleeding, if the horse be used in his work, it is * We are led to conjecture that this singular epithet is derived from old French, viz. mal en torse, meaning evil in the bend,�that is, of the back or bend of the knee; hence also the word Torso became applied to the bent or stooping Hercules. The sallenders also appears derived from sale, that is, foul or dirty, en torse, in the flexure or bend of the hock.

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		50 well to anoint the edges of the sores with tallow or lard before he goes out, especially if the parts are uncovered, in order to supple the skin and new-formed cicatrix in the angle of the chap from being rent open, and frustrating its healing. I have witnessed in stables, that a good supply of wholesome food kept the horses free from it, accompanied, perhaps, as that nearly always is, with great attention and cleanliness in keeping their legs dry, and clean, and warm ; whilst low diet and ill feeding, attended, as it generally is, with neglect and carelessness, subjects them to the disorder. This complaint, when it has invaded the legs, and continued for some time under bad, and perhaps severe, applications, the animal becomes impatient and vicious, in having his legs touched or handled, which occasions a further neglect, and much increases the difficulty of cure; therefore, early attention to these cases is best, when, in general, there is not much difficulty in removing it. If an animal has been kept very low and ill-fed, good feeding and proper exercise seems to assist the cure; but much heating food, with insufficient exercise, oertainly will increase it. The green herb or grass in these cases will much assist, by its cooling properties on the system, in the cure. There appears to be a singular laxity in the skin proceeding from the fetlock-joint posteriorly, to the foot; and this skin seems also of a> denser, thicker nature than in the rest of the limb. It would appear to be so given, to admit of a free and full extension when the horse is in rapid and violent action, and then the pressure on the limb is so great that these parts are carried far forward, and are demanding a great extension of the skin to follow them, and of strength also to prevent its rupture and injury ; hence would appear, combined with an increased warmth, from the density of it, the cause of this peculiar make. In this complaint there appears to be distinct evidence of a poison self-generated in the animal, and not derived from any contagion or infection, as such had been formerly denied by physiologists of eminence. Though there appears to be an alliance between farcy and this disorder, yet we never observed the discharges in farcy to assume the very foetid character of this complaint; and the chaps again, are very unlike the buds and ulcerations the farcy produces. Where the skin is much distented, weak, and without tone or power, it is well, after reversing the position in the stall in the way we have recommended, to resort to calico bandages, to assist the relaxed and overcharged vessels, and to use friction with soft hay-bands we should believe to be beneficial.