CORNELL UNIVERSITY THE FOUNDED BY ROSWELL P. FLOWER for the use of the N. Y. State Veterinary College 1897 Dr. John Busteed Collection. Cornell University Library SF 751.D54 Occasional papers on veterinary subjects 3 1924 000 347 975 ftUGl^ ^.->v ^,f'-. '- ■ ^.^v ■ — u»ir=^' — ^ CAVLORD PRINTED INU. 3. A. Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/cletails/cu31924000347975 dX\ W-- iy.£-Mr ..ux^.'L OCCASIONAL PAPERS YETEROARY SUBJECTS WILLIAM DICK LATE PROFESSOE OP VETERINARY SUROERV TO THE IlIOHLASD AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND, VETF.RINARY SURGEON TO THE QUEEN FOR SCOTLAND, FOUNDER OF THE EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE, ETC. WITH A MEMOIR By E. 0. PRINGLE EDITOR OF THE IRISH FARMKRy' GAZETTE WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS EDINBURGH AND LONDON MDCCCLXIX P B^ TO THE MOST NOBLE THE MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE, K.T. C.B. PRESIDENT OF THE HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL BOOIETT AND THE NOBLEMEN, GENTLEMEN, & FARMERS OF SCOTLAND MEMBERS OF THAT SOCIETY CONSISTING OF PAPERS BY WILLIAM DICK FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL OF THE EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF THE HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED PEE FACE It has been often regretted that Professor Dick wrote so little on subjects connected with the Veterinary Art. The demands upon his time, arising from the necessity of attending to the business of the Institution with which his name has been so long associated, and of which he was the founder, combined with his exten- sive practice, necessarily occupied him so much, that he had not the leisure which literary work requires. An article from his pen on the Veterinary Art, which first appeared in the ' Encyclopsedia Britannica,' was after- wards issued, in a separate form, under the title of a 'Manual of Veterinary Science.' From the nature of the publication for which it was written, the Manual was merely an outline of the subject ; and it was Pro- fessor Dick's intention to have revised it, so that it might be issued in a more elaborate form. That in- tention, we regret to say, he was never able to carry out. Several papers, written by him on various sub- jects connected with his profession, appeared from time to time in different periodicals, particularly the ' Quar- 8 PEEFACE. terly Journal of Agriculture,' the ' Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society/ and the ' Veteri- narian.' Scattered as those articles were throughout the volumes of the different publications in -which they appeared, they were not familiar to many persons who might derive both pleasure and instruction from a perusal of them. When it was proposed, therefore, that a selection shotdd be made of any papers left by Professor Dick, with a view to publication, it was considered better to confine the selection as much as possible to those articles which had been published during the Author's lifetime, and revised by himself, rather than to use manuscripts which he might not have intended for publication. The only exception to this was made in the case of the paper " On the Influence of the Mind on Diseases of the Body," read by Professor Dick before a meeting of the Eoyal Physical Society, of which he was for many years treasm-er. The manuscript, however, was evidently that which had been prepared for the purpose of being read by him at the meeting. In preparing the introductory Memoir, it has been the object of the writer that Professor Dick should, as it were, tell the story of his own life and that of the Edinburgh Veterinary College, as far as possible, by the insertion of various documents illustrative of the subject. These, together with the papers which form the body of the work, must possess much interest to the large number of Veterinary Practitioners who were trained under Professor Dick; and not to these gentle- PEEFACE. 9 men alone, but to the profession generally; and equally so to agriculturists, particularly Scottish agriculturists, whose entire confidence and esteem Professor Dick deservedly enjoyed, from his first connection with the Highland Society of Scotland down to the latest day of his life. It is hoped, therefore, that this publica- tion, containing as it does so much that came directly from his pen, will be regarded as a fitting memorial of William Dick. CONTENTS. MEMOIR, . . . . . LIST OF VETERINARY SURGEONS WHO HAVE GRADUATED AT THE VET- ERINARY COLLEGE, EDINBURGH, SINCE ITS CONNECTION WITH THE HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND IN 1823, UNTIL THE DEATH OF PROFESSOR DICK IN APRIL 1866, . ON THE ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF THE FOOT OF THE HORSE, ON THE ACCIDENTAL INJURIES OF THE FOOT OF THE HORSE ARISING FROM SHOEING, WITH THEIE EFFECTS AND TREATMENT, . ON THE DISEASE OF THE HORSE TERMED NAVICULAR, ON THE NAVICULAR DISEASE AND NEUROTOMY, ON THE USE OF PURGATIVES IN CASES OF TETANUS, ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS, . UPON BLEEDING WITHOUT USING THE PIN, ON ACCIDENTAL INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE, . ON THE CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF FOOT-ROT IN SHEEP, ON COOKING FOOD FOR HORSES, ON THE MECHANISM OF THE LIMBS, BY MEANS OF WHICH THE HORSE IS ENABLED TO SLEEP STANDING, WITH REFERENCE TO THE KE' MARKS BY DR GRAVES ON A PECULIARITY IN THE HOCK OF THAT ANIMAL, . ..... ON A SUPPOSED DISEASE IN CATTLE CALLED THE TAIL-SLIP, ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES, ON CALCULI, AND THE MODE OF REMOVING THEM, IN DOMESTIC ANI MALS, ....... ON THE DISEASE IN THE UDDER OF COWS, ON A CASE OF FISTULA IN THE WITHERS OF THE HORSE ; AND ON CASES OF DISEASE IN THE HEART OP CATTLE ARISING FROiM THEIR SWALLOWING NEEDLES AND PINS, . . . • ON TUMOURS IN CATTLE, . . ■ ON ACUTE DYSENTERY IN SHEEP, AND ON INFLAMMATION OF THE ABOMASUM OR TRUE STOMACH IN CATTLE, PAGE i XCll 1 40 50 67 71 74 84 86 93 107 121 130 141 16'2 168 178 185 194 12 CONTENTS. ON THE PBEVAILINO DISEASE IN CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE ; BEING A LETTER BY PEOFESSOK DICK, ADDEESSED TO HIS PUPILS, ON THE NON-CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF EPIZOOTIC DISEASES, STOJIACH OR GRASS STAGGERS, ON PARALYSIS IN LAMBS AND SCAB IN SHEEP, ON AMPUTATION IN COMPOUND FRACTURE OF THE EXTREMITIES IN CATTLE, ... . . . • ON VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE, . . . . • FATAL AFFECTION OF THE BOWELS IN HORSES, RESEMBLING CHOLERA, ON CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS, .... THE EFFECTS OF THE WOORAARA POISON — ITS ANTIDOTE, THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF THE ERGOT OF RYE IN DIFFICULT PARTU- RITION, . . . . . • • • • ON SOME LATE EPIDEMIC DISEASES AND CHARACTERS OF DISEASE, A TUMOUR OR CLYER IN THE UPPER RESPIRATORY PASSAGES OF A COW, ....... MONSTROSITIES, ... . . DIVISION OF THE FLEXOR TENDONS, ON THE USE OP THE OMENTUM, THE PREVENTION OF ABORTION IN CATTLE, A CASE OF LITHOTOMY ON A HORSE, THE EFFECT OF A POOR AND SANDY SOIL ON THE IMPOVERISHMENT AND DEATH OF CATTLE, ... CASE OF ENCYSTED TUMOUR AT THE BASE OF THE TONGUE IN THE HORSE, FALLING INTO THE RIMA GLOTTIDIS, AND PRODUCING FITS OF ASPHYXIA, CURED BY AN OPERATION, ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF IODINE IN CASES OF DROPSY IN THE DOG; ON THE WARRANTY OF A COW, A FATAL CASE OF PARTURITION, .... A SINGULAR AFFECTION OF THE CHEST IN A HORSE, . CATTLE AND HORSE INSURANCE, .... A CASE OF FRACTURE OF THE BONES OF THE FOOT OF A MARE, A CURIOUS CASE, PRODUCING SOMETHING LIKE GLOBUS HYSTERICUS, WHAT INFLUENCE HAS THE MIND IN THE MODIFICATION AND CURE OF DISEASES OF THE BODY ? . . . PROCEEDINGS IN THE EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE, 203 208 232 246 257 2.19 267 269 295 298 300 303 304 310 313 317 319 325 328 333 335 338 340 342 344 347 352 387 MEMOIR. William Dick was born in May 1793, in a house inhabited by his parents situated in the White Horse Close, Canongate, Edinburgh — " the Court end of the Canongate," as he after- wards used to speak of it.* His father, John Dick, followed the occupation of blacksmith and farrier ; and, with that laud- * As the White Horse Close was a noted part of the once fashionable quar- ter of Old Edinburgh, the following notes regarding it may not be out of place. They are abridged from Dr Chambers's ' Traditions of Edinburgh.' The oldest house known to have been used in the character of an inn is one situated in what is called Davidson's, or the White Horse, Close, at the bottom of the Canongate. A sort of parte cocMre gives access to a court having mean buildings on either hand, but, facing us, a goodly structure of antique fashion, having two outside stairs curiously arranged. A date (16-3) gives us assurance of the seventeenth century, and, judging from the style of building, belonging to an early portion of that age. The whole of the ground floor, accessible from the North Back of Canongate, has been used as stables. This house, supposed to have been styled the White Horse Inn or White Horse Stables, would be conveniently situated for persons travelling to or ar- riving from Loudon, as it is close to the ancient exit of the town in that direc- tion. The adjacent Watergate took its name from a horse-pond, which probably was an appendage to this mansion. The manner of procedure for a gentleman going to London in the days of the White Horse was to come booted to this house, with saddle-bags, and engage and mount a suitable roadster, which was to serve him all the way. In 1639, when Charles I. had made his first pacification with the Covenanters, and had come temporarily to Berwick, he sent messages to the chief lords of that party, desiring some conversation with them. They were unsuspectingly mounting their horses at the White Horse, in order to ride to Berwick, when a mob came and forcibly prevented b U MEMOIR. able ambition common amongst Scotchmen, strove to give ms children as good an education as his means would afford. Hence the subject of our memoir was well grounded when a boy in the ordinary branches of education as taught in Scotch schools, including mathematics. Being employed as an assist- ant to his father in the forge, and engaged in shoeing horses, his attention was naturally directed to the treatment of dis- ease in horses. His early training in veterinary science was graphically described by himself in a speech delivered at the first annual dinner of the Eoyal College of Veterinary Sur- geons, London, April 184-4. On that occasion, in returning thanks for the toast — " The health of Professor Dick, and the Edinburgh Veterinary College " — he said that — " When he was a young man, twenty-seven years ago, he was much inclined to get information on literary matters. At that time he had heard little of the Veterinary College, and, in fact, there were not at that time a dozen of veterinary them from commencing their designed journey ; the mob having been taught to suspect that the king wished only to wile over the nobles to his side. The White Horse has ceased to be an inn from a time which no " oldest in- habitant " of the present time could pretend to have any recollection of One interesting fact connected with it is concerning Dr Alexander Rose, the last Bishop of Edinburgh, and the last survivor of the established Episcopacy of Scotland. Bishop Keith states that he died March 20, 1720, "in his own sister's house in the Canongate, in which street he also lived." Tradition points to the floor immediately above the parte cochire by which the stable- yard is entered from the street as the humble mansion in which the Bishop breathed his last. It is almost a matter of course that Dr Johnson, on arriving in Edinburgh, August 17, 1773, should have come to the White Horse, which was then kept by a person named Boyd. This man was addicted to horse-racing ; and it is said that he was at one time on the brink of ruin, when he was saved by a lucky ruQ with a white horse, which, in gratitude, he kept idle all the rest of its days, besides setting up its portiait as his sign. He eventually retired from this inn with a fortune of several thousand pounds ; and it is a well-authenti- cated fact that on his retiring he possessed napery—i.e., linen for household purposes — to the value of £500. A large room of the White Horse was the frequent scene of the marriages of runaway English couples, at a time when these irregularities were per- mitted in Edinburgh. MEMO IB. iii surgeons in all Scotland, so that science had not then greatly advanced. Having, however, heard something upon the sub- ject, he asked a bagman to make inquiries for him, and to see if there was really such a place. At that time, also, he be- came acquainted with a medical student with whom he used to talk upon medical subjects, and who asked him if he would like to hear a lecture. In those days he knew little of the clas- sics, and as he had understood that the lectures were delivered in Latin, he did not hope to obtain a great deal of information from them. It happened, however, that he went to hear the late Dr Barclay, whose name was then spoken of in Scotland as one of her best anatomists. After hearing him, he had the impudence to think that it was possible that he himself might one day deliver a lecture on veterinary science ; he accord- ingly proceeded to provide himself with books, and one of his first text-books was ' Taplin's Farriery Improved.' * After that, he not only attended Dr Barclay, but also Dr Gregory, the celebrated medical professor, who, instead of Latin, spoke in good broad Scotch ; and so he went from one to the other, until he found that by these means he had acquired some sort of knowledge. Now it is well known that Scotchmen are somewhat inclined to get knowledge wherever they can pick it up, and are, moreover, a little selfish ; and so it hap- pened that one day, during Dr Barclay's course of lectures upon comparative anatomy, and when he was going on about dogs and cats, it occurred to him that it might be a grand thing to get a horse. He mentioned it to the Professor, who was delighted with the offer. Now it so happened that he, shortly before, had met with a Shetland pony that had dislo- cated both his hind fetlocks in attempting to cover a big mare. These had been reduced ; but in a fortnight afterwards the * Professor Dick's copy of this work is in the Library of the Edinburgh Veterinary College. IV MEMOIR. same thing happened again. The consequence was that these soon became confirmed dislocations, with sloughing. The beast was brought in, its throat cut, and the Doctor proceeded to lecture upon it ; and thus he got his iirst lecture upon the comparative anatomy of the horse." The late Adam Ferguson, WoodhiQ, Canada, previous to leaving Scotland, was a leading Director of the Highland So- ciety, and in a letter to the Editor of the ' Canadian Agricul- turist,' dated December 1857, he points out the importance of having an institution in Canada for training young men in veterinary science. In the course of his remarks, Mr Fergu- son mentioned a circumstance of some interest in connection with William Dick's early training. He says : " The late Dr Barclay of Edinburgh, so well known as a teacher of com- parative anatomy, had an excellent habit, after lecture, of dis- cussing the subject, day by day, with his students, of whom the writer was one. A large proportion of his students were classically educated young men, then preparing to take their medical degree, and who rather winced under the shrewdness and intelligence displayed at such times by a young man (WUliam Dick) attending the class. This young man, in a modest and unpretending manner, often put them to the blush, and at last led them to ask the Doctor if he knew who the young man was upon whom he lavished his commendations. The Doctor having declared that he knew nothing of him, was quickly told that he was a common working blacksmith. ' Well, well,' said the Doctor, ' all I can say is, that whether he be blacksmith or whitesmith, he's the cleverest chap among you."' WUliam Dick also attended the lectures of Professor Hope, on chemistry ; and with a view of acquiring more knowledge in veterinary science than was within his reach in Edinburgh, he proceeded to London, and having attended the Veterinary MEMOIR. V College there, under the professorship of Mr E. Coleman, during the session 1817-18, he obtained his diploma on the 27th of January 1818. The following letters, written by him to his father at that time, show how earnestly he pursued his studies at the Vet- erinary College : — 27 Middlesex Street, Sommer's Town, London, 9th December 1817. Deak Father, — I received the shoes, note-books, and letters yester- day afternoon, all safe, but they cost 7s. Id. I have not shown them to Mr Sewell yet, as he is from home a day or two ; and I do not wish to show them till they axe both together. We had Coleman through the stables to-day, and I have sent you a complete list of what was pre- scribed by him for the horses. I spoke to him to-day for the first time, and asked him some questions, and he was very frank. Mr Sewell had been applying the Goulard's extract to a horse-leg that was a little swelled, but he said it was of no use, as it would not produce any effect on the nerves of the bowels ; he said it would not likely produce any effect on the skin of the leg, and he recommended cold water and a wet bandage. He then asked one or two of the pupils "nhat good it would do, or how it would act, and they said it would reduce the inflammation of the part by generating a degree of cold ; but he said that was not all, so 1 told him it iaoreased the action of the absorbents, which he said was very right. He was ordering a horse's soles to be fired, and I asked hun how it wovdd act. He said it would harden the sole ; but I asked him if it would not pro- duce a greater growth of horn. He said, No. This was a flat-soled horse, and a newish plan to harden the sole. We have another one which is foundered, or, as they call it, with inflamed laminse, so I asked him if thinning his soles was a good practice ; he said, No^wHch is a change of his doctoring. There was one killed yesterday, which was said to have strangles by Mr Sewell, but Coleman said it was farcy, after she was killed. There was 'a good deal of disease in the spleen or melt, tumours of a white colour, but there was very little matter in them, but they kept a little of what they got to inoculate an ass, to see if it was farcy. I asked Coleman if a solution of sal-ammoniac would not do the before-mentioned horse's leg any good, as it would generate a greater degree of cold, and he could not say against it, but said ether would generate a greater. This, however, is too dear for any use. I shall here give you a list of what was given to the patients to-day, which is marked in a note-book for the dresser. Tlie first horse stood in No. 2 stall (for aU the stalls are marked or numbered), VI MEMOIR. was to be tipt— that is, be shod with grass plates. Second horse, m No. 4 stall, was to stand up in sling all night ; he was lanie from inflamed feet. Third horse, in No. 7 stall, was to get aloetic mass gij— that is, 2 drachms of aloes ; he has a swelled leg from the nerves being denuded. Fom-th horse, in 10th stall, shoes to be removed and soles burnt. Fifth horse, 12th staU, blister, two curbs, and wind-galls on fore legs. Sixth horse, 13th stall, wounds that were made by cutting out the nerves, to be dressed with alum ointment (which is made by mixing powdered alum and bole armenian with common turpentine) and astringent powder (which is made with bole armenian and alum in powder). Seventh horse, 3d box, a bad foot, somewhat like the mare in the park, but not so bad ; was first dressed with oil of turpentine, and now with tincture of myrrh and powdered aloes. Eighth horse, B. shed, rowels to be dressed, and another one to be put into his belly. This horse had nothing at first, I think, but a sore throat, but they thought liini to have inflamed lungs : he was tapped to draw ofl: the water from his chest, but there was none. He had a seton placed on each side, had his throat blistered, then a rowel under his jaws. He was getting somewhat better, but I think him rather worse again these two days. Ninth horse, C. shed, take away 4 lb. of blood, and give 2 drachms of aloes, and a scruple of white hellebore. When this horse came in they did not know what was the matter, so they bled him, and gave him 2 or 3 drachms of aloes, and put him in an open shed. In a day they thought it was a disease of the liver, and in a day or two it was thought inflammation of the lungs. He was rowelled in the chest. In a day or so after his fore legs swelled a good deal. They put in another rowel, at the same time saying there was great debility, and this swelling, it was said, was a translation of the iuflammatory affection from the lungs to the legs. Coleman gave the aforesaid medicine to produce nausea, and by that means to reduce the pulse ; but I think if he does not get better in a day or two, he will die. Tenth horse, 16th stall, to stand in clay all night. Eleventh horse, 19th stall, to stand in water, and bandage his leg. TweKth horse, 22d stall, to get 2 drachms emetic tartar once a-day, for worms ; cauterise or burn his soles, and stuff up with tar and petroleum, as they call it. Thirteenth horse, 23d stall, 6 drachms of aloes for a dose of physic (they give nothing else in the physic but a little linseed-meal to mix it up). Fourteenth horse, to wear a high shoe or patten shoe— that is, to make him stand on the lame foot. Fifteenth horse, to have his leg blistered with liquid blister. This is one of his own that had the farcy, and a bony swel- ling remains on the fetlock-joint of the nigh hind leg. They give nothing for farcy but blue ^'itriol. There are several more not worth mentioning that are lame, and have had their nerves taken out. I am happy everything is going on so well. I wiU not, nor did not intend to say any more on the MEMOIR. Vll newspaper, but only did it for the sake of the crib-biting case. 1 shall send word about the hobbles in a day or two. The shoes at the College here are 5s. a set. I am not certain about the price of iron yet. 1 in- quired one day at an iron yard, and they said foreign was ^27, and Eng- lish £1.5 per ton ; but I think it will not be all the same. I have not been in any of the shops in town yet, but I will go the first opportunity ; but I have been so busy writing the lectures that I could get nowhere, as they take up all the spare time I have. I have dissected part of two asses ; have no preparations to send down yet, but will send one as soon as I can. Both Lords Elgin and Morton are subscribers to the College, but they have never been here, nor any Scotch gentleman. The lectures are the same thing over again always ; but I have seen nothing like Mr Fleming's horse in them all. There has been only two horses like the cases you mention, and these very slight. They bled them and placed a rowel under the jaw. I think bleeding, steaming their head, giving 1, 2, or 3 drachms of aloes, poulticing or blistering their throat, might do good. I must conclude, as my paper is done ; but shall answer you more fully in a day or two. Meanwhile hoping this will find you all well, as I am, thank God, at this time, I remain, dear father, j"our affectionate son, William Dick. Sommek's Town, London, Monday, 15th December 1817. Dear Pathee,^I promised to have written you a day or two ago, but I was waiting to see how the black horse that I mentioned was. He died last night, and we opened him to-day. There was suppuration in his lungs, but very little iniiammation, though they treated him as if it had been most violent. He was bled the three last days, and was gettmg half a drachm of hellebore twice a-day to lower his pulse, and was turned out aU night, exposed to a hard frost. On bleeding there was no inflamma- tory appearance in the blood ; and on Saturday Mr C. ordered him to be bled till his pulse lowered, but it got up from 90 to 120. We have only had one horse with bad eyes since I came, and they were dressed with common salt and water, and he got two or three drachms of salt of steel every day in a ball. There is a black horse that had a bad foot, and a small piece of bone came off, but nothing like the bay mare's foot. It is doing pretty well — was first dressed with oil of turpentine, then tincture of myrrh and aloes. There is another in with grease and a weed. He is bled and roweUed, and ordered to be bled in the foot, and get a diuretic, and his leg fomented and poulticed. There is a bay horse that has been in this some time with a sore throat, and they said he had inflamed lungs. He is better, but there is some obstruction about his throat yet, for when he is eating or drinking, a part of it comes through his nostrils. Mr Vlll MEMOIR. C. says it is perhaps some tilceration about the velum palati. There is nothing else worth mentioning, as they are mostly lame ones, and that not particular. There was some dispute about a horse's age to-day among the pupUs. Some said he was rising four ; I said he was four off. Ml- Coleman said so too ; but aU his four corner foal teeth were in, and one of the horse's teeth just making its appearance, and most of them did not notice it, so I was sure I was right. Mr Sewell is not come home yet, so I have done nothing with the shoes. I have not got the lectures done yet, but I think I shall be able to manage them this week. My neigh- bour is like to drop them, he is so tired, and I have got two days' work before him, and we write from daylight to twelve at night, except when at lecture and College ; but if I once was done I will go through the shops and inquire about everything. There has been no Scotch gentlemen at the College ever since I came ; but Lord Morton is a manager or presi- dent, but never has been here since I came. I think nothing of the walk to the classes, as I am glad of the walk at present. As soon as I am done with the writing I shall do a foot, and send it down, but it will require u. little time to-day. I have not seen Dr Cooper's museum yet ; but the one at the College is not much worth. There is four skeletons, a horse, a deer, a swine, and a greyhomid. There is not a great many good preparations. There is a collection of shoes, but none that is like the Icelander. I think I will need £& or £l before I come away, as there is about £Z or guineas to pay at the examination, which I suppose will be in about four or five weeks now at most ; but I have as much as serve me till then. I have not bought a full case of instruments, but I have got as many as do. I have not inquired about the hobbles, but I asked about a syringe, and they said it was about £\, 4s., which is dearer than at home ; but I shall inquire further. Give my compliments to Mr and Mrs M'Doude, Mr Dumbreck, Mr and Mrs Long, and all inquiring friends ; hoping you and mother, and sister and brother are aU well, as I am, thank God, I remain, dear father, your affection- ate son, William Dick. At the time when William Dick returned to Edinburgh qualified to practice as a veterinary surgeon, the art itself was at a very low ebb in Scotland. We have seen that he himself ^ afterwards stated that " there were not at that time a dozen of veterinary surgeons in all Scotland ;" and, for many reasons, we are inclined to think that if he had said there were not half-a-dozen veterinary surgeons in the country, it would have MEMOIR. IX been nearer the mark. Quackery of the moat wretched kind was practised in treating animals labouring under disease, and a strong belief existed in the malignant influence of witches, fairies, &c., as the origin of whatever appeared mysterious in such cases. A writer of the period, describing the state of the veterinary art in Scotland, says : " How common is it for men to pretend to be their own cattle-doctors, who scarce know the difference between a vein and an artery ; and how frequently do we find persons professing to serve the public as veterinary surgeons, or under the more humble name of farriers, or perhaps ' skilled men,' and prescribing for every complaint, who perhaps do not even know how the blood circulates, or the use of a single gland, or any other internal part of the animal they unhesitatingly operate upon ! How often have we turned in disgust fi-om the blundering and butcherly operations of these brute quacks, whose obstinacy and self-conceit are generally only surpassed by their igno- rance, and to attempt to reason with or persuade whom, is often as much in vain as their traditionary prescriptions ! "We do not mean to deny that there are many farriers, men of strong sense and acute observation, who, by practice, and per- haps the perusal of books, have obtained a knowledge of the more common diseases ; who are aware how to vary their pre- scriptions according to the different symptoms of the com- plaint ; and who can perform some of the various operations which are occasionally necessary with a firmness and preci- sion which a regular-bred surgeon might envy. But such men are few in number compared with those whose reliance is upon a particular routine in every case, and who, from the success, often imaginary, of one or two nostrums in a few instances, are determined to endeavour to make them always effectual. Even the most intelligent of self-taught farriers, though they may be adequate to the proper treatment of many X MEMOIR. diseases, yet are often called to operate in circumstances where it is not to be expected that their limited experience and knowledge of principles can enable them to act with any certainty. To the dormant state in which the veterinary art has been allowed to remain in Scotland, and the consequent want of persons versant in the diseases of animals, in almost all the different districts of the country, much unnecessary suffering and delay in effecting cures, and the frequent loss altogether of valuable animals, are to be ascribed." The low state of knowledge existing at that time regarding what may be considered the most simple points in the vet- erinary art, was found to be a formidable obstacle after Mr Dick's pupils commenced to practise in different parts of the country. Numerous instances of this could be shown from the letters sent by these young men to their teacher, but we shall only give two specimens. One pupil writes : — - I was lately called to a poor ox, labouring under hopeless constipation. I at once prononnced the case to he desperate, and took my leave. The owner, loath to lose his ox, called in the old farrier or leech of the district. A cure was now confidently pro7nised. A lively trout {risum teneatis) was taken from the adjoining stream, and committed to the grdlet of the patient, under the assurance that it would soon work its way through all impediments, and speedy relief he afforded. Of course nothing more was seen of the trout ; the poor ox died ; and the Edinlurgh doctor received all the credit of the failure from his previous mismanagement of the case. Another student writes : — A few days after my amval at home, I was sent for, in violent haste, to attend a three-year-old colt, which had been castrated about six hours before. The artery was bleeding in full stream, the stall deluged with blood, and the owner and family aU looking as pale as if the case had been desperate. The animal had been several times cast and fired, and the cord so shortened as to be, with some difficulty, brought outside of the scrotum. The operation had completely failed. I had the colt thrown again, and told them there was no danger, and that all would soon be right -The only answer I got was, "Nothing frightens you doctors ; there can be MEMOIE. XI no chance of recovery.'' I seized the cord without difficulty, and guided by my acquaintance with the anatomy of the parts, I caught the artery with the forceps, applied the ligature, stopped the bleeding, astonished the neighbours, who had crowded in to see the poor beast die, and went away loaded with blessings for the simplicity and sticcess of the operation.* It had been William Dick's ambition to raise the standard of the veterinary art in Scotland ; and soon after his return to Edinbitrgh from London, an opportunity presented itself for commencing as a teacher of veterinary science. At that time an attempt was made by a Mr Scott to establish an academical institution in Edinburgh, in which, among other sciences, veterinary surgery was intended to be taught. Mr Dick was recommended by his worthy and much-esteemed friend Dr John Barclay, to Mr Scott, as the instructor in the veterinary department ; and accordingly he commenced a course of lec- tures during the session 1819-20, in the Freemasons' Hall, Niddry Street, which may thus be regarded as the germ of the Edinbvirgh Veterinary College subsequently established by Mr Dick, under whom it acquired a world-wide reputation. The Niddry Street institution did not succeed, in couse- qnence of Mr Scott having been compelled shortly after the opening of the institution to cease having any connection with it; and the veterinary lectures alone were continued to the end of the session. The following winter another attempt was made by Mr Scott to establish the institution, wliich again failed, though Mr Dick gave a course of lectures. Mr Dick subsequently took an unfurnished shop in Nicol- son Street, and continued his course of lectures, giving one lecture daily; one pupU, an Englishman, we believe, being the only regxilar attendant. When the prospectus of the Edin- burgh School of Arts for the instruction of mechanics was published, Mr Dick proposed to the directors of that institu- * Another illustration of this kind is given in Mr Thomson's letter on ' Tail- Ill.'— See p. 1.30. XU MEMOIR. tion to deliver a short course of lectures gratis, which offer was accepted. These lectures being tolerably well attended, he made a similar offer the following session, and met with nearly the same success. Mr Dick afterwards lectured on his own account in the Calton Convening Eooms. The number ot pupils steadily increased, and the importance of scientific instruction in the veterinary art began to be recognised in influential quarters. From a weU-written biographical notice of Mr Dick, which appeared in the ' North British Agricul- tirrist' immediately after his death, we learn that the Lord Provost of Edinburgh had, when Mr Dick was lecturing in the Calton Convening Eooms, " endeavoured to induce the Senatus Academicus of the Edinburgh University to appoint a chair of comparative anatomy, embracing veterinary physic and surgery. The Senatus, however, declined, assigning a number of reasons for their declinature. They stated that the institution of a vet- erinary school in the city would reflect much honour on the founders, and be of permanent advantage to the community, but that such an institution, however desirable in itself, was not a suitable appendage to a university, in respect that it must necessarily lead to lucrative employments connected with that branch of study — Mdiich might not be consistent in public estimation with the dignity of the university — and that, in point of fact, the most celebrated veterinary schools are not connected with uni%'ersities ; but that, therefore, such an establishment might be connected very advantageously with some other institution, such as the Highland Society ; and, in fine, the Committee of the Senatus was of opinion that the establishing of a veterinary school, with the appendages of stables, hospital, and forge, within the city or its precincts, would be desirable." In the summer of 1823, the attention of the Highland Society was directed by Dr Barclay and Mr Adam Ferguson, MEMOIR. xiii who were both Directors, to the subject of veterinary instruc- tion, and fully acquiescing in its importance, the Society readily granted its patronage and support, so that Mr Dick commenced his next course of lectures under more favourable auspices than he had hitherto done, the Society having placed the sum of £50 at the disposal of a Committee appointed to take charge of the department of veterinary surgery, The first lecture was delivered in the Calton Convening Rooms on the 24th of November 1823, in presence of the Committee, and a number of medical gentlemen and others interested in veterinary science. The lectures were delivered twice a-week, and increased in number from about thirty during the session to fifty. In 1825-26 fifteen additional lectures were given, and three were delivered weekly. The following circular was issued by the Highland and Agricultural Society in the summer of 1825 : — Sir, — I am desired by the Directors of the Highland Society of Scot- land, in terms of a resolution adopted at their meeting on the 29th of June last,to request the attention of your society, and of the noblemen, landowners, and farmers in your district, to a very important but much- neglected branch of rural affairs. It is too well known to require illustration, that the treatment of horses and cattle under disease is lamentably defective in almost every part of Scotland. By much the greater number of farriers and cow- doctors purchase or inherit a set of receipts which are administered in all cases, and frequently without any correct idea either of the ana- tomical structure of the animal, the effect of the medicine, or the pro- bable nature and seat of the disease. The consequences are oljvious. Many valuable animals are annually sacrificed to ignorance ; and when nature effects a cure, the receipt administered acquires very unmerited celebrity. It is obvious that Scotland cannot too soon get rid of this unworthy reproach ; and the Highland Society having turned their attention to the subject, feel much satisfaction in recommending the school of veterinary surgery, established in Edinburgh during the last two years, by Mr William Dick, under their patronage and support. Actuated by one single object, the improvement of Scotland in every XIV MEMOIE. department of riu-al economy, the Society would wish urgently to impress upon the landowners and intelligent occupiers of your district, the great importance of establishing among you a steady individual, regularly and scientifically hred to the ordinary work of the forge, and to the correct treatment of live stock under those various diseases and accidents to which they are subject. With this view the Directors have deemed it proper to remind the various agricultural societies of Scotland, of the recommencement of the veterinary lectures in Kovember next, and to bring under their notice the beneficial consecjuences which would result from such district send- ing up one or more intelligent individuals to attend Mr Dick, who shall afterwards be established in their respective districts. Nor is it undeserv- ing of notice that mechanics, chemistry, &o., with the use of a library, may now be acquired upon such easy terms in the School of Arts, that a steady ami attentive student cannot fail to carry home a valuable store of scientific knowledge from a winter's attendance in Edinburgh. The probable expense attendant upon such a measure will necessarily vary according to circumstances. When employment as a journeyman is wished by any individual, and is obtained, either at Mr Dick's or some of the other forges in Edinburgh, it would probably be no more than the expense of travelling, and the lecturer's fee of two guineas, with the fees of the School of Arts, which are very moderate, should he attend that excellent institution. Where, again, such employment shall not be procured, the expense will be necessarily increased to meet the charge of subsistence, but ought in no case to exceed £20 or £25, lectures of all kinds included. I have only further to add that the lectures and anatomical demon- strations during the two past sessions have given gTeat satisfaction both to practical farriers and also to men of science who have occasionally attended ; and from some able reports of cases transmitted from different parts of the country by young farriers who hare attended the lectures, the lecturer is much gratified to find that the knowledge imparted has been productive of the best results.— I have the honour to be, &c. Charles Gordon, Dep. Sec. The foUowing, which appears to have been the first report sent by Mr Dick to "the Committee of the Highland Society on the Veterinary Lectures," shows the progress made. The report refers to the session 1825-26 : MEMOIR. XV To THE Gentlemen op the Highland Society Members of THE Committee on the Veterinary Lectures. Gentlemen, — I have great satisfaction in having it in my power to give a favourable report of the attendance on the lectures on veterinary surgery during the past session. In the session 1824-25 the number of practical men who attended was only ten, but during last session the number was increased to twenty, and of that number sixteen, afterwards mentioned, came from different parts of the country for the express purpose of attending the lectures. The following is a list of their names, and the districts in which they have settled, or are about to settle in : — John Corbett, Hexham, Northum- James Livingston, Strathtay. berland. John ]\1aclean, Garth. Joseph Riddel, Abergeldy. Joseph Tait, Longridge. John Stewart, Perth. Francis Storrie, East Linton. Hope Hutchinson, Scoon. Alex. Nimmo, Linlithgow. Andrew Bowie, Ha-ndck. J. P. Cheetham, Keswick, Cum- Eobert Baer, near Irvine. berland. Walter Smith, Eglinton. — Masson, North Berwick. William Cunningham, Ajt. John Fergusson. Besides the above, four others residing in Edinburgh also attended — James Watt and Peter M'Cain, who had attended the two former ses- sions, and J. Hind and T. Emerson. Five amateurs also attended for their private information. As I found at the commencement of the course that the greater num- ber of those who were to attend had come to Edinburgh for that purpose only, I resolved to extend the course as much as possible, and I therefore gave three lectures a-week instead of two, as formerly, which extended tlie course to sixty-five lectures, by which means I was enabled to enter more fully into the detail of the science than I had hitherto done. With a view also of stirring up a spirit of inquiry amongst the pupils, I advised them to meet once a-week and to discuss amongst themselves the different subjects that had been treated on, and I also held general exami- nations every fortnight, and latterly every week, to ascertain the pro- gress they had made in their studies. This I found of great service in stirring up a spirit of inquiry in order that they might be able to answer the questions put to them, and afforded me an opportunity of ascertaining the progress they were making, and also of correcting any mistakes they may have made. Their behaviour and attention during the lectures was entirely to my satisfaction, and their progress in general was more than could have been expected. XVI MEM OIK. From tlie success that has attended the lectures during the seasons that have passed, I am inclined to hope that there is now every reason to suppose that a regular class is wanted, and that there wHl he no danger of a sufficient attendance of pupils ; but in order to establish the subject on a firmer basis, I beg to submit to the Committee the fol- lowing plan. Until some permanent structure is raised, the difficulties that arise from the great inconvenience of the want of an hospital of sufficient extent, and with proper accommodation for sick or lame animals, must appear obvious, for it is not by theory alone that students can ever learn what is necessary in this profession. They must also witness the progress of disease and the effects of remedies, the operations required and the time to perform them ; and this can only be done by having an hospital in connection with the lecture- room. W. Dick. At that time, as stated in the Society's circular, the charge for attendance on the lectures was £2, 2s. Several of the pupils were also engaged in dissections, and had the advantage of attending patients in Mr Dick's private practice. Through the kindness of Dr Barclay, and his successor Dr Eobert Knox, Mr Dick's pupils received free admission to their lectures on comparative anatomy, the anatomy of the human body, sur- gery, &c. ; and a similar privilege was afterwards given by other lecturers in Edinburgh, among whom were Dr Handy- side, Dr Eobertson, Dr D. B. Eeid, lecturer on chemistry, Dr Spittal, &c. In 1828 Mr Dick commenced a popular course of lectures for private gentlemen who could not attend the professional course, and this was so successful that it was continued for some years. At the suggestion of Dr Barclay, who was the first convener of the Committee of the Highland Society on veterinary sub- jects, it was arranged that the students should be examined at the end of the session by medical gentlemen, and that those who passed the examination would be supplied with a certificate which should be regarded as sufficient evidence that the per- son who obtained it was qualified to practise. Mr Adam MEMOIE. XVll Fergusson succeeded Dr Barclay as Convener or Chairman of the Committee ; and the following Eeport, dated 12th May 1830, will show the progress which had been made, and the condition of "the Veterinary School," at that date : — REPORT OF THE Committee or the HianLAND Society of Scot- land, IN CHARGE OF THE VETERINARY ScHOOL. In reporting the progress and prospects of , the Veterinary School, your Committee feel sincere pleasure in announcing its continued utility and welfare. The demand for instruction in this science, so intimately con- nected with the leading objects of the Highland Society, continues steadily to increase ; and the character established by its students, wherever they have commenced practice, reflects the highest credit upon the assiduity and talents of Mr Dick, lecturer to the Society in the School. The Institution has now closed its seventh Session, during which it has been attended by the following individuals : — 1. Charles Latider, Edin- burgh ; 2. William Frater, Douglas MUl, Lanarkshire ; 3. William Shields, Arbirlot, Forfarshire ; 4. John Murray, Dunse, Berwickshire ; 5. John Fulton, Maybole, Ayrshire ; 6. Charles Reid, Strathardle, Perth- shire ; 7. Thomas Ritchie, Scotland Well, Kinross-shire ; 8. James ShirefF, West Barns, East Lothian ; 9. John Macfarlane, Breadalbane, Perthshii'e ; 10. WiUiam Wilkie, Forfar ; 11. James Grieve, Balmerino, Perthshire ; 12. William Smith, Fettercairn, Kiucardinesliire ; 13. James Cleland, RoseweU, Mid-Lothian ; 14. John Steel, Biggar, Lanarkshire ; 15. Arthur Heriot, Polmont, Stirlingshire ; 16. Edward Naylor, Wake- field, Yorkshire; 17. Thomas Turnbull, Hawick, Roxburghshire ; 18. James Gardiner, Dumbarton ; 19. John Purdie, Douglas MUl, Lanark ; 20. John Wishart, Strathmiglo, Fifeshire ; 21. Luke Scott, Dunse, Berwick- shire ; 22. George Drummond, Edinburgh ; 23. Charles Spinks, Edin- burgh ; 24. William Jeffery, West Barns, East Lothian ; 25. William Laing, Edinburgh ; 26. Arthur Hannah, Edinburgh. These are all practical men, who propose to follow the veterinary profes- sion, and seven of whom, at the top of the list, have obtained certificates this season, while two others — viz. Nos. 11 and 12 — attended this winter from a laudable desire to increase their knowledge, having creditably passed their examinations two years ago. In addition to these, nine gene- ral or amateur students gave regular attendance ; and also several medi- cal gentlemen attending Dr Knox, to whom gratis tickets were delivered. The course has been extended to seventy lectures, besides a few private hours devoted to the practical students upon the materia medica. XVIU MEMOIR. After commencing witli an ontline of anatomy, and h comparative de- scription of tlie bones of tlie different domestic animals, taking tlie horse as a standard, and discussing tlie diseases of these bones as they came successively under examination, Mr Dick proceeded to treat of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, with their various diseases, in the differ- ent animals. Next in order came the foot, with its diseases, and the various modes of shoeing, after which followed the organs of respiration, with the diseases affecting those parts, and the speciiic aUments of the different animals connected therewith, as the niuiTain in cattle, distemper in dogs, tuberculous disease in swine, &c. The abdominal viscera of the horse, ox, sheep, and dog, and peculiarities of each, were next considered, with the diseases of the intestines, as " hoven stomach" in cattle and sheep, colic, inflammation, &c. &c. Then followed the liver, rot in sheep, the urinary and generative organs, with the operations connected therewith, as castration, spaying, lithotomy, operation for hernia, &c. The skin, its functions and diseases, was next treated of; then the brain, nerves, and ear, with their disorders ; and, lastly, the anatomy and diseases of the eye. From this outline it is sufiiciently clear that a very comprehensive course of study has been followed, and the students have throughout enjoyed the advantage of regular anatomical demonstration, practical operations, and clinical treatment of patients. With a view to the latter department, a very important addition has been made last session by Mr Dick, and at a very considerable expense to himself. A stable has been provided, and appropriated to what may be termed pauper patients, where such are put under regular treatment, without expense to their owners, and with incalculable benefit to those attending the school. As regards the expense of this branch, it may be noticed that, besides stable- rent, &c., a sum considerably exceeding J25 has been expended upon medicines alone to those gratuitous patients, and which is here mentioned for the purpose of satisfying the Directors that their liberality is duly appreciated and applied by Mr Dick. It has been the vvish of your Committee, in fulfilling the duty com- mitted to them, to secure, in the first place, a competent supply of well- instructed veterinarians ; and secondly, to send these to their respective stations in possession of such testimonials as may warrant their employers in placing due reliance upon their skill. With this view, the system of the Veterinary College at St Pancras has afforded a model ; and it is impossible for your Committee to notice, in adequate terms, the kindness of those medical practitioners of the highest eminence in this city who have cheerfully bestowed their valu- able time xipon the examination of students. Seven candidates passed their trials this season ; and when it is stated that the examination was MEMOIE. XIX :ontinued during two sittings, and was conducted by Dr J. H. Davidson, Preses, Eoyal College of Physicians, Dr Geo. A. Borthwiok, Messrs ^ViEiam Wood, Preses, Royal College of Siurgeons, Newbigging, Gillespie, Listen, and Professor Ballingall, in presence of many of the Directors and members of the Society, and of Mr Castley, Veterinary Surgeon of the I2th Lancers, Mr Henderson, Veterinary Surgeon in Etlinburgh, &o., and that the young men gave the utmost satisfaction to these competent judges, it must be quite superfluous to enlarge upon the favourable result. It is the intention of Mr Dick to resume, next season, his popular course, for the benefit of those gentlemen who cannot, \\-ith convenience, attend at an evening hour. This popular course will probably be com- menced in January, and wSi. be notified in due time to the public. While your Veterinary School is thus in favourable progression, and promising to confer such important benefits upon Scotland, it is pleasing to observe the kindly and liberal manner in which it is at all times noticed, and the estimation in which it is held by the leading veterin- arians of England. Professor Coleman took a late public opportunity of alluding to Mr Dick, and of remarking that, so far from any petty jealousy existing towards this northern institution, it would afford him sincere pleasure to find aU the privileges of the London College communicated to the students of the Edinburgh School ; while Sir Astley Cooper, on a similar occasion, mentioned your estabKshment in flattering and com- mendatory terms. One great privilege enjoyed hx the London College consists in the right of passing veterinary surgeons for the army ; and in due time, when the Edinburgh School shall he matured by the experience of a few more years, this may be considered a fit object for the Society to endeavour to attain. Dr Knox has continued to bestow a free admission to his valuable school of anatomy upon the students recommended by Mr Dick, a kind- ness of the utmost importance and value to the young men, tending in a liigh degree to open their minds, to facilitate their acquaintance with the organic structure and muscular powers of man, and enabling them to compare these with the physiologj' of those animals which come more particularly under their professional notice. In regard to Mr Dick, it is sufficient to assure the Directors that his talents and scientific attainments can only be surpassed by the tact which he displays in instructing his pupils, and the devoted zeal by which he labours to discharge his duty and obligations to the Highland Society of Scotland. A good deal of discussion has of late been excited in London upon the mode of conducting the examination of candidates. As respects the Edinburgh School, it would seem decidedly most advisable for the exam- iaation to be conducted by the lecturer, by the medical gentlemen, and XX MEMOIR. by any Director of the Society wlio may incline to take a part. A fair and candid test of tlie actual attainments and knowledge acquired by the pupils being the single object in view, it appears expedient and right that the veterinary surgeons of the city and vicinity shall be requested to attend ; and it may be confidently assumed that suggestions and remarks offered by them to the Directors will be received with pleasure, and readUy adopted, when found practically useful or beneficial to the School. It is recommended that candidates shall not be previously informed of the particular branches of veterinary science to which their examination may be more esjiecially addressed. It has been deemed expedient to have the document of the medical exaniinators put into the permanent form of an engraved certificate, as likely to afford greater satisfaction both to the public and to the students themselves than the manuscript cei-tificate heretofore delivered. In conclusion, your Committee would remark, that while the exertions of the Society continue to effect such improvements in the breeds of live stock, an imperious duty devolves upon every district of Scotland to acquire the practical aid of a well-educated veterinarian ; and it is satis- factory to state, what experience has established, that steady and intelli- gent young men, of plain ordinary education, may be rendered extremely well qualified for veterinary practice after an attendance of two successive sessions upon Mr Dick, with those additional advantages, already noticed, as communicated to the students of the Edinburgh Veterinary School. It only remains to be noticed tliat the ordinary professional couise for the eighth session will be commenced in the usual lecture-room in November next. ADAM FERGUSSON, Convener. Highland Society Hall, Edinburgh, lith May 1830. Cousidering the important position afterwards occupied by the Edinburgh Veterinary College, everything which throws light on its early history, and the persevering efforts of its indomita- ble founder, possesses a peculiar interest. In addition to the fore- going official report, we therefore give the following extract from a letter written by the late Mr Castley, Veterinary Surgeon, 12th Lancers, which appeared in the ' Veterinarian ' for 1830 :— Before quitting Scotland, however, I wish to say something of the Edinburgh Veterinary School. Mr Dick certainly deserves great credit for havmg established in the northern capital a course of lectures-in short, a school where he teaches the anatomy and diseases not only of the MEMOIR. XXI horse and the ox, but the rest of the inferior animals most useful to man. And he has the more merit in this undertaking, as, with the exception of the Highland Society, he appears to have received but little assistance from either the great or the learned of this " first city in the world for arts " — this Modern Athens — this great emporium, as it has been hitherto called, of medical science. "We are apt, my dear sir, to entertain a some- what too elevated notion of the importance of our profession ; and because Vegetius has said, " Ars vetcrinaria post medicinam secunda est," to flatter ourselves that in this enlightened age, the nineteenth century, it ought to rank rather high. But whatever consideration we may think our art entitled to, it is quite evident from what we see here, and it is humiliating to observe, that it not only falls far short of the estimate of many who have embarked in it, but that it absolutely seems to sink beneath the dignity of collegiate science. There is no room for Mr Dick's chair within the walls of the great, the proud University of Edin- burgh. The elder sister appears to disown the relationship, or, secretly ashamed of the Cinderella, scarcely acknowledges the connection. Here, then, even at the very headq^uarters of medicine, veterinary surgery may be said to stand entirely upon its own bottom ; and it has to be tried by the measure of its own utility. It has not been taken in tow by the elder science — it has not experienced the fostering care of academical honours — it lacks the polish and advantage of a gown — it presents rather a rough exterior, but stiU. it seems to thrive. One could wish to see Mr Dick's lecture-room look somewhat less like the appendage of a forge ; but then he never has to lecture to " empty benches." He has a very considerable and yearly increasing class. The Edinburgh school is entirely of his own creation ; and I am happy to see that he is likely to reap the fruits of his great perseverance, his zeal, and his talents. In the session just past there were young men not only from many parts of Scotland and the Borders, but also from the northern districts of England, and even Yorkshire, attending his course. Veterinary medicine may therefore be said, notwithstanding all the disadvantages it has laboured under, to have taken root in the northern metropolis ; and I know of nothing that is likely to check its growth, except, perhaps, the introduc- tion and general use of steam carriages amongst this most calculating of all the calculating people of the British Isles.* * The " steam carriages " which Mr Castley feared would check the pro- gress of veterinary science, are now, and have been for many years, in " general use ;" and instead of the result which he anticipated, a greater demand than ever has been created by their introduction for thoroughly-qualified veterinary practitioners. — Ed. XXU MEMOIR. I have said I could wish to see Mr Dick's lecture-room savour some- what less of the forge ; and I am sure he mil excuse what I say, as it is all intended in fair candour and friendship. But I think if he were to attach a little more importance to external appearance, to attend a little more to effect, it would give the thing greater weight and credit in the public eye. You may fancy to yourself a room of no very great dimensions in an old and apparently long untenanted house in Clyde Street. You enter it from the street door, and are immediately struck \vith the delightful confusion wdiich seems to reign within. Skeletons of 'all descriptions, " from a. child's shoe to a jack-boot '' — from a horse to an ape, not ranged in " regular order all of a row," but standing higglety pigglety, their ranks having been broken by the Professor's table, and their heads looking in all directions, as if thrown together by chance. Over the Professor's " devoted head " is seen suspended a portion of inflated and injected intes- tine, with its mesenteric expansion dangling in the air, something like a lure for flies ; whilst all around the room, and especially in the comers, are heaped together vast quantities of diseased bones, and other prepar- ations, seemingly without order, and without arrangement. Here we see no numbered specimens — no classification of morbid anatomy — no de- scription-book — all of which would tend to give the collection a pretty effect. Yet the lecturer has not only sulBcient, but abundance, for his purpose : his table is always covered with choice preparations. " Of that portion of the house " which is set apart for the audience, the best thing I can say is, that whenever I have dropped in, I have always found it remarhahly well filled. It is fitted up with rough deal planks, set upon as rough props ; the seats rising tier above tier, until your head touches the top of a very darlc-coloured ceiling. Of my friend, the Professor himself, I may be allowed to say, without suspicion of flattery, that he appears to understand his subject perfectly ; and although he may not possess that powerful elocution, that smooth, flowing, persuasive strain of eloquence, which carries everything before it like a resistless stream, yet he is by no means deficient in the power of communicating his thoughts to others. Mr Dick is still a young man ; and as a lecturer, every year he is improving. His anatomical demonstrations, I may remark, are particularly clear, instructi\-e, and satisfactory ; and he seems to spare no pains in "well grounding" his pupils in this, perhaps of all others the most necessary, part of elementary knowledge. At the end of every course he subjects his class to a public examination. Here, at least, there is no hole-and-corner work— no secret tribunal ; we have an open court, where all is straightforward, fair, and above-board. The Professor seems to solicit inquiry. He assembles a kind of committee of what may be caUed some of the notables of Edinburgh— some of the noted medical MEMOIR. XXlii men— and invites tlie members of the Highland Society and otliers to be present. This year he also solicited the attendance of all the veterinary sur- geons in the neighbourhood, and requested them to examine ; amongst the rest, myself. I could only be present the first day, but I must say that the youngmen brought forward on that occasion acquitted themselves generally in a very satisfactory manner ; I think, highly creditable to the school. At this examination I was very much gratified by seeing Mr Fergus- son of Woodhill presiding — one of the members of the Highland Society, and one of the warmest and most zealous friends that veterinary medicine has met with in Scotland. Himself a man of almost universal informa- tion, he is at once the ornament of the agriculture of his countrj', and the most active promoter of every kind of useful knowledge. One warm advo- cate and patron like this is worth a whole lane-full of lukewarm friends. Mi Dick's pupils have the advantage of seeing his practice, which is very considerable in the town of Edinburgh ; and whUst there, I had an opportunity myself of witnessing an operation of which much has been _ said ; I mean, that of dividing the flexor tendons of the leg (the perforatus and perforans). This rather startling operation I saw very neatly per- formed by Mr Dick ; and I confess I should have been one of those not much inclined to believe that it could answer any good or useful purpose, had I not seen it mth my own eyes. It is, I say, a startling fact — but then it is so, and there is no reasoning against facts ; nor does it appear to be a proceeding by any means attended with the dangerous conse- quences one would naturaly apprehend. Mr Dick's father occasionally practised this operation many years ago ; and I have heard it said, but I know not how far that may be correct, some other person in Scotland. But we may venture to say, whoever was the first to propose or to put such a measure into execution was not deterred from it by any great knowledge of anatomy, or any considerable refinement of science. The Professor would scarcely have thought of venturing upon this operation, if Ms father had not done it before him. The subject I saw him perform upon was a grey cart-horse, belonging, I believe, to a poor man in Edin- burgh. He was not more than seven or eight years old, apparently very strong and vigorous, but such a cripple as to be quite useless, I thiuk, for any purpose whatever, in consequence of the crooked state of the off fore- leg, having the pastern joint of that limb permanently doubled forward, fixed and motionless, in such a manner that he walked entirely upon his toe ; and this appeared to have originated from an injury of the auxiliary ligament. There was a considerable thickening still to be felt over the tendons a little way below the knee. This deformed state of the limb had been going on gradually increasing for the last year and a-half ; and now, the joint being quite fixed and motionless, it was what I should call XXIV MEMOIR. a hopeless case ; for I sliould say, no limiian ingenuity could overcome the resistance of the tendons to the return of the joint into its proper situation. In this instance, I think it is fair to infer that there was a considerahle shortening or contraction of the sinews, and which may be accounted for by the long-continued or permanently relaxed position of the limb. After having cast and secured the animal, Mr Dick proceeded to make a longitudinal incision of about three inches in length, along the lateral and towards the back part of the tendons on the inside of the leg ; then, dissecting the skin back a little, he felt for the artery, vein and nerve, which with his finger he pushed back, at the same time introduc- ing a scalpel between them and the tendons, and pushing it on by the back of the suspensary ligament, as far as the common integuments on the ' other side ; he was thus enabled to execute the division of the tendons, not at one cut, but by drawing the knife backwards and for- wards several times, being careful not to cut or wound the skin, or leave any other opening in it except that made by the first incision. And this, I think, is a matter of sufiicient consequence to merit attention ; for leaving the skin whole not only acts as a natural dressing and bandage over the part, but also covers what would otherwise be a great gaping wound, and prevents the consequent growth of fungus, or false granula- tions, during the healing process. Both the tendons being completely divided — and which, by the way, will be found to be a tougher job than some people may imagine — Mr Dick proceeded to put back the pastern joint into its natural situation ; and this he did by placing liis knee against the front or projecting part of it, at the same time laying hold of the foot mth one hand and the upper part of the leg with the other, and using considerable force, in the same manner as a person would do in breaking or bending a stick ; and this appears to be necessary, in order to break down any membranous or ligamentous adhesions that may have formed. The joint being extended, and the limb thus made straight, the divided ends of the tendons appeared to be separated from each other perhaps rather more than two inches. A slight elastic bandage, in the form of a stocking, was drawn over the leg, and the animal was ordered a dose of physic ; nor did any other treatment appear necessary, for (which rather surprised me) very little constitutional disturbance ensued ; and, except for the first twenty- four hours, the horse seemed to experience but little pain. When I left Edinburgh, about three weeks afterwards, the case was doing remarkably well ; a bond of union was taking place between the tendons, the limb remained quite straight, and I have no doubt the animal will be not only useful again, but almost as effective as ever for slow work. My friend, Mr Henderson, also of Edinburgh, informed me that he MEMOIR. XXV has had occasion to perform this operation more than once ; and I am sure, from a paper he has read to me on the subject, and which I could wish to see him publish, that he can bear testimony of its utility. I have been induced to attempt a description of the operation as I saw it practised by Blr Dick ; for although a good deal was said of it some time ago, especially in the ' Sporting Magazine,' I am not aware any one has given a detailed account of it ; and it will be seen that it requires somewhat more nicety and manual dexterity than merely cutting slap- bang through the flexor tendons, as has been said. If I have not made a faithful report of it, or have omitted anything material, I beg Mr Dick may correct me. As already stated, the Highland Society granted £50 for the first year in which the Veterinary School was taken under its patronage. Next year the grant was reduced to thirty guineas, and since that time the annual allowance has been twenty-five guineas, a sum insufficient to cover even the cost of the medicines given gratuitously by Mr Dick to poor persons who brought their diseased animals for his opinion and advice. On the opening of the hall in Clyde Street, the Highland Society granted the sum of £50 to assist in fitting up the class-room and museum; but otherwise Mr Dick received no remuneration from the Society beyond the annual sum of twenty-five guineas, with the exception, we believe, of £15, which was paid him in 1865, when sent specially to Lon- don to investigate the nature of the disease which was com- mitting ravages at that time among the cows in the London dairies. The new buildings in Clyde Street, which were opened in 1833, were erected at Mr Dick's sole expense, at a cost of upwards of £2500. The following is a report of that part of the proceedings at the annual meeting of the Highland Society, January 1833, which related to the extra grant in connection with the fitting up of the ncAV building in Clyde Street : — Sir John Hope, the Chairman, said, that, not anticipating that cir- cumstances would make it necessary for him to fill the place he now did, XXVI MEMOIE. it was to have been his duty to notice the Veterinary School to the meet- ing. It was very proper for them as a hodtj, and as individuals, to pro- mote the amelioration of the breeds of tlieir different descriptions of cattle and other stock; hutiftheijdo not besides take the means of pre- servinrj the hmlth of stock, they do less than t/ieir duty. The school in question, he had the pleasure of ohserving, had originated in a suggestion made to the Society by a very Avorthy citizen now in the room, Mr Robert Johnston ; and to the advantages that had resulted from it many of them have already had practical experience in different parts of the country. From Ut Dick, the lecturer's, report, which was read to the meeting, it appeared that during this session fifty students are attending the class. Sir John, in continuation, observed that the Committee have frequently had occasion to bespeak the Society's favourable attention to the merits of Mr Dick ; and they have at present to notice a further and very spirited instance of his zeal and enterprise, in the erection of a handsome building in Clyde Street, contiguous to the forge, which, when completed, will contain ample accommodation for his class and museum of anatomical preparations, and an hospital for animals under treatment and cure. Sir John Hope concluded by moving the usual annual vote for the school, and, in addition, that a sum of ,£50 should be placed at the disposal of the Directors, to be applied by Mr Dick in aid of the expense of fitting up the class-room and museum. Mr Farquharson of Invercauld seconded the motion ; and, after some observations by Mr Boswell of Balmuto, and others, in favour of the school, both sums were voted accordingly. In 1833, at the earnest solicitation of the late Mr William Yoiiatt, principal editor of ' The Veterinarian,' then in the sixth year of its existence, Mr Dick consented to act along with Messrs Youatt, W. Percivall, and W. F. Karkeek, in conduct- ing that useful periodical ; and for some years his name was associated with it. Mr Dick's compliance with the request which had been made to him was announced in the following jubilant terms by Mr Youatt ; and we quote them in order to show the high estimation in which ]\Ir Dick was held by his professional brethren of the highest standing, even at that comparatively early period in liis career : — We wanted one fellow-labourer more on whose assistance we might rely at times when the work pressed heavily upon us ; whose established professional reputation would add weight to our journal, and whose ME MO IK. XX VU known libeivality aud honourable feeling would be a satisfactory pledge, if it were wanted, as to the principles on which that journal Mould here- after be conducted. We were not long in searching for such a co-operator. The name of llr Dick, the founder of the Edinburgh School, was the first to present itself to our minds ; and one of us, journeying to Edinburgh on other business, after a little cautiously feeling his way (for in proportion to the value which we attached to his consent would have been our mortifica- tion at his refusal), proposed the thing to Mr Dick. The distance between us was adverted to by him as an objection ; but the facilities for rapid and frequent intercourse afforded by the mail were brought forward in answer. Constant occupation was urged as a stronger objection. We had seen and gloried in the truth of this plea. The time of our friend was, indeed, fully occupied — to a less strong mind we should have said painfully occupied — by his school and by his practice ; but we replied that it was hard if a few moments could not be stolen for a kindred purpose ; and it was asked whether that very employment did not take for granted another duty — the record of important facts ; and where could they be more usefully kept than in a journal like 'The Veterinarian'? The validity of a third plea we did not, and no friend of Mr Dick's would, allow for a single instant. There was no coquetry about the thing ; the consent of the Scottish Professor was promptly and cheerfully given. During the course of the same year, 1833, a change took place in the convenership of the Society's Committee in the Veterinary Schoo], Mr Burn Murdoch having been appointed to that office in place of Mr Fergusson, who had been a stanch friend to the School from the commencement. Mr Fergusson afterwards settled in Canada, where he continued to evince the same lively interest in agricultural improvement, and especially in the diffusion of sound veterinary knowledge, that he did while resident in Scotland, and a leading member of the Highland Society. The following extract from an article by Mr Youatt, in 'The Veterinarian,' 1835, is worthy of notice as showing the progress made in public estimation by the Edinburgh Vete- rinary School, in consequence of Mr Dick's exertions ; — XXVm MEMOIR. About the middle of November the able and indefatigable Professor of the Edinburgh School will commence his course of lectures. They w embrace the anatomy, physiology, and diseases of all domesticated animals. Notwithstanding his extensive practice, so ardent is he m the cause in which he has embarked, that after lecturing until the middle ol January three times in the week, besides a long and close examination lecture on the Saturday, he then begins to appear before his pupils four times in the week, and after the middle of February five times, besides the Saturday's most important of all his intercourses with them. For the sake of his class, Mr Dick practises gratuitously on the horses and cattle of the poor. It is only for the owner to say that he is poor, and the animal is carefully attended to ; and if lessons of particular value are likely to arise out of the case, it is admitted into the infirmary. The most trustworthy and assiduous of his class have always some of these patients committed to them, subject to his direction and inspec- tion, so that their practice commences, and in the most advantageous way, at an early period. And when the Professor returns in the even- ing, however fatigued he may be, he is always ready to listen to the reports of his young deputies, and suggest many a useful hint, and warn from many a dangerous error. Mr Dick's pupils have gratuitous admission to lectures on chemistry, and, in fact, to those on every branch of medical science. The manner in which Mr Dick's School is identified with the Highland Society of Scotland, and by means of which every scientific veterinarian is also identified with the agricultural association of the district in which he lives, is deserving of peculiar notice and commendation. This is placing our art where it should be — it is made a component part of the agriculture of tlie countrj' ; and where this relation is acknowledged, the advantage is and must be mutual. Students educated at the Edinburgh Veterinary School having been placed at a great disadvantage from not receiv- ing commissions as veterinary surgeons in the Army and East India Company's service, Mr Dick presented, on the 1st January 1836, the following memorial to the Highland Society on the subject, in which he firmly but modestly describes the origin and progress of his School, the means he had taken to render it thoroughly efficient, and the claim he had therefore on the consideration of the Government. MEMOIR. XXIX TO THE PRESIDENT, VICE-PEESIDENTS, DIRECTORS, AND MEMBERS OP THE HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND, The Memorial of William Dick, Lecturer and Conductor of the Edinburgh Veterinary School, established under the patronage of your Society in eighteen hundred and twenty-three — Humbly showeth, — That upwards of twenty years ago, when your memorialist began to pursue the study of veterinary medicine, he found it almost impossible efficiently to do so, both from the paucity of treatises published upon the subject, and from the total want of any established teacher of the science, by whom he might have had his studies properly directed, and from the circumstance that so little was then known of the London Veterinary College, that he could only from the assistance of a friend obtain any adequate information regarding it, even although resid- ing in the metropolis of Scotland. Your memorialist, however, proceeded to study those branches in the University of Edinburgh, and rmder several of the most eminent private lecturers, which he considered most likely to yield him such general information as would afterwards be of advantage in prosecuting the study of veterinary science. In further pursuing the study, he found it neces- sary to repair to London, where, after an attendance at the Veterinary College, he obtained a diploma from that institution. That from the difficulties your memorialist encountered, he resolved to establish an institution where his countrymen, with facility, might obtain a competent knowledge of veterinary science, and thereby remove the almost insurmountable obstacles which stood in the way of all those who had a wish to obtain information on the subject. That, in prosecution of this view, your memorialist, for five years pre- vious to, and annually since, the time he obtained the honour of your patronage, has delivered a regular course of lectures on veterinary science ; and that although during the former period the whole amount of fees which he received was only fourteen guineas, there has been a regular and annual increase in the number of students until the present session, which is attended by sixty-four pupils. That students are now in the habit of resorting to the Edinburgh Veterinary School from all parts of Great Britain and Ireland (even from London), and also from America. That in order to facilitate the education of the students your memor- ialist has, at an expense of upwards of ^2500 sterling, fitted up an estab- lishment containing a lecture-room, museum, dissecting-room, infirmary for sick and lame animals, and a forge, and that besides these he supports a dispensary for sick and lame horses belonging to such of the poorer XXX MEMOIR. class of carters as may be unable to pay ibr treatment and medicme. That the students have thereby the important advantage of seeing, diseases in their worst and most varied forms, and that they are allowed, moreover, to operate, or otherwise treat, such cases under the directions of your memorialist. That by the kindness of several of the University professors and other lecturers in the private schools of medicine here, his practical pupils are permitted to attend their classes, gratuitously, on anatomy, physiology, materia medica, practice of physic, surgery, chemistry, &c. &c. Your memorialist may here remark, that the students only obtain their diploma after the strictest examination, as will be afterwards alluded to, and after two years' attendance on the class. These examinations have hitherto been conducted by the professors and lecturers who have so generously given the students gratuitous admission to their classes, and by other distinguished medical practitioners, and who, having done so, take the additional labour of satisfying themselves that the students have profited by the instructions they have received ; while their practical veterinary knowledge has been tested by Messrs Gray & Henderson, veterinary surgeons in Edinburgh, and by any Army veterinary surgeon within reach at the time. When, therefore, in addition to the examina- tion on veterinary science, properly so called, the diplomas hitherto granted bear the signatures of Sir George Ballingal, Professor of Military Surgery, Professors Graham and Lizars, Mr Liston, Drs Mackintosh, Robertson, Knox, Borthwiok, Gillespie, and Aitken, and Messrs New- bigging & Ferguson, surgeons, who individually conducted the examina- tions, your memorialist thinks himself entitled to state that his students are inferior to none in the profession in general education and professional knowledge, and that therefore they ought to be placed in every respect on an equality with the students of any other similar establishment. Your memorialist, however, regrets that veterinary surgeons educated at the Edinburgh Veterinary School are not permitted to receive com- missions as such in his Majesty's service, nor in the service of the Hon- ourable East India Company ; and it is with the view of obtaining a removal of this very serious disadvantage that your memorialist has been induced to address you on the subject, and earnestly to request, that as your Society has been pleased to take the Edinburgh Veterinary School under your powerful patronage, you will endeavour, by such means as you may judge most expedient, to obtain from Government a recognition of the eligibility of the graduates of the Edmburgh Veterinary School to be admitted as properly qualified veterinary surgeons to serve in his Majesty's service, and in the service of the Honourable East India Com- pany. Your memorialist would in conclusion suggest, that if it shall be MEMOIR. XXXI the pleasure of the Society to make any application to Government founded on the within statement, he would wish that Government be earnestly en,treated to make every inquiry into the state and efficiency of the veterinary class as now taught ; and he has no doubt, if such an investigation was instituted, the students of the Edinburgli Veterinary School would be found fully qualified to fill any situation connected with their profession. William Dick. Edinburgh Veterinary School, 1st January 1836. Through the exertions of the Duke of Sutherland, Presi- dent of the Highland and Agricultural Society, a recognition was obtained of the eligibility of the graduates of the Edin- burgh School for commissions in both services ; but for some time the plan was not fairly carried out, and Mr Dick found it necessary, on the 13th of August 1839, to address the following Memorial to Lord Hill, then Commander-in- Chief:— To the Eight Honourable Lord Hill, Commander-in-Chief of her Majesty's Forces, the Memorial of William Dick, Professor of Vet- erinary Medicine, Edinburgh Veterinary College, established under the Patronage and Superintendence of the Highland and Agricul- TUKAL Society of Scotland : — Showetli, — That, fifteen months ago, your Lordship, on the application of his Grace the Duke of Sutherland, President of the Highland and Agri- cultural Society, agreed to hold that the education afforded at the Edin- burgh Veterinary School was such as to entitle the pupils, on obtaining their diploma, to be eligible to serve as Veterinary Surgeons in her Majesty's Army, subject to an examination by the Principal Veterinary Surgeon, which in principle is highly proper ; but as the late Professor Coleman held that situation, there was little probability that he would pass over his own pupils and allow the pupils of the Edinburgh School to be appointed to till the situation of Veterinary Surgeon in the Army. It could not, however, be expected that a change would be made so long as that gentleman lived ; but in consequence of the death of Professor Coleman, the situation of Principal Veterinary Surgeon having become vacant, and being of itself distinct and independent, and not necessarily connected with the situation of professor of any College, your Memorial- ist begs to press upon the attention of the Commander-in-Chief the XXXll MEMOIR. advantage and propriety of appointing some veterinary surgeon to the situation of Principal Veterinary Surgeon who is not connected with the teaching or management of either School, who may be expected to act as au impartial judge of the qualifications of the candidates for the situa- tions of veterinary surgeons in the Army. Your Memorialist is confi- dent that it must be at once apparent that great good will arise to the service from such an arrangement, and indeed to the country at large, by the emulation which would be produced amongst the pupils of the rival Schools, and the increased exertions it would call forth on the part of the teachers, in order that the piipiils of each m^ht excel in their acquirements and knowledge those of the other. And this laudable rivalry might be continually kept up by placing at the top of the list of applicants for the situation those who in either School most distinguished themselves during their studies and at their examination. The Memorialist is persuaded that if a neutral person is appointed to the office, the qualifications of the Edinburgh pupils will generally be discovered to be superior to those of the London School, because the advantages they enjoy are greater than those of the London pupils. In Edinburgh, the classes of the whole medical curriculum are open gratuit- ously to them, which, by their vicinity to each other, the pupils can, and do, avail themselves of; while in London this is rendered impossible to the same extent, from the distances between the various classes they are allowed to attend. The Edinburgh pupils have also the advantage of attending gratuitously the Lectures of Professor Low on Agriculture, an important subject to the Veterinarian, but which the London pupils cannot obtain. The Edinbm-gh pupils must attend two courses of Lec- tures and Demonstrations before they are examined for a diploma, while the London pupUs are only compelled to attend one. They have the advantage of attending and assisting in a more extensive practice than at the London School. And such is the feeling of the public towards the Edinburgh School, that while the number of its pupils has gradually increased during the twenty years of its existence to 101 last session, the London School was only attended by half that number. The Edinburgh School has thus succeeded with only the patronage of the Highland and Agricultural Society, and a contribution of twenty- five guineas per annum ; while the London School, possessed of the advantages of the patronage and large contributions from Government, and subscriptions annually from upwards of 1000 Noblemen and Gentle- men, has never obtained such a number of pupils in any one session. In conclusion, your Memorialist begs to state, as a practical proof of the superioTity of the Edinburgh pupils, that Messrs Trueman & Company, after having tried several pupils of the London School as Veterinarians MEMOIR. XXXIU to their establishment in London, at length sent for one from Edinburgh, and so satisfied have they been of his merits, that instead of changing as before, they have increased his salary gradually from £130, at which he began, to, this year, £240. The Memorialist has presumed to make this application to the Com- mander-in-Chief that time may be given for the more proper form through the President of the Highland and Agricultural Society. And as your Memorialist only begs that justice may be done to the public service, as well as to his pupils and Scotland, he trusts his Memorial will be favourably considered, and a person unconnected with either School of Veterinary Medicine will be appointed to fill the situation of Principal Veterinary Surgeon to the Army. AViLLiAM Dick. Edinburgh Vetekinakt College, 13th August 1839. Lord Eosslyn, it appears, entered heartily into the matter, having transmitted the foregoing Memorial to the Horse Guards ; and on the 30tli of September following we find his lordship enclosing to Professor Dick the subjoined letter from Lord Fitzroy Somerset : — HoESE Guards, Sept. 26, 1839. My dear Lord Rossltn, — With reference to your letter of the ] 4th of August, and the Memorial of Mr Dick, I am directed to acquaint you that the General Commanding-in-Chief does not intend to select gentle- men for the appointment of veterinary surgeon from the London Veteri- nary College exclusively ; ami, as a proof of this, I have the satisfaction to add that his lordship proposes to nominate Mr James Robertson to do dutj' -nith the depots of the King's Dragoon Guards and 7th Hus- sars, provided he shall be reported qualified by the Principal Veterinary Surgeon. Mr James Robertson is, as you know, a graduate of the Edin- burgh School. I have -written to him. — Yours faithfully, FiTZROY Somerset. Mr Eobertson having been the first of the Edinburgh students who received a commission as an army veterinary surgeon, the following letter which he sent to Professor Dick, announcing his success, possesses some interest : — London, October 3, 1839. Mt dear Mr Dick, — I have no doubt you will be very glad to hear that I have been examined by the Veterinary Surgeon- General (Mr Cherry) d XXXIV MEMOIE. and Mr William Percival, and considered by them as qualified to liold the situation of veterinary surgeon in. the army. I must offer you my congratulations on this subject, as I have the honour to be the first that has been examined from your College, and, I am happy to say, with great credit to myself ( which means you), as everything I know I am indebted to you for. They kept me one hour and twenty-five minutes, and asked me questions on almost every subject — anatomy in abundance, the dis- eases of the thoracic viscera, the diseases of the hook, splints, the anatomy of the foot, broken wind, and roaring, the whole of the brain and nervous systems — in fact they tried me on almost every subject, and were very particular on glanders and farcy. I am happy to tell you that I answered every question, and received from them great praise. The reason of their keeping me so long, and being so particidar, was on account of my being the first that has appeared before them, and also the first from your Col- lege, which I consider a very great honour. From a letter I received from the Horse Guards, I expect to be immediately appointed to the depots of the 1st King's Dragoons and the 7th Hussars, stationed at York, and that is a sure step to the next vacancy that occurs in a regiment. I am sure that you will be pleased to hear all this ; and I trust you will do me the honour of writing me a few lines, as I shall be happy to have a little advice from you as regards my future proceedings. I should also tell you to be sure and tell any one of your pupils intending to appear before them to pay strict attention to farcy and glanders, as well as their anatomy. I can assure you it is no easy task to get out of their hands. At the same time I must tell you that they behaved with the greatest impar- tiality. I trust you will excuse this scrawl, as I am exceedingly busy, having several things to do in London, and must leave to-morrow morn- ing, but shall take another opportunity of giving you all the particulars. I could not allow a day to pass without making you acquainted with my success, as I am sure you always wished me well, and often said that I should be the first from your school that would be appointed to the army, and I am happy to say I have realised all your hopes. Mr Cherry parti- cularly desired me to give you his compliments, and that he was happy to have a vet. from your College to examine, and that he should always act with the greatest impartiality ; and, with many thanks for aU your kindness, I remain, my dear sir, yours very sincerely and gratefully, A jj T T, J- Robertson, jun. Address, J. Robektson, jun., Ipswich Barracks, Suffolk. That year, 1839, was also memorable in the history of veterinary education in Scotland, in consequence of the title MEMOIR. XXXV of School being then changed to College, which it well de- served; and Mr Dick was henceforward known as Professor and Principal of the Edinburgh Veterinary College. The fol- lowing remarks on the Clyde Street Institution, which ap- peared in ' The Veterinarian,' will serve to show its position at that period of its history : — Our readers will see with pleasure, on the cover of this Journal, an announcement of the intention of the students of the Edinburgh Veteri- nary College to present a piece of plate to Professor Dick, as a testimony of their respect and gratitude. No man better deserves such an honour. To his unassisted and unwearied labours the Scottish school was indebted for its origin. At first he stood alone, or opposed by those who ought to have better appreciated the noble object which he had in view ; but a few years only passed when the talent and the worth of William Dick began to be acknowledged, and the Highland Society had sufficient good sense and liberal feeling warmly to patronise his undertaking. They saw, and Scotland has since felt, the value of the connection between agricultural and veterinary science. They made him a part and portion of them- selves ; and the consequence has been, that while through the various districts of Scotland agricultural societies have sprung up, to each an educated veterinary surgeon has been attached, and the union has been honourable and advantageous to both. The Clyde Street School having become thus firmly based, and exten- sively useful, its Professor and the Highland Society thought that they had a right to share in the privileges possessed by the Royal Veterinary School of St Panoras, with regard to the cavalry service. This was de- manded at the proper quarter, and immediately granted. Nought now remains but an honest and friendly rivalry between the two Schools ; each instructing its pupUs in every hraiich of veterinary science, each a worthy associate of the Agricultural Society with which its locality has allied it, and each identified with the best interests of their common country. There is room for both. There is sufficient extent of surface and extent of subject ; and iU. will fare that School which flagrantly neglects its duty or calumniates its rival. A pupil of Professor Dick has favoured us with a sketch of the con- cluding portion of his last introductory lecture. It breathes a spirit of liberality which we expected from such a man. He had been warning his pupils of the value of the Kttle time which they had to prepare for the important duties of their profession. He had urged them to attend to their anatomical studies — to pay the closest attention to the cases the XXXVl MEMOIR. treatment of whicli they -natnessed in the infirmary of the College, or m their periodical visits to out-door patients with him, or in journeys at his direction into the neighhouring country. He advised them to keep a regular diary of all that they saw and thought ; of their o^vn errors, and, perhaps, of his, and of their and his success. They must have a library of reference. It needed not to be a large one ; but every practitioner who would do himself justice should have in his possession the sterling works on veterinary science. Among those that were indispensable he would name Percivall's ' Anatomy ;' and, the ' Lectures ' being out of print, his ' Hippo-pathologj^' The first would prevent him from forgetting the very foundation of his profession ; while the other, in the most simple yet scientific way, taught the general prin- ciples of pathology. By the side of these should stand a work that would never he superseded, Blaine's 'Veterinary Outlines,' and also Blaine's 'Treatise on Dogs;' next to them would be 'The Horse,' 'Cattle,' and ' Sheep,' from the pen of Mr Youatt ; the ' Manual of Pharmacy,' by Mr Morton; Eeid's 'Text-Book;' and Grant's or Blumenbach's 'Compara- tive Anatomy ' — both of them, at the same time, clear and profound. To these, as connected with the daily-increasing progress of veterinary science, should be added the monthly ' Veterinakian.' Some of his pupils, he believed, were acquainted with the Continental languages. He would earnestly advise them to procure the foreign veterinary works and periodicals. This extensive acquaintance with the characters of disease as modified by soil and climate and food, and the various results of different sj'stems of treatment, would give them more enlarged and correct notions of the practice of their profession, and would distinguish them from the groom, the cowleech, and the unedu- cated pretender — a class of men who have had their day, and should give place to those who are better able to uphold the character of the profes- sion, and to work out all the noble purposes which our art is capable of effecting. By thus conducting their studies, they would become credit- able and useful practitioners in their native country, or in any part of the world in which their future destiny might be cast. In 1839 Professor Dick received the first of several testi- monials \\-hich were afterwards presented to him on difl'erent occasions. In 1838 he had filled the office of " Convener of Trades," an official position connected with the Town Council of Edinburgh ; and at a public banquet given to him by the citizens on the 26th of April 1839, he was presented with a MEMOIR. XXXVll piece of plate by his former pupils, " for his unwearied exer- tions for the promotion of veterinary science in Scotland." The popularity of the College continued to increase, each session bringing together an additional number of pupils, so that we find it stated in the report of the College presented at the general meeting of the Highland and Agricultural Society in January 184:4, that there were at that time eighty- one students, of whom sixty were practical pupils, the others being students in the agricultural class of the Edinburgh Uni- versity, and others desirous of acquiring some knowledge of the principles of veterinary science for the purpose of guiding them in after life, when they would be called upon to enter upon the management of farms or landed estates. Having enjoyed the privilege of being one of the last-named class of pupils who attended Professor Dick's lectures, we cannot avoid recording our warm testimony to the benefit received from his clear exposition of the principles of that profession of which he was so distinguished an ornament. Professor Dick made no dis- tinction between his practical and his agricultural, or, as we may designate them, his amateur pupils. He always seemed happy when any of the latter made their appearance at other hours than the stated hour for lecture, in order that they might have opportunities of seeing any operations that were going on, or of examining cases which came in for his opinion. After his agricultural pupils had left College and entered upon their own business, their worthy teacher was at all times most willing to advise them when professional advice M'as required, and — we speak from grateful remembrance of his warm-hearted kindness — no one could show a deeper interest in their future welfare than he did. To have been a pupil in Clyde Street was a passport ever after to Professor Dick's personal regard. In 1844 an important event occurred in the history of veterinary science in Great Britain, the Eoyal Charter having. XXXVIU MEMOIR. on the 8th of March^n that year, been granted to the Eoyal College of Veterinary Surgeons, London. The petitioners for the charter were— Thomas Turner, 311 Eegent Street, V.S.; William Joseph Goodwin, Queen's Mews, Pimlico, V.S. ; Thomas Mayer, sen., Newcastle - under - Line, Staffordshire, V.S. ; William Dick, Edinburgh, V.S. ; William Sewell, Eoyal Veterinary College, Camden Town, V.S. ; Charles Spooner, 1 Great College Street, St Pancras, V.S. ; and James Beart Simonds, 9 Great College Street, St Pancras, V.S. Until this charter was granted the veterinary art was not regarded as a profession; but it was declared "that the veterinary art, as practised by the members of the said body politic and corpo- rate, shall be henceforth deemed and taken to be and recog- nised as a profession ; and that the members of the said body politic and corporate, solely and exclusively of all persons whomsoever, shall be deemed and taken and recognised to be members of the said profession, or professors of the said art, and shall be individually known and distinguished by the name or title of Veterinary Surgeons." The charter gave the Council, among other things, the power of " fixing and determining the times and places and manner of examining students who shall have been educated at the Eoyal Veterinary College of London, or the Veterinary College of Edinburgh, or such other veterinary college as herein-before mentioned, and who may be desirous to become members of the said body politic and corporate; and for regulating the nature and extent of such examinations ; and for the appoint- ment of persons to examine and determine upon the fitness and qualifications of such students ; and for the admission or rejection of such students as members of the said body politic and corporate; and for fixing and determining the sum or sums of money to be paid by such students, either previous to their examinations, or upon their admission as members of MEMOIR. XXXIX the said body politic and corporate," &c. It was also enjoined " that no professor of any or either of such colleges as afore- said, of which the person desirous of becoming a member of the said body politic and corporate shall have been a student, shall in any way or manner act or interfere as the examiner of such person ; and that all qualified students who shall have passed the said examination to the satisfaction of the ex- aminers shall have the right to claim admission as members of the said body politic and corporate." The iirst general meeting under the charter of the Eoyal College of Veterinary Surgeons was held at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen Street, London, on Friday the 12th of April 1844, Mr Thomas Turner, President of the College, being in the chair. The charter having been read, Professor Dick protested that, as several clauses had been introduced and others omitted in the charter without his knowledge or con- sent, he should not be held as homologating the charter by any part he might take in the business of the incorporation at its meetings on that occasion. Professor Dick was, however, elected a member of the Council at that meeting, and held office as such until he retired by rotation in 1847. After the business part of the proceedings had terminated, the inauguratory meeting of the Eoyal College was wound up in the usual way by a dinner, at which about fifty persons were present. It fell to Professor Dick to propose " the Col- leges of Physicians and Surgeons, and prosperity to them." In the course of his speech he noticed the fact that, until that time, those bodies had stood a step above the veterinary surgeons, but that all distinctions had been swept away by the charter. Defending the dignity and value of his own pro- fession, he said : — He was aware that there were those who were disposed to place the veterinary profession in a lower grade, and thought their own pro- :d MEMOIR. fession stood higher, and was more advanced, because they occasionally got a lord for a patient. Now, he would ask, was it not almost the same thing? Did it not require as much ability to study the anatomy of a donkey as of a lord ? The physiology of the one, in a scientific point of view, was as interesting as the other, in showing the handiwork of the omnipotent Creator. It had been said that a different-a more powerful —feeling was excited in treating the human subject. He would ask, Was there no such feeling excited, was there no such consideration re- quired, when they were called upon to realise the sufferings of a noble animal ? But there were other points which, if this were true, would tend to raise their profession to a level with the others. If they were to calculate by the value and cost of the animal operated on, this would at once appear. Let them look at the different value of the man and the animal. The soldier is worth to the country only the value of his dis- charge, at an average, J30 ; a sound serviceable horse is worth twice that sum. If this argument, then, were to be considered good, it would follow that that science was more noble, as connected with the more valuable animal, and that therefore it should stand at the top of the tree. If they wanted to estimate the relative value which man puts upon his own kind and upon his horse, they had only to observe the hovels converted into human habitations that were to be found in every part of the country, and compare them with the habitations of the horse, and it would be seen that the latter were infinitely more convenient, infinitely more comfortable, than those of the human being. If, therefore, their pro- fession were to be judged by the standard of value which men put upon their patients, it would be quite clear that their profession should be considered as occupying the higher one of the two in the scale of usefulness. There was also another reason why the profession of the veterinarian should require as much, if not more, science than that of the physician : the patients of the latter could speak, could tell what was the matter with them, and at least explain their feelings ; our patient is silent. There was, however, this advantage which the veterinarian possessed — his patient never fancied himself ill, he never shammed illness, which sometimes had frequently occurred in other quarters. Mr Mayer in proposing " the health of Professor Dick, and the Edinburgh Veterinary College," spoke of him as one who " stands proudly and prominently as an example to the mem- hers of our profession of what strong native talent can accom- plish, guided by sound discretion and persevering energy ;" a MEMOIE. xli compliment which, although high, was not higher than Pro- fessor Dick fully merited. At a subsequent meeting of the Council, held on the 15th of April, it was resolved to appoint a mixed temporary Board of Examiners " to examine those pupils attending the Eoyal Vet- erinary College of London and the Veterinary College of Edin- burgh, who now are, or who, between this and the 1st day of Oc- tober next, may be, ready for examination." It may be interest- ing to know the names of the gentlemen who were appointed to form the temporary Board of Examiners — the first Board under the charter. They were as follows : Joseph Henry Green ; Dr Bright ; E. Stanley ; B. Cooper ; E. Liston ; W. Percivall, M.RC.S.; W. J. Goodwin, M.E.C.S.; James Turner; W. Field, E. K Gabriel, M.E.C.S.; George Baker, M.RC.S. ; J. H. Lang- worthy ; Sir George BaUingall ; Professor Lizars ; Professor Midler ; Professor Simpson ; Professor Graham ; Professor Henderson ; Dr GiUespie ; Dr Knox ; Dr Robertson ; Dr Mercer. On this Board were also included the following veterinarians : Mr Grey, sen., Edinburgh ; Mr M'Eobie, Stir- ling ; Mr Tindall, Glasgow ; Mr Fulton, Ayr ; Mr Brown, 6th Carabineers ; Mr Wilkinson, 17th Lancers ; Mr Hallen, 6th Dragoons ; Mr Williamson, Edinburgh. Although Professor Dick had been one of the petitioners for the charter, yet, as he stated at the first general meeting held under it, he was not to be held as homologating it by any part he might take in the proceedings ; the reason being that se- veral clauses affecting him had been introduced into it, and others omitted, without his knowledge or consent. He showed himself willing, however, to afford every facility to the work- ing of the charter, so far as the Edinburgh Veterinary College was concerned ; and for three years after the charter was ob- tained, the Highland and Agricultural Society's certificate was not granted to the students who passed the examiners ap- xlii MEMOIE. pointed by the Council of the Eoyal Veterinary College of Surgeons. The first examination by the examiners appointed by the Society in conjunction with the Council of the Eoyal College took place on the 22d of April 1844, at which twenty- seven Scotch students, twelve English, and two Irish, received the diploma of the College. Among those present at that examination were Professor Spooner, London ; Mr Mayer, Newcastle, Staffordshire ; and Mr E. N". Gabriel, London, secretary to the Eoyal College of Veterinary Surgeons, who were present as a deputation from the Board of Examiners appointed from the Eoyal College. In reporting on the examination to the Council, these gentle- men made certain statements which were afterwards embodied in the first report of the Council of the Eoyal College of Vet- erinary Surgeons, and being considered unfair and offensive, called forth replies from Professor Dick, Dr Mercer, and the Veterinary Committee of the Highland and Agricultural So- ciety. The obnoxious paragraphs were as follows : — The first of tliese examinations took place at the Veterinary College of Edinburgh immediately after tlie election of your Council. At this examination a deputation, consisting of Professor Spooner, Mr Gabriel, and Mr T. W. Mayer, attended on behalf of the Council, and the report of the deputation was by no means satisfactory to the Council. Forty-five pupils presented themselves for examination, of whom forty- one were passed and four rejected. It appeared that there was no examination on chemistry, none on materia medica, none on physiology, none on the dis- eases of cattle, that deserved the name ; there were by far too many lead- ing questions, and the examinations were very unequal. The report expressed a hope that the necessity of practical knowledge should be kept permanently in view in future examinations. It appeared to the deputa- tion that Professor Dick was willing and anxious to carry out any sug- gestions that might be offered for the improvement of his school, and with many of his plans the deputation expressed their approval. By the liberality of Professor Dick, two silver medals are annually given— one to the pupil who passes the best examination, and the other to the one that produces the best anatomical preparation. Some irregu- MEMOIR. xliii larities occurred at this examination, which the Council thought proper to notice : these were, allowing parties not appointed by your Council to take part in your examinations, and Professor Dick walking round to each examiner, and, in a whisper, taking his opinion as to the qualifica- tion or disqualification of the student. After a long correspondence on these points, the Council, considering that owing to their having been elected a few days previous, and that they had not had sufiicient time to issue needful instructions to the examiners, resolved not to take any further notice of the proceedings. They derived, however, great pleasure from the support they received in their views on these subjects from the veterinary surgeons in Glasgow ; and they cannot omit taking this opportunity of returning their thanks to them, and many other friends in Scotland, for the manner in which they came forward and avowed their sentiments on the occasion. These gentlemen not only expressed themselves in the highest terms in praise of the charter, but they called a meeting of the profession in Scotland, to take into consideration the grievous state of veterinary education in the North, and explained, by a memorial to the Council, adopted by them at this meeting, their views of the subject in plain forcible language, and added many valuable hints for consideration ; a liberal subscription, at the same time, having been entered into to carry out the object of the charter. The statement in the report, that scarcely any questions relating to chemistry, materia medica, and cattle pathology were put to the pupils, having been repeated in the ' Mark Lane Express' of the 2d of June 1845, Dr Mercer, lecturer on anatomy, and member of the Edinburgh Examining Board, wrote to that journal giving " a most unqualified contradic- tion to the assertion ; " stating further, that " not only were the pupils as rigidly and as extensively examined last year in all the branches which are above specified as they were in the recent examination [that is, in 1845], but in former years they were similarly examined in all these departments, and that by a board of examiners if not better, certainly, at least, as well qualified to do so, as those gentlemen who were selected to conduct the examination in April last." The 'Mark Lane Express' having, in its issue of the 7th xliv MEMOIR. July 1845, reiterated the obnoxious statement made by Messrs Spooner, Mayer, and Gabriel, as a reply to Dr Mercer's con- tradiction, he addressed the following letter to the editor of that journal, giving, at the same time, the subjoined report from the 'Edinburgh Evening Courant' of July 10, of that part of the proceedings of a general meeting of the Highland and Agricultural Society which referred to the Veterinarj' College : — Sir, — In j'our journal of the 7tli instant, you — apparently not a cor- respondent this time — again refer to the examinations at the Edinbiu-gh Veterinary College of 1844 ; and the " gratuitous statements " (as I have been pleased to call them, and to which I have given a most unqualified contradiction in my last letter) made by you in yoxa paper of June 2d )'ou have endeavoured to substantiate by a reference to a report made to the Council of the Eoyal College of Veterinary Surgeons by the deputa- tion which they had sent to be present at these examinations. This report, bearing as it does the signatures of Professor Spooner, Veterinary College, London ; Thos. "Walton Mayer, jun., Newcastle-under- Line, Staffordshire ; and E. N. Gabriel, Secretary to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, London, — in your fuU belief abundantly testifies the good and efficient grounds for your assertions. It distinctly states that there was no examination in chemistry — none in materia medica — none in physiology— iione on the diseases of cattle that deserved the NAME. It is, indeed, sometimes very difficult to define what, or to indicate who, deserves a name ; but as the above, as also your former statement, is fully intended to convey an impression to the public that none or scarcely any questions were put to the pupils here on these branches at the exam- inations referred to— even granting the apostrophe of the report, that some questions were put, but these did not deserve a name— in the face of this report, and those individuals who signed it, / again reiterate a most un- qualified contradiction to its intrinsic truth; and I further beg to reiter- ate, that the pupils were as rigidly and as extensively examined last year on aU these branches as they were in the recent examinations. Further, sir, independent of the appeal you make to the testimony of the gentlemen of the deputation, and the fact of the implicit confi- dence placed in them by the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons,— to clinch all your remarks, you state that the report (the re- cent report of the Council to the profession) goes even further, and asserts MEMOIR. xlv that the Professor of the Edinburgh Veterinary College, this year, pro- tested before the Board of Examiners against chemistry/ being taught in his class. To this assertion I again beg leave to give " another most unqualified contradiction." Professor Dick did protest before the Board of Exaniinei-s at the time referred to ; but he did not protest against chemistry being TAUGHT in his class. He protested against chemistry being considered by the Board as a special subject for examining his pupils on this year, inasmuch as he had received no intimation from the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons that such a branch of study shoidd con- stitute an individual part of the examinations. Had you been been aware, sir, of the real state of proceedings that took place at these examinations, a full account of which appeared in the June number of ' The Veterinarian,' you would at once have seen, on collating these, the absurdity of this assertion ; and were it deemed necessary, I would only place the names of such of those gentlemen, members of a Veterinary Committee of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, as were present at the examination in the balance against the name of that gentleman who, on behalf of the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, appeared on the same occasion, as to the correctness of that published report. I will also further refer you to the remarks of J. Burn Murdoch, Esq. of Gartincaber, the Chairman of this Veterinary Committee, made at the general meeting of the High- land and Agricultural Society of Scotland, on Tuesday the 8th rust., a certified report of which is published in the 'Edinburgh Evening Courant ' of this date. There you will find, in the notice of the Edin- burgh Veterinary College, that this gentleman takes cognisance of the report of the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to the profession, and especially of this protest " agaiiist chemistry being taught in the Professor^s class." In charity, he hopes that " this statement has been made through inadvertency, and also in some measure, perhaps, from a misapprehension attributable to the confusion of the moment. A moi'e unfounded statement" he however concludes, "never was put upon a public record." On this subject of chemistry I shall only further refer you to the three following circumstances : — First— Professor Dick, at the last examinations, awarded a medal to that student who, in the first year of his studies, should undergo the best examination in chemistry. This prize was decided by the Board of Examiners. Secondly — Dr Wilson, the lecturer on chemistry in connection with the Edinburgh Veterinary College, awarded two medals for the best xlvi MEMOIR. essays on the application of chemistry to veterinary medicine and agri- cidture. These were also decided by Dr Wilson and the Board of Examiners. Thirdly— The Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland awarded a medal to the student who distinguished himself most highly at the examinations "for his proficiency in chemistry generally T With such facts, sir, which you could easily have obtained, could you ever dream of the reality of Professor Dick protesting against chemistry being taught in his class? In conclusion, I shall now leave the matter in the hands of the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, courting most sincerely a thorough and impartial investigation ; and though personally unacquainted with nearly all the members thereof, yet I know that there are gentlemen there who, for the sake of probity and justice, will impartially, candidly, and thoroughly investigate the point in dispute. On the honour of these gentlemen I fully and safely rely ; and when- ever it be deemed necessary to proceed further, I shall be happy to repeat and substantiate all that / have written. — I have the honour to remain, sir, yours, &c., Jas. Mercer, M.D., F.RC.S.E. Lecturer on Anatomy, &c., and Member of the Edinburgh Veterinary BxaminiDg Board. 60 NOKTHUMEERLAND STREET, Edinburgh, July 10, 1845. EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. [From ' The Edinburgh Evening Courant,' July 10, 1845.] HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OP SCOTLAND. The general meeting of this Society was held in their Hall, Albyn Place, on Tuesday (July 8th). The Right Hon. Viscount Melville was called to the chair. Mr Burn Murdoch of Gartincaber, as Chairman of the Veterinary College Committee, reported in reference to that institution, stating that he was glad to be able to mention its continued prosperity. There were now sixty-six pupils attending the College, of whom thirty were practical students, fifteen of them being English, one of them a Russian from St Petersburg, and the rest Scotch and Irish. He begged, in making this statement, to move the payment of the usual yearly grant. On this occa- sion he found it necessary also to mention that there had been published a Report of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons of London, in which a great misstatement appeared. They were aware that a commit. MEMOIR. xlvii tee was appointed to attend the examination of the veterinary students. It so happened that, before they were examined, the Professor (Mr Dick) objected to chemistry being recognised on that occasion as a necessary part of the examination, on the ground that it had not been customary to do so, and that no notice of any change had been given to him or to his pupils. His objection was not to teaching chemistry, but only to its being held as a part of the curriculum in that examination. The fact was, that so far from objecting to chemistry forming a part of the course of study, Mr Dick had himseK instituted a chemical chair in the College, which was held by Dr Wilson, now in the room. The objectionable statement was as follows : " The Highland Agricultural Society has already come forward to assist the Council in their endeavours to advance the education of the pupil on these important subjects, by giving a silver medal to the pupil who shall pass the best examination in chemistry, and this too, be it remembered, in the face of a protest from the Professor of the school they patroidse and protect against such a subject being taught in his class." He merely mentioned this to disabuse the minds of any persons present into whose hands this report might fall. He hoped the statement had occurred through inadvertency, and also in some measure, perhaps, from a misapprehension attributable to the confusion of the moment. A more unfounded statement never was put upon a public record. Mr Dick had given a medal for the study, and it was sufficient to state that fact in order to show that he had no objection to the cultivation of the science. The meeting unanimously agreed to the motion made by Mr Murdoch for the usual yearly grant. Another important letter was called forth by the remarks of the London deputation, in the shape of one from the late Dr George Wilson, which was addressed to the editor of ' The Veterinarian.' It was as follows : — I'o the Editor of ' The Veterinarian.' 2i Brown Square, Edinbuegh, July 15, 1845. Sir, — The Report of the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, published in your last number, contains a statement in reference to the Veterinary CoUege, Edinburgh, so singularly unjust and inaccu- rate, that I trust you will allow me space enough to point out its imfair- neas. At page 386, reference is made to the Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland " giving a silver medal to the pupil who shall pass the best examination in chemistry, and this too, be it remembered, in the face xlviii MEMOIE. 0/ a protest from the Professor of the school tliey 2Mtronise and protect against such a subject being taught in his class." I liave marked with italics the passage I wish to comment upon. As I was the party by whom the pupils of the Edinburgh Veterinary College were instructed in chemistry, and as I am likewise a member of the High- land Agricultural Society, I am in the best condition to say whether it was at the instance of that society, or of Professor Dick, that the veteri- nary pupils were taught chemistry ; and I beg to state emphatically, that it is to Mr Dick, and to him alone, that the merit of adding that branch of science to the curriculum of the Edinburgh College is owing. The following are the exact facts of the case : — Last summer (1844), having been informed that Professor Dick in- tended to have his pupils taught chemistry, I had several conversations with him on the subject. He informed me that for years he had wished to have them instructed in that science, but that he had partly been dis- suaded from it by persons to whose judgment on this subject he was willing to defer, and partly had been prevented by diflSculties which he co^^ld not overcome. He added, that he was resolved to let nothing stand in the way of his wishes being fulfilled during the approaching session (1844) ; and that he had made arrangements with Dr Fyfe to have his pupils taught by him. Before the session commenced, however, Dr Fyfe was elected Professor of Chemistry in King's College, Aberdeen, and Mr Dick's views in regard to him were frvistrated. I -undertook, in conse- quence, to instruct the pupils of the Edinburgh Veterinary College in chemistry, and they attended a special course of lectures addressed onb' to themselves. The arrangement was between Mr Dick and me, not between me and the Highland Societj'. The latter body were not informed of its having taken place tni it was concluded between us, and took part in the matter no further than to express their satisfaction at learning that their Pro- fessor was securing for his pupils a knowledge of chemistry. It was by Mr Dick I was engaged to lecture. To him alone I was responsible for the mode in which I taught the class, and he was the only party on whom I had any claim as to remuneration. In these circumstances the reader can judge how ludicrously inaccurate, and alto- gether unjust, the statement in the report of the Veterinary College is, which represents Mr Dick as having protested against his pupils being taught chemistry, the very branch in which he had taken the greatest pains to have them instructed. Mr Dick's protest, which I heard, had reference to a different matter. He protested, as a matter of right (whether justly or not I do not say), against his pupils being examined in chemistry more fully than on previous years ; and against ignorance of that science MEMOIR. xlix as a special branch of study being made the ground of rejecting candi- dates otherwise well qualified. The latter part of the protest, I think, was quite reasonable (although the view which is taken of it has nothing to do with the question before us) in reference to young men, the great majority of whom had attended only one course of lectures on chemistry. I beg further to mention, that the Highland Society has already declined to accept the compliment which the Council of the Royal Col- lege of Veterinary Surgeons sought to pay at the expense of Professor Dick. At a meeting of that body, on Tuesday last (8th July), I was in my place as member, when Burn Murdoch, Esq., President of the Veterinarj' College Conunittee of the Highland Society, rose to disavow, on its part, any approval of the representation given in the report of the Royal Col- lege of Veterinary Surgeons, which he further stated was quite inaccurate. Mr Murdoch added, that it was Professor Dick, not the Directors of the Highland Society, who had secured for his pupils a course of lectures on chemistry, and that there never had been any difference of opinion be- tween them and him as to the desirableness of having that subject taught. There is another statement in the report to which I wish to make a slight reference. From the way in which the medal of the Highland Society is referred to, in connection with the assertion as to Professor Dick already discussed, a reader not otherwise informed on the subject cannot fail to draw the conclusion that, as the pupils of the Edinburgh Veterinary College were unwillingly taught chemistry, so they were left by their teacher without any encouragement in the way of premiums to study that science, and that the Highland Society stepped in to supply the deficiency. I do not blame the Council of the Royal College of Veter- inary Surgeons as a body, because such a representation of matters has been given ; but their Secretary, at least, knew that it was a very unjust one. The Highland Society's medal was only announced on the day of examination. No anticipation of such a thing being given existed on the part of the members of the class ; it supplied, therefore, no mo- tive to exertion on their part, and the competition was, in the end, open only to the candidates for diplomas, who did not form more than a third of the class. The latter was not left, however, without inducements to exertion. Two silver medals, of the same value as those of the Highland Society, were ofi'ered for competition to the whole class ; the one for the best answers to a series of questions, in writing, on inorganic and organic chemistry ; the other, for the best essay on the " Connection between Chemistry and the Veterinary Art." Three Essays were given in, and they were so good that considerable difficulty was experienced in deciding which was best. Ultimately, prizes were given to the authors of all of them ; and I availed myself of the assistance of the chemical 1 MEMOIR. examiner (Mr M'Gregor), appointed by tlie Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, in settling whicli of tlie essays deserved the medal. He spon- taneously expressed his satisfaction with the papers placed in his hands, as evidences of knowledge and ability, and the essays were laid on the table at the close of the examination. The medals, which Mr Gabriel had more than once in his hands, were ultimately presented by Dr Knox to the successful students, in the presence of aU the examiners. I leave it to Mr Gabriel to explain to his fellow-members of the Council why he left these things unmentioned. There seems a very strange contrast be- tween the anxiety expressed in the report as to the desirableness of having veterinarians taught chemistry, and the systematic and intentional con- cealment of the successful endeavours which the teachers in Edinburgh made, unaided, to communicate the desired instructions. With the Cjuestions that divide the veterinary profession I do not in- terfere, but I regret that Professor Dick's efforts to benefit his pupils should have been so misrepresented, and that the young men to whom I found it so pleasant a task to lecture should have had their endeavours to acquire a knowledge of a new and difficult science so slightingly passed over. — I remain, your obedient servant, George Wilson, M.D., Surgeon, F.R.S.E., &c. Lectxirer on Chemistry in the Extra-Academical Medical School, and to the School of Arts, Edinburgh. Professor Dick was not the man, however, to leave others to fight his battle, and accordingly we find him addressing the following trenchant criticism on the report of the Comicil to his co-editors of 'The Veterinarian,' Messrs Youatt and Percivall : — To tits Editors of ' The Veterinarian' Messrs Youatt and Percivall. Edinburgh Vetbeinary College, 2ith July 1845. Dear Sirs,— In your number for the last month you notice the First Report of the CouncU of the Royal CoUege of Veterinary Surgeons, but I regret that I am obliged to differ from you in some of the remarks you have made on that document ; and I must do this, the more especially as my name appears on the cover as assisting you, wliich implies sanction- ing the statements made in the leading article of your Journal. The report of the meeting of the Incorporation on the 8th of May, in your number for June, shows that it was only in consequence of MEMOIE. li my insisting at that meeting that the proceedings of the Council should be made known that we have got a Keport, and you agree with me that the profession was entitled to one ; but I regret that I cannot agree with you ia opinion that " the Report is — what it ought to be — simply a narrative of the proceedings of the Council from their first dawn to their last sitting : " and the ground upon which I disagree with you is, that the Council, instead of giving what yovi suppose a full and correct report, have given a garbled statement of their transactions — have sup- pressed "along correspondence" upon subjects connected with this Col- lege — have misrepresented others — and have stated, on some points, what is untrue. With respect to the examinations, you state that " you feel that you are now at liberty to have your say upon the subject, although hitherto you have, on principle, held your peace." Your article then goes on as if there was only one Board of Examiners, and that at London ; but as the Board is divided into two sections, one of which examines here, I thinlt it necessary to state that the remarks you make are not applicable to the examinations which have at any time taken place here ; and I tliink it woiild have been but fair that you should have stated to which school your remarks applied, instead of which, your whole article would lead those, not otherwise informed, to believe that there was only one school in existence. I wish it, therefore, to be explicitly stated what are the faults of this school or the examinations, if you have any to com- plain of ; and I insist that there should be no ambiguity on the subject. In the examinations here the object has always been to ascertain the " kind" and " quantum" of knowledge possessed by the pupils ; and as veterinary surgeons have always formed a portion of the Board of Exam- iners, the students' knowledge of practice has alwaj's been tested ; and whatever may have been the case with the examiners in London, I wUl assert that the old Board of Examiners here was, in every respect, as efficient and respectable as the one appointed by the Eoyal College of Veterinary Surgeons ; and as the examinations have been conducted in a hall connected with the College, they are, at least, free from the objec- tion you allude to as being conducted in a tavern : nor are there any of the appurtenances wanting here to which you allude as being necessarj- to insure the really practical examination of the students. With these preliminary remarks I now proceed to the " Report," as published by you ; for although it would appear, by the ' Mark Lane Express,' that a copy of the Report has been circulated elsewhere before it was published in your pages, the Council have not thought it proper to send me a copy, either as a member of Council, or as a person whose name they have introduced in an unwarrantable manner. lii MEMOIK. In the first paragraph of the Report it is stated that the « Council have great pleasure in presenting the First Report," a measure they have been induced to adopt in order that the utmost puHicity « may he given " to their proceedings. If so, why did they not lay it before the General Meeting of the Incorporation on the 8th of May, when it could have been discussed ? and why was it that the President and indi^ddual members of the Council refused to pledge the Council to publish their proceedings ? But I leave that point, to examine what has been published respecting the examinations at this School. After some preliminary remarks regarding the arrangements for the first examinations, in which it is stated that a certain number of veterinary sm-geons were added to the temporary Board in room of those who were disqualified by being teachers, it goes on to state that the " first of these examinations took place at the Veterinary College of Edinburgh : at this examination a deputation consisting of Professor Spooner, Mr Gabriel, and Mr T. W. Mayer, attended on behalf of the Council, and the report of the deputation was by no means satisfactory." It is stated " there was no examination on chemistry — none on materia medica— none on physiology — none on diseases of cattle that deserve the name. There were far too many leading questions, and the examinations were very uneqiral." In the above quotation it will appear that the Deputation attended on " behalf of the Coimcil : " for what pu.rpose, however, is not stated ; but in a note received on the night previous to their arrival, I was informed that they were to assist in conducting the examinations. Such being my understanding of the object of their visit, soon after their arrival in the hall, and while the examinations were going on, and that they might have no hesitation or feelings of delicacy, I stated to them, individually and repeatedly, that I should be glad if they would interrogate the stu- dents in any manner they thought proper, so as to test their knowledge ; but although they seemed at first inclined, they refrained from doing so. Such being the case, and seeing I was precluded by the Charter from interfering as an examiner, I ask, whose blame it was if the students were not properly examined on every branch of their profession, which, however, I assert that they were ? Why did the Deputation so far neglect the object of their mission as not to examine them as they thought proper ? Certainly it was not my fault if the students were not fully examined ; and seeing that I was precluded by the charter from interfering, and seeing, also, that the Deputation were sent 400 miles to assist, and, as I understood, direct the proceedings, and as the Council had " not had suf&cient time to issue the needful instructions to the Examiners," it is truly ridiculous to complain of an omission of what they had neglected MEMOIK. liii to perform ; and I am therefore not surprised " that the report was by no means satisfactory to tlie Council." If there were too many " leading questions," why did they not stop them? — if the examinations were "very unequal," why did they not equalise them ? For what purpose did they attend 'I In the next paragraph it is stated that some irregularities occurred, which the Council thought proper to notice : these were, allowing parties not appointed by the Council to take part in the examinations, and Pro- fessor Dick walking round to each Examiner, and in a whisper — which I deny — taking his opinion as to the qualification or disqualification of the student. Here, again, I must ask, if these irregularities occurred, why did not the Deputation put a stop to them ? Whose fault was it that irregulari- ties were allowed 1 1 had no right to interfere with the examinations, and therefore did not. But supposing the Deputation did so far neglect their duty as to allow those appointed by the Council to examine the stu- dents, what harm was there 1 They complain that they were not examined enough on some subjects, and next they complain of their being too much examined— if so, why did they not their duty 1 Next, I went round and asked the Examiners, when they were done, whether the student had passed or not. This, it seems, was a grievous crime : it was, no doubt, very presumptuous for me to ask any questions of the Examiners. I had no right, of course, to know whether the students had passed or not, or to be so exceedingly inquisitive. Not only so, but the crime was increased tenfold because it was done in a whisper, even although the whisper was so loud that all the Deputation, it seems, heard it, otherwise how did they know what I was asking 1 I might have asked anything with the voice of a Stentor, bzU whispering must be left to their province, else why did they, instead of checking what they considered as irregular- ity, proceed to London, and, instead of telling what they had done to assist in conducting the examinations, only whisper to their brother councillors all the faults they could spy, and set about framing some resolutions which they have been unable to support ; and, after a " long correspond- ence," finding that they have advanced what they cannot substantiate, after being repeatedly called upon to do so, now state in the report that they have resolved not to take any further notice of the proceedings ! This is, no doubt, a very simple way of getting quit of a disagreeable subject ; but as they began the correspondence, I call upon the Council to finish it, either by proving their statements or retracting them. The Report further goes on to state that the Council had received great support from many of the veterinary surgeons in Glasgow, who had, in a memorial, explained to them the " grievous state of veterinary education liv MEMOIR. in the north." But where is this dooiunent I why has it not been pub- Ushed in the Report ? Why do they not state who is to blame, or what is the grievance, and that, too, in explicit terms? What has been neglected, that the evil might be remedied if it existed, or the charge repelled if it should prove to be false 1 In what respect, I ask, is veterinary education in the north in a grievous state ? Is it meant to be conveyed by the statement that the veterinary surgeons in Glasgow have been neglected in their education, and that they are consequently ignorant ? If so, I ask, why have the Council then selected so many of their examiners from that quarter ? Does the Council mean to say that the meeting of the veterin- ary surgeons in Glasgow declared that those who had studied under me had not been sufficiently taught ? If so, let the Council declare it ; and let those who have studied here say why they have not yet made any com- plaints to me, or why did they not go elsewhere for further information. If this statement had been made thirty years ago, when, after the London Veterinary College had existed a quarter of a century, and only a dozen of veterinary surgeons had settled in Scotland, there might have been some grounds for such a statement ; but now, after I have delivered lectures for twenty-seven years, during which period at least 1000 amateur and prac- tical students have attended my class, of which number about 400 are in practice in various parts of the country — after I have thus not only de- voted the best part of my life to teaching the profession, having fitted up and collected a museum to illustrate every department of the study — having erected suitable accommodation for teaching the science, and at- tracted the extent and kind of practice shown in ' The Veterinarian ' for the last six months, for which I am able to afford my students opportuni- ties of seeing a practice and of practising, which, I wUl presume to say, few others, if any, in the jsrofession have of doing, at a fee of only ten guineas for each pupU — and all this done without any public aid, except twenty-five guineas per annum from the Highland and Agricultural Society — while the London Veterinary College has since its commence- ment received about £30,000 of the public money, besides immense annual subscriptions, and £200 per annum from the Royal Agri- cultural Society of England, and have charged a fee of twenty guineas for each student, without doing more for the profession, or affording greater advantages to the students than has been offered here. I say nothing of the advantages my students have had here in regard to the science of agriculture, which the veterinary students in London do not possess ; but I must say that, whatever may he the " grievous state of veterinary education in the north," it, at least, ill becomes the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, or the meeting of the profession in Glasgow, to make any complaint, seeing they MBMOIK. Iv have (lone so little towards removing any grievance which, may exist, but to which they, as yet, have not given a name. At the examinations which took place in London immediately after those here of 1844, the Report states, "the Board would have been well pleased to have reported equally favourable of the division of Cattle Pathology as of the others preceding it. On all other points, however, the pupils passed a far better and more extended examination than their confreres in the north." There is an old adage which says " comparisons are odious," and I would add — sometimes dangerous. But if, according to the report of the Deputation which attended here, " there were no examinations on Chemistry — none on Materia Medica^ — none on Physio- logy — none on Cattle Pathology that deserved the name," and if the London pupils passed any examination at all on the first three points, it must be obvious that, however small and meagre that examination might be, they of course must have passed a far better and far more extended one than none at all. But if there was no examination on the diseases of cattle here which deserved the name, what nanie does the examination at London deserve ? And seeing that those examinations wldch do not deserve a name are allowed to have been better on that point than those in London, and seeing that the students were not examined at all on the other points, which was not their blame, it follows, by the showing of the Eeport, that if they had been more fully examined, they would have distinguished themselves above their confreres in the south. I must here observe, that in the paragraph on which I am comment- ing it is stated that " the Board would have been well pleased to have reported," &c. ; but as the Deputation was only here, it must be held that it is they who report and draw the comparison ; and they state that, "on all other points," except cattle pathology, the pupils passed a far better examination than their confreres in the north. Now, if the examination undergone by the pupiL'gives any indication of the instruc- tion he has received ; and if, where there were " no examinations on the diseases of cattle that deserved the name," which I understand to mean that the Examiners did not question the pupils minutely enough ; and if it is found, when in London, where it is said the examinations were better conducted, the Board, or the Deputation who attended here, voluntarily declare that, on the point of cattle pathology, the pupils at London, who were, of course, well examined, were not equal to the pupils here who were imperfectly examined on that subject, and not at all on others, it shows that the state of veterinary education, at least on cattle pathology, is in a still more grievous state in the south than it is in the north. I must again charge the Council with unfairness, not only in not bringing the Eeport before the meeting of the Incorporation, where it Ivi MEMOIR. coiild have been discussed, but also with a dereUction of duty, inasmuch as, although they have appointed me an Examiner ex-officio, they have never given me an intimation to attend any of those examinations, where I should have been able to meet them on fair grounds as to the merits of the pupils and the examinations. But not only have they not done so, but ILc Gabriel, the Secretary, stated when here in April last, that he would not send me intimation of the meetings of the Board of Examiners— why, he did not say ; and I leave the public to form their own opinion of the reasons. At the same time, it deserves the consideration of the Council whether, if the full Board is not summoned, the examinations are not illegal. But although 1 have not had a proper opportunity afforded me of judging of the correctness of their comparison at these two examinations, I can show that, at least, some of my pupils will stand a comparison with their confreres in the south ; for on a recent occasion, when two of the London pupils and one of mine were candidates for the situation of veterinary surgeon to a regiment of cavalry, after an examination of still greater severity than that for the diploma, the London pupils were both rejected, and mine passed mth great eclat. And when a prize of twenty-five pounds was last year offered by the Farmers' and Graziers' Mutual Cattle Assur- ance Association for the best Essay on the Nature and Treatment of Pleuro-pneumonia, and intimations were sent to almost aU the veterinary surgeons in England and Scotland, so as to call forth all the knowledge of the profession, one of those very pupils who passed in April 1844 obtahied the prize ; thus confirming the report on the one point of their knowledge of cattle pathology, and showing that in the north, at least, it is a depart- ment that has not been neglected. It is stated in the Report that I, this year, protested before the Board ot Examiners against chemistry being taught in my class. That is untrue. I protested that the Council had no right by the charter to examine or reject any of my pupils on chemistr}', because this School was included and acknowledged by the charter as a veterinary college, when that science was not taught as one of the classes, and that the CormcU had no right to demand that my pupUs should produce certificates of attendance on, or that I should establish a class of chemistry, without the Council furnishing the means of doing so. It wiU, however, be seen by a letter from Dr Wilson, and also in the report of the Highland and Agri- cultural Society's late general meeting, that I had taken every care to have my pupils properly instructed in that science. And I can prove that, on all occasions, I have recommended my pupils to study, not only that science, but natural philosophy also, which they have always had an opportunity of doing at a very moderate expense at MEMOIR. Ivii the School of Arts. With regard to the examinations here of this year, I simply deny that they were in any way improved, but rather, on the contrary, the reverse. I, however, offered no opposition to any arrangement that the Examin- ers chose to make ; and if the examinations were, as is reported, not brought to the same degree of systematic regularity, it certainly was not my blame. Mr Gabriel was in attendance ; and as it is stated that he had made himself m.aster of the improved method, I ask why he did not take care that the examinations were brought to the same degree of regularity 1 " The number examined here this year was twenty ; of these seventeen passed and three were rejected." I should not have thought it necessary to notice the above had it not been that it is evidently intended, by the remarks which follow, to make it appear that there had been a laxity in the former examinations ; because it is stated that " this difference in the proportion was not owing to any falling off in the qualification of the pupils, who, as a body, were very superior to their predecessors, but to the much more stringent and extensive examinations they had to undergo." But what is the difference in the proportion ? Why, last year forty-five were examined — ^forty-one passed and four were rejected ; this year twenty were examined — seventeen passed and three were rejected ; which shows that, by the alleged improvement in the examinations, the difficulty in passing has been increased to the extent of about 5 per cent, or in other words, that those of this year were 5 per cent better informed than those of last year. Thus, we have some data as to the qualifications of the stu- dents and the stringency of the examinations, and are enabled to measure the proportionate qualifications, not only of the pupils of one session with another, but also the pupils of one school with another. Now, as it is stated that at London last year, out of fifty-six examined, forty-one passed and fifteen were rejected ; and that this year, of forty-one examined, thirty- three passed and eight were rejected : from which it will be seen that, as last year there were 26 per cent of the pupils rejected at London, and only 9 per cent here, that either the examinations were less stringent here, or that the pupils were better taught ; but as it has been inferred that the examinations here were too lenient, let it be supposed that that has been the cause of the difference of the proportion of the students passed here and at London last year. But as the Board of Examiners have been regu- larly appointed and equalised for both schools, and as there has been sufficient time to bring the improved system into play ; and as at London the proportion rejected this year is 19^ per cent, while the proportion rejected here is only 15 per cent, it follows that the pupils here are in the proportion of 4^ per cent better informed than those at London. — Yours truly, William Dick. Iviii MEMOIR. An attempt was made by Mr Gabriel, and the other mem- bers of the Deputation, partly to explain in rather a quibbling manner the obnoxious statement made by them; and the second report of the Council contained the following para- graph with reference to it : — Your secretary [lb Gabriel] states that lie lias been indirectly in- formed — for lie has received no oiBcial comnuuiication to that effect — that an error of a single word was made by him in his report to the Council of the proceedings of the Board of Examiners in Edinburgh in 1845, [query 1844] and embodied in the First Annual Report. That error is stated to have been the misplacement of the word " taught " instead of " examined," in a protest made by Professor Dick during those proceedings. He (the Secretary) adds, that it is just possible such a mis- take might have been made ; and if so, regrets the fact. This is received without further remark by your Council. AVe find in a copy of the Second Eeport the following note in Professor Dick's handwriting : — " There is a great difference between being ' taught ' and ' examined.' The students had been 'taught,' and I did not need to object to their being 'taught;' I only objected to their being examined — first, because the Council had proposed a curriculum ; and in the second place, because it was not a separate part of the studies of the students prior to the charter, and is a distinct science." We have referred at some length to this matter, because it was the origin of much unpleasantness, and was in fact an out- break of that jealousy which was entertained by a few members of the profession in England against the Edinburgli Veterinary College ; a feeling, however, which, since that time, has fre- quently been manifested in endeavours to obstruct its pro- gress, and, if it were possible, destroy its usefulness. At a subsequent period, when an unsuccessful attempt was made to sever the tie which had so long existed between the Highland and Agricultural Society and the Veterinary College, Professor George Wilson spoke at a meetmg of the Society in MEMOIB. lix the following terms, relative to the events of 1844-45, and the circumstances which arose out of them : — He was connected with, this College in 1844, at the time when the new arrangements with the English College hegan, and he was sure Sir John Forbes was not aware how much had been done from 1844 till now to raise the Veterinary College as a school, or he would not have thought there was any reason to imagine that because its diplomas were cheap, the education given in it was not far more worth than the price paid for it. In the year he joined that College it had just ceased to grant diplomas, and a Board was sent down from London to examine the students. He was present at the first e.xamination by that Board, and he would say this, that the examination was carried on in the most oifensive way in every respect, so that any temptation which might formerly exist on the part of Professor Dick and the friends of the Veterinary College to give in to the London people was certainly removed by the tone and style of treatment he received from the parties who came doiiTi from London. Par be it from him to say that that was an inseparable con- comitant of London Boards, but so it was in this case. The truth was, that a march was stolen on the Highland Society ; and, after getting the new charter, no proper appreciation was shown by the London Boards, either of the claims of this great Society, or of the claims of the Edinb^irgh Veterinary College, or of Professor Dick. In the new arrangements that were made, that College was practically ignored, or treated as beginning from the time the English arrangements commenced, and was simply allowed to come in as a second-rate provincial college, under the control of the London Board. What then would have happened to the Edin- burgh College but for the earnest personal exertions of Professor Dick, he did not know. He proceeded to add to his staff a lecturer on chemistry, and offered the appointment to Professor Fyfe, but who was immediately called to Aberdeen, and he (Professor Wilson) was appointed to his place. There was then attached to the School a singularly accom- plished anatomist, pathologist, and physiologist — the late Mr Barlow, a host in himself; and Mr Finlay Dun was also added as a teacher of materia medica. As to Professor Dick, he did not venture to give his own opinion of him, but Professor Goodsir, who was certainly a good judge in veterinary questions, had repeatedly referred to him with wonder and admiration of the manner in which he detected diseases in animals. The school went on from 1844, the rj^uality of instruction being such as had never been given in any veterinary school. " This," says an editorial writer in the ' North British Agri- Ix MEMOIR. cultiirist; when treating of the efforts made by the Eoyal Veterinary College to deprive the Edinburgh College of the power of granting " to duly-qualified students a Scottish licence to practise their useful calling "—" This is the statement of a man [Dr George Wilson] who was highly accomplished, and generally respected for his amiability of disposition and the general truthfulness of his nature, and who was therefore most unlikely to pronounce a harsher decision than the facts warranted on the proceedings of any Board." Professor Dick (who followed Professor Wilson), in his explanatory statement, said, in reference to the Highland Society returning to its practice of appointing examining boards : — I would ask the meeting calmly to consider the expediency of enter- taining this motion, and say whether there are any grounds for dissolving the tie between the Society and the Veterinary College, and for depriving Scottish stiidents of veterinary science of that diploma which, to their great advantage, has been in existence for above thirty years. Again and again have the most eminent and leading members of the Society de- clared at your general meetings and on other public occasions, that no section of the Society's proceedings has been of more general utiUty than its connection 'with the Veterinary College, and the encouragement thus conferred on veterinary education by its examination and diploma. la the Society now prepared, without any change of circumstances, to repudiate these oft-repeated statements, by destroying that comiection which it has so long represented as beneficial ? It may be said that the Veterinary Charter has changed matters, that the only proper diploma is that to he obtained under it, and that the Society should discontinue the offer of what has been termed a " spurious " certificate. Let me say but one word explanatory of such statements. This " spurious " certificate — the diploma of the Highland Society — was in operation and was recognised by Gov- ernment as a passport to the public service, sixteen years before the Veterinary Charter was granted, or the corporate body thereby created was in existence. That charter was passed in ] 844. I myself was one of those who applied for it, and who are mentioned in it. For a couple of years I did my best to work out its provisions, and to adhere to them. It was soon apparent, however, that such a course was incompatible with the interests of the poorer class of Scottish students. Every effort was MEMOIE. Ixi made to effect a reasonable adjustment. The Society, and its then Presi- dent, the Duke of Montrose, used their whole influence for this purpose, but in vain ; and the result was, that you were compelled to reissue, and I was compelled to revert to, your own diploma, which had been dropped when the charter was passed. Since that period, as before, your dijiloma has been received as sufficient by Government, and many of its holders have obtained commissions in Her Majesty's service and that of the India Company. It is for the Society, therefore, to determine whether it will take the initiative in depreciating a diploma which Government recog- nises as a passport to public employment, and in telling the veterinary surgeons who have obtained it that, so far from being the honourable distinction they have regarded it, it is no more than a " spurious " certifi- cate. I would entreat the Society to pause before it interferes with what has been, and yet is, a valuable voucher to more than 600 educated men, and to consider to what extent the proposed withdrawal may mili- tate against the interests of Scotch students in time to come. The imme- diate result would be to compel them to take the diploma of the English corporation, and to subject them to whatever conditions that body may think fit to impose. I have already told you that in 1844 you made this experiment, that it signally failed, and that the claims and interests of our students compelled you to revert to your own diploma. The same would again occur. In England there exists a strong and far from im- proper desire to raise the profession — to exclude your common smith — and to restrict its membership to gentlemen, and in that country it is not impossible perhaps to do so. In its wealthy and populous districts men may live on their professional fees, but with the sparser population and in the poorer parts of Scotland you must often either forego veterinary assistance, or submit to see it conjoined with the forge. Consequently the heavy fees for diploma, tuition, &c., which may do in England, will not do here. The desired eflect there — namely, the exclusion of the less wealthy class of students — would be with us most detrimental. I may illustrate this by one example. At present the veterinary student obtains the Society's diploma for two guineas ; "withdraw it, and next year he must pay seven guineas for the English one, with the certainty of seeing the charge raised to ten, which was the rate till recently. What effected the reduction ? Competition. On what did we hear the changes rung at the January meeting ? Competition. And now the hon. baronet seeks to estab- lish monopoly. May there not be competition in examinations and in diplomas as well as in education, and may there be no danger in interfer- ing with the competition which exists, and in creating a monopoly in diplomas in favour of an English board, which can neither appreciate the wants of the public in Scotland, nor understand the position of our stu- Ixii MEMOIR. dents ? Why should Scotland be dependent on London for a veterinary diploma 'I The return to the practice of appointing examining boards and issuing diplomas by the Highland and Agricultural Society took place in 1848, at which time the College was ably conducted by Professor Dick, Mr J. Barlow, Mr Finlay Dun, Dr George Wilson, and Mr Worthington. The fifth annual report of the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons referred to this procedure on the part of the Society and the Edinburgh College in the following ungracious and most unwarrantable terms : " It will, doubtless, be remem- bered that last year an attempt was made by the London and Edinburgh Schools to evade the scrutiny instituted by the Board of Examiners of the Eoyal College of Veterinary Surgeons, by setting up spurious Boards of their own. In London this plan appears to have been abandoned, but in Edinburgh it was carried out and acted on, several pupils having appeared before a self-constituted Board, and contented themselves with certain certificates issued therefrom." The Council, at the same time, addressed a communication to the Commander-in-Chief and the Chairman of the East India Company's Board, with the view of preventing any of the Edinburgh students from obtaining commissions in her Majesty's Service or that of the East India Company, but the application signally failed in its object. Mr Burn Murdoch, who had zealously and ably acted as Chairman of the Highland and Agricultural Society's Veter- inary Committee from 1833, was succeeded in 1850 by Professor John Goodsir, of the Edinburgh University. As the Board of Examiners appointed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons continued to show, whenever they had an opportunity of so doing, their hostility to the Edinburgh College and the students educated at it. Professor Barlow MEMOIR. Ixiii found it necessary, in 1854, to issue the following statement on the appointment of veterinary surgeons to the army and East India Company, arising out of a case in which Mr Spooner was concerned: — The selection of -competent veterinary surgeons for tlie British Army and tie Honourable East India Company is a matter of great importance. The Government, the services themselves, and the country at large, are alike interested in securing efficient professional men. Candidates who are nominated for these situations must pass an examination before receiving appointment. The examination for her Majesty's service has been superintended for many years past by the late Mr Cherry, Principal Army Veterinary Sm-geon. The late Professor Sewell examined on behalf of the East India Company. Both these gentlemen performed their responsible duties to the entire satisfaction of their respective superiors. Mr WUkinson, of the 2d Life Guards, has succeeded Mr Cherry within these few weeks, and Professor Spooner, of the London Veterinary College, is successor to Mr SeweU. Mr WUkinson is too recently in office to afford full proof of that impartial efficiency which his character and professional standing encourage us to expect. Of Mr Spooner we have had more experience, and shall presently inquire if his duties are lerformed with a single eye to the public good, or whether the public ;ood is held subordinate to his views regarding Veterinary politics. To make this inquiry plain, a little explanation is necessary. The London and Edinburgh Colleges are the only two in the kingdom exclusively devoted to the teaching of veterinary science. Graduates of these institutions are alone considered eligible for veterinary appoint- ments in the British and East India cavalry services. All properly qualified veterinary surgeons in civil practice also hold certificates or diplomas from these schools. In the year 1844 her Majesty granted a charter by which all members of these colleges, up to that time, were included in one body politic and corporate, called the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. The Council of this body was empowered to appoint examining boards in Edinburgh and London, and students who passed these boards became members of the Incorporation. Serious misunderstandings soon arose between the Council and Col- leges. The London School indulged for some time in feeble attempts at resistance, but never succeeded in gaining an independent position, and failed in forming a separate examining board. For several years past, JxiV MEMOIR. t however, this School has ceased all opposition, and aU its Professors are now obedient members of Council. This position, connected with the fact that the Coimcil always meets in London, gives the London Profes- sors great influence in the body corporate. In dealing with the Edinburgh School, the Council appointed Exam- iners who were notoriously incompetent, personally hostile to the School, and whose names were repulsive for want of even local reputation. The cost of examination was raised from the old price of One to Ten Guineas, and the whole system became so obstructive to progress, that the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society, as patrons of the School, reconstituted its former Examining Board. This includes the most eminent university Professors, phj^sicians, and surgeons in this city, with army and civil veterinary surgeons from various parts of Great Britain and Ireland. Students who pass this Board are of course members of the Edinburgh Veterinary College only. Those who choose, however, can be examined before the existing remnant of the Board of the Royal College of Veterin- ary Surgeons. But the contempt attaching to this last-named Board is so great, that a proportion of only one in twenty students will accept its diploma. It is also to be remarked that the majority of those who do pass this Royal College Board are previously rejected by the Examining Board of the Edinburgh College. Graduates passing the Edinburgh College, and possessing its diploma only, have received appointments in the two services hefore and since the Royal Charter was obtained. The Royal College has tried to prevent this, by endeavouring to secure these services for its own members only. The attempt deservedly failed ; and I rejoice to say that professional merit, not a chartered monopoly, still constitutes, and I hope ever will constitute, the acknowdedged right to veterinary appointments. A principle so obviously just in itself, and equitable towards the public service, was recognised by the late Duke of Wellington, is adopted by the present Commander-in-Chief as well as the East India House, and was acted upon by the late Mr Cherry and Professor SewelL That Mr Spooner would act differently, if he dared to do so, the following facts will show. In April 1853, Mr Matthew J. Marshall (son of Quartermaster Marshall of the Inniskilling Dragoons) passed the Edinburgh Veterinary College Board of Examiners. He attended College for two sessional years, and for several years before entering the classes there had studied army practice under the able tuition of Mr Hallen, veterinary surgeon to the regiment (6th InniskiUing Dragoons). He was talented, attentively industrious, a good judge of horses, and enjoyed his profession. Owing to his own acquirements, and the high esteem in which his MEMOIR. Ixv father was held, Mr Marshall, junior, by means of the needful influence, obtained nomination for an East Indian appointment. Before this appointment could be ratified, he had to pass the required examination by Mr Spooner. With this object in view, he waited on that gentleman for the first time on Tuesday the 13th June last. Mr Spooner asked his name, age, where he had studied, and the nature of his credentials. Being answered on these points, Mr Spooner uncourteously queried, " Why did you not make yourself a duly qualified veterinary surgeon when you were about it ! " Mr Marshall replied, that officials at the India House had acknow- ledged the Edinburgh diploma as valid, by accepting it from parties in circumstances such as his own. Mr Spooner, as if bent upon insult, would not admit such validity, and declined to examine Mr Marshall until commimicating with the India House authorities. Thus ended their first interview, and Mr Marshall was requested to call again on Thursday at the Veterinary College, Camden Town. Thursday, 15th June, came, and the parties met. Without stating if he had been to the India House, Mr Spooner commenced to examine Mar- shall, and continued the examination for one hour and a half. This be- ing concluded, Marshall was requested to call yet again on the 19th, in order " to be asked a few more questions." Marshall called and took his credentials. These were under inspection some fifteen minutes. Marshall was then brought into the Board-room, where he found assembled all the College teachers, including even the demonstrator. At the commencement of this interview, Mr Spooner ad- mitted that the India House acknowledged the Edinburgh diploma. He complimented Marshall on his excellent testimonials, and said that they gave evidence of attentive study during his attendance at College. But still Mr Spooner would not look on his diploma as a legal document. Marshall was then examined by the three professors and demonstrator for upwards of another hour and a lialf. The details of these examinations are in my possession. After consulting with his colleagues, Mr Spooner informed Marshall, " that from the stock of practical knowledge evinced by him during this severe examination, they considered he would prove an acquisition to the Service, and felt satisfied in granting a certificate of his eligibility." Marshall was then urgently advised to obtain the diploma of the Royal College, the advantages of which, however, Mr Spooner failed to impress on Marshall's mind. After Marshall had been sworn into his appoint- ment, Mr Spooner again sent for him in a " friendly way," and once more pressed upon him closely the importance of securing the diploma before referred to. He said that a Special Board of examiners could be con- / Ixvi MEMOIR. vened, and, owing to certain circumstances, the fee would be only ten instead of twenty guineas, the latter being the usual fee for Special Boards. Mr Spooner kindly said, too, that he was then trying, and would still continue his attempts, to invalidate the Edinburgh diploma, so that those possessing it alone would be placed in an awkward position if he succeeded. Such is a general statement of the leading facts in this case. I have learnt them from Marshall himself, and they naturally suggest the fol- lowing questions : — "What possible good could the Royal College diploma fulfil, when Mar- shall was considered an acquisition to the Service without this docu- ment ? What right had Mr Spooner to press Marshall to procure this Ten Guinea diploma, when the Edinburgh diploma, obtained for Orie Guinea, was known by Mr Spooner to be perfectly valid ? By what right did Mr Spooner compel Marshall to call at the Veterinary College three several times for examination, and once afterwards, in order to gain time, within which he might invalidate the Edinburgh diploma, when he knew, and acknowledged, that the India House authorities were satisfied with this document ? By what right does Mr Spooner attempt to neutralise the diploma of any college of which the India House is pleased to approve ? I win thank Mr Spooner for an answer to these questions. Of the severity of examination I do not complain, but feel convinced that much time was wasted on matters of no practical importance. The Edinburgh School is desirous that all its graduates should be fully and closely tested on such occasions. At the same time, we consider it un- fair, and highly ungenerous, to keep a graduate of this school for such an unheard-of time under " severe examination " before the complete staff of teachers belonging to a rival college ; and while the Edinburgh School is anxious that none of its graduates, when found incompetent, may enter the Company's service, we consider it only just that a deserving and in- dustrious student should receive appointment according to former usage, without being thwarted by insult and threat, and harassed by an examina- tion prolonged over an entire week. On this, as upon other occasions, Mr Spooner has shown his hostility against the Edinburgh Examining Board, and has rendered it quite obvious that he is alike incapable of dealing justice to the Service, justice to us, or maintaining his own credit as an impartial examiner. In regard to practical and scientific veterinary knowledge, it is well known that Mr Spooner is excelled by many ; on this account, then, he is nowise specially qualified for the ofBce to which he has recently sue- MEMOIR. Ixvii ceeded. His capability in other respects I have disproved, by stating Ids partial and disgraceful proceedings in Marshall's case. A remedy must surely be sought against the recurrence of such conduct. This is only to be found by appointing some impartial army practitioner of extensire experience, established reputation, and not holding any college appoint- ment, to occupy the office which Mr Spooner now fills in regard to the East India Company's Service. This remedy is needful in order that the Service may secure the best men among London and Edinburgh gradu- ates for the interest of the Service ; and our claim is — -justice to both, and favours to none. This remedy is needed to prevent the number of such candidates from being diminished by Mr Spooner's declared bias against the Edinburgh diploma. The remedy, too, is essential for a continuance of the present equitable mode of appointment, and is imperatively re- quired, in order to preserve the responsible office of Company's Examiner from becoming sacrificed to the paltry interests of any partisan. John Barlow, Assistant Professor. Edinburgh Veterinart College, August 14j 1854. Notwithstanding tlie efforts made by Mr Spooner and others to depreciate the professional training received at the Edinburgh Veterinary College, and to keep back its graduates, so far as lay in their power, from obtaining appointments in the public services, the veterinary diploma granted by the Highland and Agricultural Society continued to be recognised by the Government as a sufficient proof of the professional qualifications of those who possessed it, and their fitness for being appointed to fill any vacancies which might occur in the army. Nothing of importance occurred in connection with the Edinburgh Veterinary College until 1858, when Mr John Gamgee, who had been employed for one year as an assistant by Professor Dick, opened what he called the Edinburgh New Veterinary College, in opposition to his former employer. Some of his supporters having sent a memorial to the Home Secretary, praying that study in the new school would be Ixviii MEMOIR. recognised as a qualification for examination by tlie London Board, the following correspondence took place on the sub- ject :— Mr Hall Maxwell to Mr Waddington, Under Secretary/ of StaU for Home Department. Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, 6 Albtn Place, 1th July 1858. Sir, — Your letter of the 12th June, transmitting copy of a memorial praying " that the new Veterinary College or School of Edinhurgh" may Ije affiliated with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, was laid before the Directors of this Society, and was immediately remitted by them for the consideration of a special committee. With a view to an impartial deliverance, four of the gentlemen by whom the memorial was signed were named members of this committee. Of these, the Duke of Buccleuch and Sir John Forbes were unable to act, but Dr J. Y. Simpson, the Professor of Midwifery in the University of Edinburgh, and Dr Douglas Maclagan, an eminent member of the medical faculty there, consented to serve. The other members of the committee consisted of Drs Goodsir and Balfour, the Professors of Anatomy and Botany in the University, Sir William Gibson-Craig, Bart., and three practical farmers of high standing, Directors of the Society. Tlie committee, after fully considering the subject, unanimously re- ported to the Board of Direction that it is not for the interests of veteria- ary education in Scotland that the prayer of the memorial should he granted ; and this deliverance has been unanimously approved of by a meeting of the Board, on the following grounds : — 1st. The charter by which the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is incorporated recognises and specifies two seminaries — "The Royal Veterinary College of London" and " The Veterinary College of Edin- burgh.'' These institutions were then, and still are, in connection with public bodies, whose supervision affords a guarantee for the maimer in which their proceedings are conducted. In the one case there are the Governors of the English school, to whom the present Speaker and other members of the House of Commons belong ; in the other, there is the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland ; and the Directors are strongly of opinion that in extending to any new school the privileges and responsibilities of the charter, it is of the utmost importance that such seminary should not be of a private character, but in connection with some recognised public body. The Directors have received a communication from the Governors of ME-MOIE. Ixix the Royal Veterinary College of London, containing the foUoiving obser- vation on this point :— " The Governors, with a view to the interests of the public, the harmony of the veterinary profession, and the maintenance of an adequate education, attach great importance to any future veterin- ary school which may be incorporated ^yith the charter being governed by and identified with some public body analogous to the Governors of this institution, or the Council of the Royal Highland and Agricultui-al Society ; and they • consider that it would be most inexpedient for the Government to grant the power of issuing certificates, attesting a course of study as a qualification for examination for the diploma of the College, to any private individual whose educational establishment is not subject to any such supervision." With the force and propriety of these observations, as well as with their applicability to the case under consideration, the Directors entirely con- cur. The new Veterinarj^ College or School of Edinburgh is simply a private class unconnected with any public body in Edinburgh or Scot- land, and it is very questionable how far it is provided with the staff, buildings, and general plant or appendages which are essential to a col- lege ; indeed, were the prayer of the memorial complied with. Govern- ment must be prepared to extend the provisions of the charter to every private lecturer on veterinary surgery. The Directors do not admit the establishment in Edinburgh of any new public institution which can claim to be regarded as a "Veterinary College ;" and they must take the liberty of questioning the accuracy of the statement in the memorial that such an institution has been established " at the instigation and with the support of the memorialists," inasmuch as this investigation and support is positively disavowed by Professor Simpson and Dr Douglas Maolagan, the two memoriaKsts who acted on the committee, while the Directors are aware that the memorial was signed by others whose knowledge and information regarding the provisions of the charter and the object of the memorial were incomplete. 2d. The committee and the Board of Directors concur in differing from the statement in the memorial, that " the establishment of a new Veter- inary College in Edinburgh would be conducive to the public good." They are decidedly of opinion that in Scotland there is no room for two schools, and that the supply of students is inadequate to support more than one with efiiciency and advantage to the veterinary profession and the public. The ordinary attendance at the Edinburgh Veterinary Col- lege runs from fifty to sixty, and this has sufficed, under the liberal management of Professor Dick, to maintain one efficient establishment ; but were there two self-supporting schools, equally popular, and com- manding equal patronage, it is evident that the resources available for Ixx MEMOIR. their maintenance would be inadequate, and that their efficiency would be impaired. As, however, it may be supposed that the existing school does not fully exhaust the support that might be commanded, it should be made known that it not only supplies Scotland with her veterinarians, and furnishes many to the public service, but draws a considerable at- tendance of English students. 3d. The only legitimate grounds on which a new college could be recognised would be the inefficiency of the existing institution, and the necessity of supplying its deficiencies. But, so far from this being the case, the Directors can assure Government that the Edinburgh Veterinary College amply meets the calls and discharges the duties devolving on it, and that Professor Diok, its founder and head, has no ordinary claim on public support. By his energy, perseverance, and liberality, he has, single-handed, and at a personal outlay of above ten thousand pounds, founded the institution, provided class-room, library, museum, forge, &c., maintained a staff of assistant lecturers on anatomy, physiology, materia medica, and chemistry, and sent forth nearlj' 600 veterinarians found qualified to practise their art after a stringent examination. The Directors are in a position to speak with authority regarding the valuable results to the public, and the high efficiency of Professor Dick's College ; it is for the Highland Society's diploma his students are examined. The ex- aminations are conducted on behalf of the Society by a Board of the most eminent members of the Medical Faculty in Edinburgh and of the veter- inary profession in Scotland ; and it is from the annual reports of these gentlemen, as well as from their ovm. personal knowledge, that the Directors can assure Government not only that the Edinburgh College is of great public benefit, but that any measure tending to weaken its strength or detract from its resources would be disadvantageous to the public and detrimental to the cause of veterinary education in Scotland. — I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant, (Signed) Jn. Hall Maxwell. Professor Syme to the Members of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. My Lords and Gentlemen,— In 1844 the Royal College of Veter- inary Surgeons in London was incorporated by a charter which required for membership the possession of a diploma conferred by this body after examination, and the production of a certificate that the prescribed com-se of study had been completed at the Veterinary College in London, the MEMOIE. Ixxi Veterinary College in Edinburgli, or at sucli other schools as might sub- sequently he recognised hy Government. In 1836 the University of London had also been established by a royal charter, which conferred upon it the right of granting degrees in medicine, after examination, and the production of certificates that the prescribed course of study had been pursued at University, or King's College, in London, or at some other school recognised by the University. In addition to the two educational establishments mentioned in its charter, the University of London has recognised as qualifying candidates for examination every medical school, whether public or private, in her Majesty's dominions, while the College of Veterinary Surgeons has not had a single rival admitted to competition with its two tributaries in London and Edinburgh. About two years ago Mr John Gamgee, a gentleman of remarkable talent, extensive acquirements, and personal qualities of no ordinary kind, was induced to become a lecturer in the Edinburgh Veterinary College. It required a very brief acquaintance with this establishment to satisfy Mr Gamgee, as his friends had foreseen, that he could not possiby co-oper- ate with its Principal. But, through the same experience, he became persuaded that this city afforded an excellent field for the cultivation of veterinary science, in teaching as well as practice ; and having communi- cated these views to some influential gentlemen, met with so much encour- agement as led him to resolve upon the bold measure of organising a new veterinary school. Without loss of time he made all the requisite arrangements, and associated with himself other teachers of acknowledged excellence, so as to place his establishment in an effective and respectable position. He speedily collected a class of diligent pupils, and seemed to require nothing for the insurance of complete success except the recogni- tion of study in this new school as a qualification for being examined by the London Board. A memorial to the Home Secretary, setting forth the claims for this recognition, was signed by your Vice-President, Lord Eglintoun, your Honorary Secretary, Sir John S. Forbes, and many other respected names, of which it would be sufficient to mention those of the Duke of Buccleuch, the Earl of Rosslyn, Dr Christison, and Dr Sharpey, Secretary of the Royal Society of London, to show that the application was entitled to confidence. It was remitted by Mr Secretary Walpole to the Highland Society for their opinion as to the expediency of com- pliance, and by them was referred to a committee, who reported that it was " not for the interest of Veterinary Instruction in Scotland that the prayer of the memorial should be granted." The Directors approved of this report, and transmitted it, together with the following reasons : — 1st, That the school should not be recognised because it was not con- nected with a public body ; 2d, That one school was sufficient for the Ixxii MEMOIR. veterinary instruction of Scotland ; and 3d, That the existing school was so perfect as to require no competition. In regard to the first of these reasons, it seems difficult to explain why there should be such a difference between veterinary and medical schools — why the former should so much require surveillance, while the latter are in general so entirely free from it. The only explanation that can be offered is the present low state of veterinary instruction, which it was Mr Gamgee's great object to elevate into a respectable position, and in the meanwhile, if it had been thought requisite, he might easily have got a body of directors whose names would have guaranteed the efficiency of the school. But it should be recollected that the claim for recognition was merely to teach, and not to license, so that the Examiners had an effectual check upon imperfect tuition, and would have rendered the failure of the new school the only bad result of its being recognised. It is upon this principle that medical schools have been so freely admitted to qualify for examination, and it is difficult to see why veterinary schools shoiild be differently treated. The second reason, a hundred years ago, might have appeared very sound and judicious, but, in these times of free trade and universal competi- tion, seems no less singular than surprising. Among the names of the com- mittee who rejected Mr Gamgee's claim, I see one of an extra-academic lecturer who would hardly subscribe to the doctrine that one medical school was sufficient for the wants of Scotland. The advantage of com- petition has always been strongly maintained by teachers without the walls of the University, and no less freely conceded by those within them. How then can one of the former gentlemen refuse to veterinary instruc- tion what he claims for his own ? But it is said by the Directors that the number of students attending Mr Dick is so small, hardly exceeding fifty, as not to admit of subdivision — nay more, they that are so few as to render the establishment dependent for support upon extraneous sources ; wherefore, say they, there must be no competition. Now to most people it would seem that this smallness of attendance, when the field of practice is so large, embracing as it does not only Scotland, but England and the- Colonies, together with the public service, would rather constitute a ground of reasonable expectation for the success of a new school ; and it is a fact not to be forgotten, that Mr Gamgee, labouring under all the disadvantages of commencement, drew together twenty pupils to his first course— that is, nearly half as many as those attending the old school, which the Directors are so anxious to foster. This College, not content with its privilege of qualifying for examination in London, gives a diploma of its own ; and if it had been proposed to recognise a new one, I can see some room for hesitation. But when the proposal was MEMOIR. Jxxm simply that a gentleman of acknowledged .talent, acquirement, and indomitable energy, aided by a stafif of highly-qualified colleagues and assistants, should devote himself to veterinary instruction, I am lost in astonishment to find a committee, of which the active members were medical teachers, reporting that " it was not for the interest of veterinary instruction in Scotland" that a new source of instruction should be recognised. The third reason assigned by the Directors for refusing Mr Gamgee's application is, that the school now existing in Edinburgh has been so admirably conducted, and is so perfect in all its arrangements, as not to require any additional instruction. Now 1 entertain no doubt that this statement is perfectly sincere ; but, at the same time, strongly suspect that it must have been suggested by the influence of natural partiality for an establishment which has long been cherished by the patronage of the Highland Society. For my own part, I have been accustomed to hear opinions of an entirely different kind very freely expressed ; but as it would be disagreeable to discuss such a question, and as the members of the Society who do not know the truth can have little difficulty in ascertaining it, I abstain from further comment on this part of the subject. In addressing the members of the Highland Society, it is needless to expatiate upon the importance of veterinary skill ; but if this be admitted, it follows that the promotion of veterinary study is a subject deserving serious attention. A great addition to the means at present available for this purpose is now offered, and the peculiar circumstances which I have endeavoured to explain throw upon the Society the respon- sibility of accepting or rejecting this oifer. I can hardly doubt that the principle of monopoly will, upon reconsideration, be abandoned, and that a fair field will be afforded to honourable competition. The Highland Society possesses great power, through the confidence which is reposed in it by the public. But if this power should ever be exercised for the benefit or prejudice of individuals, without regard to justice or general expediency, your Institution, so far from being beneficial, may become positively injurious to the country. Not long ago a member of the com- mittee on Mr Gamgee's claim publicly stated that another member had predicted that the Society would be "worked" to the damage of a gentleman ofllcially connected with it ; and as this prediction was doubt- less founded upon acquaintance with the secret mechanism of the Society, it unavoidably suggests the question — whether the committee were more intent upon promoting veterinary science or upon propping up the old establishment in Clyde Street, when they reported that it was not for the interest of veterinary instruction in Scotland that Mr Gamgee should be Ixxiv MEMOIR. allowed to compete in teaching with Mr Dick ?— I have the honour to be, my Lords and Gentlemen, your most obedient Servant, James Stme, Professor of Clinieal Surgery in the University of Edinburgh. Professor Dick's Reply. Edinburgh Veterinaky College, Augiist 25, 1858. Sib, — Having in plain terms been accused of "monopoly," and less plainly of other offences, I claim a few words of reply. The report of the special committee of the Highland Society appears to me (but, of course, I may see with partial eyes) to vindicate itself, and to be left unimpugned by the letter in which Professor Syme exhibits his disappointment. But there are some points which, of course, the committee's report does not touch, and which may be considered as left for my learned assailant and myself to settle between us. The pvrblio may fairly be supposed to have some curiosity as to whence has arisen this zeal on the part of the Professor of Clinical Surgery on behalf of veterinary instruction. Has he long lamented over, and hope- lessly struggled to rescue it from its degraded state ? And does he now come forward as its ungratefully-used advocate, whose advice and remon- strances have been despised ? I have only to state that for forty years during which I have laboured hard in my vocation. Professor Syme has never once entered my lecture-room, nor made a single inquiry at my assistant lecturers as to the course of study or length of curriculum pur- sued at this College ; in fact, the College and its teaching were to him as if neither had ever existed. But this is not all ; for when I personally called on him, inviting him to attend and assist, along with his pro- fessorial colleagues, at the annual examination of my pupils for the veter- inary diploma, he plainly told me his attendance would be of no use, as he was not suflftciently acquainted with the science. One would have imagined that, such being the case, he would not have felt himself quali- fied and bound to impugn the well-considered opinions of three Univer- sity professors and an eminent extra-academical lecturer who had taken a long and deep interest in testing the qualifications of my students. But after having declined to look for himself, on the ground that, though he did look, he would still be incapable of judging, he stands forward to do single combat for the discordant memorialists in favom- of the new school, and not only pronounces that what he has not seen is bad, but predicts MEMOIR. Ixxv that what does not exist will be good. I desire to avoid the question of motives ; hut it will be seen at once, and on his own confession, that whatever Professor Syme's motives are, they are not either zeal for veter- inary science, nor dissatisfaction with, for he has no knowledge of, my mode of teaching it. The Professor resorts to the insinuation that the favourable opinion entertained by the Highland Society of this College is based on " partiality," and indulges in the device, not usually employed by minds of the highest cast, that he has "been accustomed to hear opinions of an entirely different kind very freely expressed." I demand of him, as incumbent upon a declaimer against abuses and defects alleged by him to exist in a public establishment, to state who are his informers, and what is the nature of their charge. Confessedly, he knows nothing of the matter himself — yet he comes forward professing to speak the opinions of some who do. Who are they ? and why do they not appear for themselves ? I will not permit him to shelter himself under the pre- text that, to use his own words, " it would be disagreeable to discuss such a question." If it be so, why raise the question at all ? He makes an accusation, and then sa} s it would he disagreeable to discuss the question whether it be true or false. He seeks to damage me by implication, by quoting the opinions of anonymous and apocrj'phal persons on a sub- ject upon which he himself is confessedly and wilfully ignorant. Of course, I cannot fight with these shadows — nor need I, for the public will not listen to shadows in a matter of opinion and aiithority. My assailant's account of my connection with Mr John Gamgee is as unfoimded as are his denunciations of my professional character. Mr Gamgee was not invited by me to become a lecturer in this College. I engaged him for one year only, and was induced to do so in great part by the urgent recommendation of my assailant's own son-in-law. For suffi- cient reasons I did not renew Mr Gamgee's engagement, and I received a memorial from my students approving of that decision. How Mr Gam- gee could state, as my defamer in his letter alleges him to have done, that " it required a very brief acquaintance with the establishment to satisfy him (Mr Gamgee), as his friends had foreseen, that he could not possibly co-operate with its Principal," is to me altogether inexplicable. Mr Gamgee never to the last intimated to me a wish to retire, but the very reverse. In thus describing me as quarrelsome, the narrator was not only quite misrepresenting my character and temperament, but quite forgetting his own history. Throughout his whole progress to the pre- sent hour, his life has been one constant and perpetual succession of quarrels with all his professional brethren. I only state the fact that the man who represents me as quarrelsome, speaks on that point with what- ever authority may be due to his having always been in a chronic state Ixxvi MEMOIR. of quarrel himself. The results, however, I may allude to — he has been very unfortunate in having colleagues with whom it was necessary to quarrel ; I never had an unpleasant word with one of my assistants — they all remained long in the College, and parted at last with the same warm feelings of mutual good- will which had uninterruptedly subsisted between us. The predecessor of Mr Gamgee, Mr Barlow, was fourteen years demonstrator and lecturer in this College — one universally admitted to be, in all the branches of pathological and physiological veterinary science, not to go into tlie field of microscopic observation and practical skill, without a superior. Dr George Wilson was nine years connected with the College. I never had an assistant who did not remain vrith me for years, and all of them only left me for higher offices. Mr Gamgee was the only one year's assistant I ever had ; and these facts are, I think, sufficient as an explanation on that delicate point. My assailant's account of " the speedy collection of a class of diligent pupils " at the new school, amounting, as he states, " to nearly half as many as those attending the old school," is incorrect and ludicrous in the extreme. The number of my students was eighty last session ; and with- out boasting, I may be permitted to state, what I am authorised to do on indubitable authority, that my students need fear no comparison with those in the department tauglit by the Professor of Clinical Surgery — nor need this be wondered at when the limited time is considered to which the Professor has reduced his hours of clinical instruction. Indeed, the whole subject of clinical teaching and clinical attendance in the wards imperatively calls for immediate and thorough revision. I challenge my assailant to prove that there was the tenth part of the number of my class attending the new school — i. e., of real veterinary fee-paying pupils. Moreover, I defy him to mention how these were procured, a point on which I have some information for any who may have curiosity. I may be permitted to observe that the great loss of time and money to the stu- dents is entirely overlooked by my assailant in his letter when he states that the failure of the new school would be its " only bad result." The character the Professor gives to the " teachers of acknowledged excellence " associated with the school originated under his auspices, is of course an awkward subject for me to handle — but it ought to have been still more awkward for the Professor, who confessedly knows nothing of the department they teach, and just about as much of the teachers themselves. But since delicacy seems out of the game, I may mention that the whole proper veterinary staff consists of young men " unknown to fame." They may be all deserving aspirants to distinction, but they have had no opportunity to show, far less to prove, the " excellence" of their claims— except, indeed, Mr Gamgee himself, who, like his patron MEMOIR. Ixxvii and admirer, had an opportunity in London, which gives the best oppor- tunities, and did not succeed. In a printed statement addressed to the patrons of the University relative to medical education, my assailant lays down the law that " medical instruction is more directed with a view to its practical results." How altered in tone are his present splenetic lucubrations ! How is it possible that young men, lacking experience, can impart that instruction which he so strongly advocates as leading to " practical results," which, in his opinion, is the end and aim of teaching ? To such inconsistencies does a perverse spirit lead. The same rule applies to the veterinary as to the medical profession. The remarks he makes on classes of a " spe- culative and theoretical character " bear with equal force on a staff of young oflRcials. His words are remarkable — " They will take the most certain steps for mystifying the minds of their hearers, since, instead of giving them well-defined ideas, which from their ' practical ' application can be fully understood and di.stinctly recollected, they will bewilder them with a maze of uncertainty and conjecture." The Professor afl^ects to be inspired by free-trade principles. But in spirit, temper, profession, and practice, he is a thorough monopolist. His own class is an example of exclusive monopoly, where all competition is debarred ; and as a Professor, he labours to deprive the Surgical Corpora- tion of which he is a member of its most valuable vested rights, which he defended stoutly so long as he was only an extra-academical lecturer. His efforts, also, to destroy the independence of the College of Physi- cians, and extinguish its legitimate influence and rights by the creation of a University bureaucracy, annihilating all competition, place this autocrat's prejudices in their true light, and show his pretences for free- trade to be mere fudge. " A man's opinion is but a parcel of his for- tune." It is no doubt both right and popular to be on the side of free- trade in everything. This is true and right, but the competition must not only be free, it must be fair also. Now, how stands the New College ■svith reference to those two principles ? The present premises in Drum- mond Street are quite insufficient for the purposes of such an institution, and this deficiency was proposed to be remedied by the erection of a new- suitable building. A prospectus was accordingly framed, printed, and extensively circulated, to carry this into effect by means of a joint-stock company with a capital of J10,000, divided into 100 shares of JlOO each. Was not such a scheme similar to one by which a party obtains credit with a bank and draws on funds not his own, thus being enabled to spe- culate on the capital of others ? Competition conducted on such terms is not only not free or fair, but is false in every way. The country has had lately lamentable proof of such joint-stock transactions. Were my Ixxviii MEMOIR. assailant fhe patron of such a sclieme, I have no doubt that his next memorial, in order not to allow such an establishment to go down " for the insurance of complete success "—these are his own words — would be to petition Government for a present endowment, and for future funds for pro'S'iding salaries for veterinarj' lecturers. Let Mr Gamgee, in place of relying on the free-trade principles of such pseudo-liberal advisers as the Clinical Professor, adopt my voluntary principle, of supporting a school by his own imaided exertions and resources, without trusting to foreign aid. Let him work earnestly and hard to be enabled to do this, in place of attempting to place himself at the head at once of a prematurely concocted, and what he will find ultimately to be an ill-advised, undertaking. When he has established his reputation on the basis of experience and practical skill, he wUl reap the reward which he will be entitled to receive — not of sectional, but of public confidence and support. My assailant's analogy between the teaching of medical and veterinary schools as to competition is too absurd to be discussed. The field and subjects of the former are almost unlimited, while those of the other are in comparison of necessarily narrow compass. I have been long of opin- ion that the supply of licentiates from the two established veterinary schools would soon greatly exceed the demand. As in every other branch of knowledge, veterinary instruction — both in the preliminary and pro- fessional education of the students — has kept pace with the improvements of the age, and it must go on progressing. The public demands it, and its judgment is irresistible. — I am, &c., William Dick, Principal of the Edinburgh Veterinary College. After struggling for a few years the 'New College was aban- doned, and Mr Gamgee transferred his talents to London, where he established the "Albert Veterinary College," which, too, after a brief career, collapsed. The position of the old-established College in Edinburgh at that time will be gathered from the following extract from Professor Dick's introductory lecture at the opening of the session 1861, being the forty-fourth session of the institution. After sketching his early struggles when engaged in estab lishing a veterinary school in Edinburgh, Professor Dick pro- ceeded to say that MEMOIR. Ixxix The number of students educated at this College who obtained the Highland Society's diploma from 1828 to 1844 was 263 ; the number who obtained the diploma of the Examinining Board, which was appointed Ijy the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and sat at Edinburgh from 1845 to 1848, was 59 ; and the number who have received the diploma of the Highland Society, after resuming its examinations, from 1848 to 1861, was 333 ; the total is 655. The annual attendance of students for the two or three last years — professional, amateur, and others — has averaged ahundred. There was a Scotch saying, the truth of which his professional experience had amply verified, that an " ill beginning often makes a good end," for however unpromising and unprofibible his career at first was, the statis- tics which he had just given, and the fuU occupancy of the benches in the class-room, which some years ago was greatly enlarged, had more than real- ised expectation, had compensated for his anxieties, and rewarded all his labours. But however great might have been the measure of his success, it would have afforded little satisfaction unless it had been attained and regulated by an undeviating adherence to those principles oh which fair and honourable competition is based, and by which reputation can only be gained and preserved. The College, and all within its walls, was the fruit of personal exertion, for he had never been indebted, nor sought, nor received one farthing from public contribution or private subscription towards its erection. He received an annual donation from the Highland Society of twenty-five guineas, but had ever repudiated Government en- dowment. His assistants have always been paid out of his own resources, and as his school was in every sense self-supporting, he was justified in stating that public opinion was the only patron he ever had or would acknowledge, and by that he would stand or fall. By the charter consti- tuting the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London, this School was recognised as a Teaching School of veterinary surgery, all whose students, after a prescribed course of study, were entitled to be examined for the diploma of veterinary surgeons. And it was especially deserving of notice that all the students who had been educated at it, and received the Highland Society's diploma — that is, from 1828 to 1844, in which latter year the charter was obtained — were admitted to all the privileges of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as members, and to assume the name and title of veterinary surgeons ; and these, as was stated, amounted to 263. And all this without even the form of application, cer- tainly without further examination, or any other test than the one they already possessed of qualification. With reference to the Highland Society's diploma. Professor Dick said that it was obtained after a rigid examination by a board appointed by the Society's Directors. The board consisted of Professors in the Edinburgh IxXX MEMOIR. University, extra-academical teachers, medical practitioners of distinction, and eminent veterinary sm-geons from different parts of the kingdom. These formed fonr tahles, at each of which every candidate for a diploma was examined, the concurring approval of the examiners in the four dif- ferent departments heing necessary to obtain it, while a single mark of " bad" in the report from any of the four tables is held sufficient for the rejection of the candidate. A fairer or more searching — perhaps too severe — public examination (for all the proceedings are conducted with open doors), or a more efficient and competent Board of Examiners, could not possibly be instituted, or one more deserving of undisputed confi- dence. Accordingly, the diplomas conferred by it are recognised as authorised guarantees and passports by the Government Offices for re- ceiving all the honours and appointments which her Majesty's army, as well as that of India, and the highest public situations, can confer on the veterinarj' student educated and passed at this College. A noisy but ineffectual attempt no doubt was being made by interested parties against this system^ but it never would, for to all liberal and candid minds it did not deserve, to succeed. Scotland was as well entitled as England was to have a Veterinary as well as a Medical College. They were rival insti- tutions calculated by honest competition to promote their mutual im- ■ provement ; and it would not be for the good of veterinary science, but on the contrary it would entail a speedy and certain obstruction and discouragement to its progress, if a. monopoly were concentrated in any teaching school or examining board in London, or any part of the United Kingdom. With what consistency or sense of equity, it might be asked, can the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, after ad- mitting the licentiates holding the Highland Society's diploma up to 1844 as members of their corporation, denounce (as some of its upstart tacticians have done) all who have obtained the same diploma for the last fourteen years as quacks and empirics holding spurious and illegal quali- fications, seeing their proficiency in veterinary science is attested by an Examining Board, an equal to which the Eoyal College might strive and desire to procure, but would seek in vain to find a better T To the printed programme of the course of study pursued at the College is annexed the names of the teachers appointed to the different departments, all of whom deliver their demonstrations and prelections at separate hours within the walls of the College. The professional reputation of the official staff stood on higher grounds than his approbation, high as that was ; and the arduous and diligent discharge of duty was best attested by those who had expe- rienced the benefit of their tuition. A cordial vote of thanks has been awarded to them by the Directors of the Highland Society, who attend the annual examinations ; and the Examining Board had recorded their MEMOIR. Ixxxi highest opinion as to their efficiency. The system of education here was regulated hy the law which obtains in medicine — viz., " that instruction is and shoiild be directed more with a view to its practical resiilts than to mere speculative and theoretical disquisitions, which are drawn only from the spectacles of books, and not from personal experience." But while essentially practical, it was founded on sound scientific, physiolo- gical, and pathological knowledge. The students had daily opportunities in a large dissecting room, with an ample supply of subjects, of acquiring a thorough knowledge of structural and descriptive anatomy ; and from the large collection of specimens of diseased parts in the Museum, the pathological lectures would be illustrated, thus impressing on their minds the real causes, origin, and seat of diseases which, in the course of their professional duties, they might be called upon to diagnose and treat. From the great variety of cases daily brought to the college-yard for treat- ment, as well as of those under private clinical management, there was a wide field for observation and operative practice on the living animal. A brief report of the more remarkable cases, drawn up by the students, formed an important part of their training. There was a surgery, where the art of compounding prescriptions will be acquired, under an experi- enced superintendent. There was a reading-room, with a collection of all the most recent and valuable works on Veterinary Surgery, and a society of the students, which met weekly in the lecture-room, presided over by the teachers, at which papers are read and discussed on all matters per- taining to veterinary instruction. Although Veterinary Surgery was mainly in its application a practical art, yet it would lose much of its hold on public confidence and regard if it was not also a progressive one, following in the march of scientific research. Its " end and aim " was to serve great and useful public purposes. Mr SjTne, the eminent Professor of Clinical Surgery, in his printed address to the patrons of the Edin- burgh University, thus delivered himself on inexperienced teachers — young and ambitious aspirants of fame — of classes of a " speculative and theoretical character." He said — " They will take the most certain steps for mystifying the minds of their hearers, since, instead of giving them well defined ideas, which, from their ' practical ' application can be fully understood and distinctly recollected, they will bewilder them with a maze of uncertainty and conjecture." The reputation of the students educated at this College and elsewhere was publicly recognised in the application made to Parliament for the Veterinary Charter obtained in 1844, from the great benefit which the public had derived from their professional labours as veteriaary surgeons. He (Professor Dick) would conclude, by adding that he entertained no apprehension that the large class he had now the honour of addressing would bear no undiminished 9 Ixxxii MEMOIR. comparison with the former aliimni of the college, but that they, by a diligent application to their curriculum of study, and passing through the prescribed ordeal of examination, would equally maintain the char- acter of this school, and their own personal honour and professional status in public estimation. Professor Dick was appointed by tlie Board of Customs inspector at the port of Leith of all foreign animals landed there ; and on the outbreak of the cattle plague in July 1865 he was sent by the Directors of the Highland Society to London, for the purpose of investigating such cases of the disease as might come under his notice. A meeting of the Directors was held on the 15th of August, at which Professor Dick read the following report : — Gentlemen, in consequence of the request of Sir William Gibson- Craig and Sir Alexander Maitland-Gibson, I went to London on Thurs- day night, the 10th instant, and on the following morning I proceeded to the Royal Veterinary College, in the hope of seeing Professor Simonds, but found he was not in town. Professor Vamell had not been attend- ing any cases out of the College, and coidd not therefore direct me where I could see any cases, but sent a man with me to introduce me to Mr Priestman, who resides beyond the New Cattle Market, but unfortunately I found him from home. I then returned and went to Smithfield, to inquire for Mr Brewster, late salesman, whom Mr Hall Maxwell recommended me to endeavour to see. After some difficulty, I found him at the Saluta- tion Tavern, Newgate Street, where I found a meeting of cattle salesmen had just been held. They were all at dinner. I sent in my card to Mr Brewster, who immediately caine to see me. I told him my object was to learn where 1 could see any cases of the plague. He went and made inquiry, and I was introduced to the meeting, and after a general conver- sation, one of the gentlemen — Mr Marcus Poole, 14 Mount Place, White- chapel — said he would drive me to a dairyman's at Islington, where he understood some cows were affected. When we arrived, we found the cow dead, and were informed that upwards of thirty had died or been sent away. I here met with Mr M'Dougall, the chemist, along with a veter- inary surgeon who was in search of the same information as myself. He had come from Warwickshire, where the disease had made its appearance. They had been at Mr H.'s byres, who, it was alleged, had lost nearly 300 cattle. I did not see Mr H., but the byreman stated that the disease MEMOIR. Ixxxiii began in one of the byres where no strange or foreign cattle had been introduced. In these byres I found three cattle affected with the dis- ease, and showing the general symptoms described. I found that little or no means were adopted to check or cure the disease. The byreman when we went in was giving a drench to a cow, but stated it was only nitre and water, and that the owner thought it of no use doing anything but sending them away. On Saturday morning I again visited the Veterinary College, and saw Professors Spooner and Varnell, but they could not__direct me to any fresh cases within a reasonable dis- tance, except Mr D.'s dairy, Upper Weymovith Street, Marylebone. Here I found two had died that morning, and he had one affected, and two threatened with pleuro-pneumonia. He was treating them with six drops of tincture of aconite every two hours (homcEopathy) ; and he said he had called in Mr Major, who had cured five out of eleven. He said he had lost or put away about sixty. While at the Veterinary College, Professor Spooner showed me a specimen of ulceration of one of the leaves of the monyplies, and he stated that a short time ago a case of a cow had been to the College ; that the diseased cow was put into a loose box with a healthy cow ; that the latter in a short time took the disease and died ; and that afterwards the one which had been brought in died also, but that a cow and a calf, which were in the same court with them, had not become affected. This brings me to the question whether the disease is infectious or not. Now I found the cattle salesmen are of opinion that it is propagated, or rather produced, by atmospheric causes ; that it is an epizootic depending in a great measure on the great heat which has pre- vailed this summer, together with the luxuriance of the grass consequent upon the rains which set in immediately prior to the breaking out of the plague. The case at the Veterinary College tends at least to show that if it is infectious, it is not so highly so as is generally imagined ; and as influenza has been prevailing among horses at the same time here, it appears that similar causes are operating on horses. They have been suffering under similar causes, and have shown symptoms in several re- spects the same as cattle. The eyelids become suddenly swollen, and their legs very commonly swell immediately after ; their appetite is gone ; they become weak, their pulse frequently rising to 70 or 80 or more ; their bowels are easily moved by small dozes of laxative medicine, after which they rapidly recover under repeated doses of tonic medicine. The swelling of the eyelids, the loss of appetite, and great weakness, are found in the cows. The disease, although very general, is by no means fatal ; in this respect it materially differs from the cattle disease, which is very commonly fatal. I am, however, of opinion that much may be done, both in the way of prevention and cure, by cleanliness, ventilation, and drainage ; and Ixxxiv MEMOIR. on those stocks where the disease makes its appearance, I would advise that all the cows in the place should immediately get a dose of purgative medicine, 1 lb. common salt, and 1 lb. treacle, with plenty of water as a means of removing any latent irritation of the bowels. Change of diet should also be made, wet rank grass should be avoided, and hay scalded with hot water given instead, with linseed cake used instead of the grains so commonly given. The cake to be scalded tod mixed with bran ; a few turnips to be given as soon as they can be procured, in preference to mangel-wurzel. Let them also have plenty of water. A little salt should be given daily with all their mash food, and if convenient, in fine weather, exercise should be given daily. In a case of this kind, it is of the greatest importance that the earliest symptoms of the disease should be attended to, and I am of opinion that by doing so many may be cured. The ear- liest symptoms are a loss of appetite, and suspension of the secretion of milk. There is frequently a congh, as if the animal were attacked with pleuro-pneumonia ; the animal is slightly costive, and the dung slightly covered with mucus ; but on the following day or two commonly an attack of diarrhoea usually comes on, the pTilse is quick, and there is a slight moaning, the coat stares in some cases, emphysema takes place over the muscles of the back, there is a discharge of mucus from the eyes, the ei- tremities get cold, and the animal is weak and uneasy, and frequently lies down, a trembling of the limbs takes place sooner or later, and she dies in a few days. I have made a post-mortem examination of a case to-day, and have found a degree of pleuro-pneumonia, but the most marked morbid appearances were in the small intestines, the mucous coat of which was highly inflamed, with small clots of coagulated blood. On a considerable portion of the surface, ulceration of the mucous surface of the monyplies has been found, also other parts of the membrane of the alimentary canal, all indicating a febrile affection of a typhoid character, with debility. From the general symptoms and post-mortem appearances, I am of opin- ion that the disease depends chiefly on atmospheric causes and the diet of the cattle, and may be prevented by attention and occasional changes of diet. When any case of a suspicious kind occurs, I would at once give a dose of purgative medicine to every beast in the herd, say 1 lb. common salt, 1 lb. treacle, and 2 ounces of ginger, and this dose might be repeated. When the disease has manifested itself, I think the best plan to adopt wlU be to give 1 lb. of liuseed oil, in the first place ; and, if the bowels are costive, 1 lb. of common salt, and plenty of distilled water. On the following day, if purging has set in, 2 ounces of laudanum should be given in linseed tea ; and as soon as the purging has ceased, 3 or 4 drachms of the sulphate of iron should be given night and morning. If the animal is weak and exhausted, a pint of port wine or 4 ounces MEMOIR. IxXXV of whisky may be given, the back rubbed with yeast (barm), and a mustard blister well rubbed on the belly, or fomentations of hot water freely used. Dtiring the subsequent progress of the disease, Professor Dick was unremitting in his efforts to overcome it, and in addition to his vastly increased professional duties arising from it, he had to encounter a large amount of correspondence, and to answer the eager personal inquiries of old pupils who hurried up to Edinburgh for his advice under tire novel and alarming circumstances in which they were placed. All this labour and anxiety combined tended to hasten the end ; and after confinement to the house for two or three weeks, during which he suffered chiefly from a difficulty of breathing, arising from heart disease and dropsical symptoms, he quietly passed away on April 4, 1866, in the seventy-third year of his age, affectionately watched to the last by his sister. Miss Mary Dick, who had been with him throughout his whole career, entering into all his plans, assisting him so far as lay in her power, and winning by her constant kindness the deep respect and esteem of all who had enjoyed the privilege of studying under her talented brother. Of Professor Dick's attainments as a Veterinarian it is unnecessary to say much. He stood long at the head of his profession, and when he died, he left few equals behind him. He was possessed of strong natural abilities, to which were added eminent scientific attainments, placing him fully on a level with the most accompKshed medical professors of the day. In his own particular hne he was distinguished by an almost intuitive faculty in detecting disease. In the difficult matter of discovering and identifying lameness, whether of the limbs or feet, he showed especial aptitude. No practitioner either in England or Scotland was more successful in his diagnosis of lameness. Indeed it was wont to be remarked that the Professor, sitting in his room upstairs in the College, could Ixxxvi MEMOIR. usually specify the lame limb, and often, besides, teU the actual seat of lameness, merely from hearing the maimed animal trot along the street below him. But although possessed of great readiness and promptitude in ascertaining the nature of a case, he never gave his opinion hurriedly, or until a careful examin- ation had satisfied him that he was correct in his opinion. This, ^v'ith his long practice amongst them, gave him a great influence over the agriculturists of Scotland ; and whatever Professor Dick said on subjects connected with his profession was at once unhesitatingly received as an honest and trust- worthy opinion. Mr Stevenson, to whose excellent biographical notice of Professor Dick, which appeared in the ' North British Agri- culturist' of April 11, 1866, we have been indebted for several of the leading facts in his career, stated, when describing Professor Dick as a professional man, that In practice, the seat and nature of the ailment being ascertained by a careful examination, prompt measures were usTially taken to arrest, re- duce, or remove the disorder. It is important to owners of horses and veterinary practitioners to know that Professor Dick usually prescribed small doses of medicine, and discountenanced the use of coloured lotions, draughts, &c., which are to many veterinarians a source of considerable profit. Alterative medicine to horses in good health he treated with scorn — sometimes remarking that when a horse is in good condition and health, the administering of alterative bulls is wholly unnecessary, and is calculated to do harm. He never appeared, however, to lose faith in the curative action of medicine, which he stated should be only given with the view of assisting nature to effect a recovery. Even in the treatment of such apparently hopeless maladies as pleuro-pneumonia and the plague in cattle, he believed that medicine and careful nursing could effect a good deal in the way of cure. While thus confiding in medicine, he knew the importance of careful nursing and a pure atmosphere. His charges were always moderate; and frequently no charge was made for advice, treatment, and even for examination of horses as to soundness. There can be no doubt as to the correctness of the statement that Professor Dick, during the fifty years of his extensive practice, has treated more animals for nothing than many veterinary practitioners have MEMOIR. lxXXvii_ done both for payment and gratuitously. The carter who brought his horse to the College was sometimes gruffly told, when he said the horse had been ailing for a day or two, that he should have brought him sooner ; but after the examination and prescribed treatment, the answer to the inquiry, "What is to pay, sir?" was invariably the same — "Nothing. Bring him back to-morrow, and let me see how he is." Professor Dick adopted this practice probably by the advice of his father, wdio used to impress upon the students " that when they were brought into contact with the old woman's cow or the old man's mare, the)^ should not think to make a fortune out of them.'' . . . The most marked feature of his practice was the extreme caution he exercised when engaged in endeavouring to discover the ailment under which the animal was suffer- ing. He seldom or never hazarded an opinion until he had most care- fully inspected the animal. When called upon to examine a horse as to soundness, he took great pains to discover any observable or latent defect which constituted unsoundness. In the case of lameness, the shoe was not unfrequently removed to have the foot examined, although there might be an apparent cause in the limb sufficient to account for the horse being amiss. But above all this minute inspection, there were that cor- rectness of observation, and that unswerving integrity of purpose, which rendered all attempts to tamper with them by flattery or otherwise un- successful. There have been endeavours made to call in question the skill, integrity, and uprightness of Professor Dick, but these attempts always signally failed. In law courts his evidence as to soundness usuaUy determined the question — the presiding judge deciding in accordance with Professor Dick's evidence. His opinion was, therefore, much sought after both in England and Scotland, and he has been the means of keeping many parties out of court in reference to questions of warranty. At the time of Professor Dick's death, 791 veterinary sur- geons had graduated at the Edinburgh Veterinary College, and that number was increased by the examination which took place a fortnight after his death. Besides the professional students, more than 1000 students had attended his lectures who did not apply for the diploma. Of the interest he felt in the success of those who had studied under him we have already made mention ; and if such were necessary, we could easily supply many illustrations of the warm feeling which they entertained towards their former teacher from the letters Ixxxviii MEM OIK. which were addressed to him. It is much to be regretted that, whilst Professor Dick preserved a large number of communi- cations received by him, he appears rarely to have retained any copies of his replies. Even in important cases, a few words jotted down at the end of his correspondent's letter are the only traces of the opinion he gave on the subject regarding which his advice had been asked. He was much averse, in fact, to writing, arising, no doubt, from the demands on his time, arising from his numerous professional engagements. Even of his lectures, the only records which remain, in most cases, are the mere heads set down on half a sheet of note- paper. His extensive practical acquaintance with the various subjects supplied ample materials to enable him to lecture without first taking the trouble to write out what he had to say ; and those who have heard him lecture will not readily forget the copious and clear manner in which he treated the various points which came under notice. During the course of his long practice he had accumulated a large number of preparations, and other matters, connected with the veterinary art. These form the museum of the College ; and being ac- quainted with the history of every item in the collection, he was enabled to illustrate his oral teachings by those means in a manner which another lecturer could scarcely expect to attain. The cases of disease which occurred in his practice as Prin- cipal of the Edinburgh Veterinary College, and of which cer- tain records are given in the following pages, show the extent of that practice, and the advantages enjoyed by the students attending the College. These cases were first published in 1845, in consequence of Professor Spooner having endeavoured to throw discredit on the Edinburgh College, from an alleged want of hospital accommodation. Mr Dick challenged Pro- fessor Spooner to give a similar abstract of the cases that MB MO IK, Ixxxix occurred at the Eoyal Veterinary College during similar periods, in order that the public might be able to judge whether the pupils of the Edinburgh School or those of the Eoyal College at Camden Town had the best opportunities of acqiiiring a practical knowledge of their profession. We find no evidence that Professor Spooner replied to Professor Dick's challenge. After being published for some time in 'The Veterinarian/ these records were discontinued, but their pub- lication was afterwards revived by Professor Dick, and given to the world in his quarterly reports to the Highland and Agricultural Society, which were inserted in the ' Transac- tions ' of that body, and, along with those which appeared in ' The Veterinarian,' will be found in the body of this volume. Some reference has been made to the part which Professor Dick took in public affairs. He was for several years a mem- ber of the Town Council of Edinburgh, and held other public of&ces, besides being a Justice of Peace for the city. He held very decided political opinions, taking what is known as the Liberal side ; but even those who differed most from him entertained the highest respect for his thoroxigh honesty of purpose, and his straightforward independence in upholdino- what he believed to be just and right. He was the uncom- promising enemy of everything which he considered as savour- ing of an infringement on the people's rights, whether these were of a political or of a social nature. Having acquired property in Burntisland, in the county of Fife, he devoted himself with characteristic energy to the improvement of that burgh, and in securing certain privileges to the inhabitants of which they had been deprived, in which he was eminently successful. Mr Dick was a strongly built man, and very active, until his natural powers became abated through advancing years and the state of his health. In height he was about five feet XC MEMOIE. seven inches, and a glance at his iinely developed and massive head was sufficient to indicate that he was a man of no ordin- ary mental powers. We have noticed the deep interest he took in those who had been his pupils, and the same genial kindly spirit was manifested by him in his intercourse with friends. Under a seeming abruptness of manner lay a strong vein of warm feeling, which was continnally evincing itself in acts of great kindness He was never married, and for the members of his own family, consisting of his father, a worthy man in every sense of the word, who died in 1844, and his sister, who still survives him, he cherished feelings of the warmest affection. By his will. Professor Dick vested the Col- lege in the Lord Provost and Town Council of Edinburgh as trustees, and so disposed of his property as to insure that it would continue to be upheld for the purposes for which it was founded. Both during Professor Dick's lifetime and since his decease, various attempts have been made to procure a veterinary charter for Scotland, which, with the pupils of the Edinburgh Veterinary School who have obtained the High- land Society's certificate, would associate some members of the Council of the Highland Society, some members of the Senatus Academicus, and of the Scottish medical faculties. Such a veterinary college or university would be perfectly dis- tinct from and independent of the Edinburgh and other veter- inary teaching colleges. Like the Colleges of Physicians or of Surgeons, it would direct and regulate the curriculum of study at the teaching schools, hold examinations of students, and grant veterinary degrees and licences to practice. But the efforts to obtain a Scottish veterinary charter have hitherto been unsuccessful. The Highland and Agricultural Society has of late endowed a chair of Cattle Pathology m the Col- lege, to which Miss Dick has liberally added an annual grant. This lady, who continues to take a most lively and active- MEMOIR. xci interest in the College founded by her brother, instituted in 1867 two bursaries of £30 a-year each, obtainable by veter- inary students after an examination in classics, literature, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, &c., entitling the holders to free access to the various college classes, and tenable during three years. The Senatus Academicus of the Edinburgh Uni- versity recently published a scheme, which would have the effect of adding considerably to the importance of the Edin- burgh Veterinary CoUege as an educational institution ; but it appears that the present constitution of the University does not admit of the proposed arrangements, which would re- quire, therefore, to be carried out under a supplementary charter. As it is, the Edinburgh Veterinary College is a last- ing memorial of what one man of great natural abilities, energy, and perseverance is capable of accomplishing. LIST OF GRADUATES: EDINBURGH VETERffiARY COLIEGE* The following List of Veterinary Surgeons who gi-aduated at the Edin- buigh Veterinary College during Professor Dick's connection with it, is not only an interesting record in itself of his labours, hut serves to show that the Institution is not, as some would have it, -merely a Scotch school, purely local in its influence, but one to which the United King- dom, and even the world at large, have been indebted for the spread of Veterinary Science : — Abbot, Charles, Manchester, 1841 Ainslie, John Aldington , London, 1835 Aitkin, Alex. Murray, Australia, 1841 Aitkin, David, Dunfermline, 1852 Aitkin, John, Edinburgh, 1836 Aitkin, John, Dalkeith, 1841 Aitkin, Robert, Felton, Northumberland, 1836 Aitkin, William, Kilmarnock, 1832 Aitkin, William, Edinburgh, 1849 10 Aked, John, Blackburn, Lancashire, 1844 Allen, David, Renfrewshire, 1839 Allen, Thomas, Perthshire, 1839 AUison, William, Thornley, Durham, 1840 Amos, Alexander, Gorebridge, 1841 Anderson, James, Leicester, 1828 Anderson, John, Liberton, 1835 Anderson, John, Eoyal Artillery, 1858 Anderson, Eobert, Lanark, 1853 Anderson, William, Glasgow, 1835 20 Anderson, George W., Eayne, Aberdeen, 1864 Anderson, Hugh, Army, 1863 Armitage, George, Fence Houses, county Durham, 1852 Arthur, Robert, Monkland Iron Works, 1842 * In addition to those who have graduated, the course of lectures has been attended by upwards of 1000 students who did not apply for the diploma. E])I]SrBUEGH VETEEINARY COLLEGE. XClll Ashe, Edward Evanson, Cork, 1849 Atkinson, Frederick, Cartmel, Lancashire, 1847 Auckland, Joseph, Elgin, 1840 Austin, John Thomas, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, 1857 Bain, Peter, Doune, Perthshire, 1863 3!aird, Colin Camphell, Cupar, Fife, 1852 30 Bale, James, Otley, Yorkshire, 1860 BaKour, Andrew, Balweary, Kirkcaldy, 1844 IklfouT, George H., M.D ., Edinhurgh, 1843 Balfour, John, Montrose, 1861 Ball, Joseph, Eoyal Artillery, 1852 Ball, Thomas, Manchester, 1850 Barter, Eohert H., Australia, 1845 Barclay, James, Perthshire, 1844 Barker, Charles, Malton, Yorkshire, 1849 Barker, John, Australia, 1838 40 Barker, John, 7th Dragoons, 1852 Barker, William, Middleshro', Yorkshire, 1843 Barker, Thomas, Stokesley, Yorkshire, 1864 Barker, William G., Skelton, Yorkshire, 1865 Barr, Eohert, Irvine, 1826 Barr, WilHam, Stair, Ayrshire, 1840 Barr, John, Irvine, Ayrshire, 1862 Barlow, John, Cheshire, 1844 Barron, James, Aberdeenshire, 1857 Barron, George, Echt, Aberdeenshire, 1856 50 Barron, Neil M., Old Deer, Aberdeen, 1861 Barron, Edward, Dublin, 1862 Barton, Charles E., East India Company, 1849 Barton, John, Lancashire, 1844 Baxter, David, Perth, 1851 Baxter, James, Errol, 1843 Baxter, John, Campbelltown, 1836 Baxter, William, Dundee, 1846 Beattie, George, Langside, Aberdeenshire, 1850 Bell, James, Dupplin, Perth, 1859 60 Bell, John, Carlisle, 1858 Bell, Liiccock, Paris, 1845 Bell, John, Clonmel, Ireland, 1861 Berrie, WiUiam, W hitehouse, Aberdeen, 1851 Bey, WilUam, Tarland, Aberdeen, 1851 Bird, James, Bervie, 1854 Bird, William, BeKord, 1851 XCIV LIST OF GRADUATES : Birdsall, Francis, Bisset, James, Bisset, John, 70 Bisset, Benjamin M., Blackie, James, Bland, George, Boag, William M., Boag, "William, Bodington, George, Booth, George, Borrowman, A., Borrowman, James, Borthwick, John, 80 Borthwick, James, Bowie, Andrew, Bowie, James, Bowman, John, Bowman, Thomas, Boyce, John H., Braokenridge, Alex., Bradshaw, Charles, Brainie, George, Breakell, James, 90 Bremner, George, Brenning, Richard, Brett, Alfred, Bridge, Eoger, Briggs, John, Brockhurst, Lewis, Brockie, James, Brodie, John, Brooks, William Mason, Brosnan, John, 100 Brotherton, Eichard, Brown, James, Brown, Andrew John, Brown, John, Brownlee, David, Bryce, John, Bryden, James, Buchanan, Duncan, Bulman, Eobert, Buihage, John H., Dozenhand, Norfolk, Brechin, Montrose, Brechin, Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Alfreton, Derbyshire, Morpeth, Kilham, Canton, Cardiff, Dundee, Kirkcaldy, Little France, Edinburgh, Kirkliston, Australia, HaAvick, Hawick, Elvington, Yorkshire, Fridajrthorpe, Yorkshire, Adlingfleet, Goole, Holytown, Lanark, Mauritius, Methley, Yorkshire, Preston, Monikie, Forfarshire, Waterloo, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Bury, Coventry, Hastings, Mamoch, Dunse, Breedon, Leicestershire, Tralee, Ireland, Australia, North Berwick, South Hindley, Yorkshire, West Calder, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Stirling, Liverpool, Kenmore, Perthshire, Hexham, Calcutta, EDINBURGH VETEEINAHY COLLEGE. XCV 110 Burnett, Eobert, Glasgow, 1864 Bmnett, John, Dundonald, Ayr, 1866 Butler, Walter S., Dalkeith, 1836 Butters, A., Edinburgh, 1865 Byrne, Luke, 4th Dragoon Guards, 1842 Byine, John H., Naples, Italy, 1863 Cade, Thomas, Bristol, 1849 Cairncross, Peter, Alyth, Forfarshire, 1855 Cairns, James, FarneU, Forfarshire, 1858 Caldwell, Alexander, India, 1846 120 Callender, Joseph, Falkirk, 1864 Camphell, John, 7th Madras Light Dragoons, 1842 Camphell, Peter, Waltrie, Fife, 1843 CampheU, Thomas, , Yonderton, Ayrshire, 1854 Campbell, Thomas, Kirkcudbrightshire, 1859 Capes, William, Bridport, 1852 Carlisle, Edward, Carlisle, 1852 Carlisle, William, Wigton, 1847 Carmichael, Alexander, Eipon, 1840 Carrick, WiUiam, Cupar Fife, 1821 130 Cassie, John, Eew Machar, Aberdeenshire, 1861 Challinor, Alfred, Pendlebury, Manchester, 1864 Chalwin, E. G., India, 1848 Chalwin, Thomas, Sussex, 1853 Chambers, Evander, Half-pay 1st Dragoons, 1850 Chambers, George, Tarves, Aberdeen, 1834 Chambers, Eobert, Liverpool, 1857 Chambers, William, Liverpool, 1854 Charles, J. W., Accrington, 1840 Cheetham, J. P., Keswick, 1828 140 Cherry, Alfred H., Clapham, 1844 Chisholm, Alexander, Blackshiels, 1861 Clarke, James, Musselburgh, 1855 Clarke, John, Auchinbowie, Stirling, 1832 Clarke, WiUiam B., Cambridge, 1844 Clelland, George, Eosewell, 1834 CleUand, James, Coldstream, 1831 Coates, Thomas, Barden MUl, Northumberland , 1860 Cockburn, John, Haddington, 1838 Coleman, Edward, London, 1856 150 Collins, Francis P., 16tb Lancers, 1847 Collins, James, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, 1852 Connacher, George, Perth, 1857 XCVl LIST OF GRADUATES : ConnacMe, James, Connachie, M'"illiam, Constant, Stephen, Cooper, Job, Copeland, Henry, Copeland, Laurence, Corbett, John, 160 Coicar, Chambre, Coupland, William, Crigbton, James, Crombie, James, Cross, George, Corsland, George, Cox, Albert S., Cuming, M. A., Cunningbam, Andrew, Cunningham, Cornelius, 170 Cunningham, WiUiam, Currie, John, Currie, Robert G., Dacre, William, Dale, Arthur D., Dalzell, AUan, M.D., ■< Danby, Frederick, Darling, F. B., Dawson, Jacob, Dawson, John, 180 Day, Frederick J., Dent, William, Deuchars, Robert, Dewar, William, Diack, George, Dickie, James, Dickie, Robert, Dickson, John, Dickson, Thomas, Dixon, William, 190 Dixon, James C, Dobie, William, Dobson, John, Dobson, Robert, West Struther, Berwickshiie, 1860 Selkirk, 1858 5th Dragoon Guards, 1846 Market Weighton, Yorkshire, 1855 Garstang, Lincolnshire, 1853 Shiffnal, Salop, 1855 Simonburn, near Hexham, 1826 East India Company, 1854 Little Sutton, Cheshire, 1863 Cupar-Fife, 1834 Dunfermline, 1846 TJrie, Aberdeenshire, 1834 Victoria; 1850 Manchester, 1866 St John's, Newfoundland, 1846 Slateford, 1849 Slateford, 1859 Kilmarnock, 1827 Bowland, Galashiels, 1838 Aberdour, 1860 Manchester, 1866 Cadishead, Lancashire, 1864 C Lecturer on Chemistry and "v -| Materia Medica, Edin- 1 1857 I. burgh Veter. College, J Holtby, Yorkshire, 1864 late Australia, 1848 Kettering, ITorthampton, 1860 Strathdon, 1843 York, 1850 Westmoreland, 1865 Cruden, Aberdeen, 1849 Midmar, 1839 Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire, 1857 Auchencruve, Ayrshire, 1859 Ayr, 1861 Dumfries, 1864 Dumfries, 1840 Manchester, 1856 Peebles, 1862 Pierseton, Ayrshire, 1857 March, Cambridgeshire, 1847 Seton, Haddington, 1842 EDINBtTRGH VETEEINAEY COLLEGE. xevii Dodds, Eobert, Kirkcaldy, 1825 Dodds, Robert S., Alnwick, 1857 Doig, Jolm, Wigtown, 1850 Dollar, John, Paris, 1855 DoUar, Thomas A., New Bond Street, London, 1851 Donald, ArcMbald, Paisley, 1866 200 Donaldson, John, Paisley, 1835 Donaldson, James, Paisley, 1861 Donaldson, John, Paisley, 1862 Douglas, George, Woolsthorpe, 1843 Douglas, John, New Cumnock, Ayr, 1857 Dow, John, Birnam, Dunkeld, 1860 Drynan, Thomas, BaUantrae, Aberdeen, 1849 Drysdale, James, New York, 1833 Dudfleld, James, Eose, Gloucester, 1854 Dudgeon, Dayid, Tynningham, 1849 210 Duff, Aichihald, Edradour, Perth, 1832 Dun, Einlay, Shipston-on-Stour, 1849 Dun, Eohert, Edinburgh, 1854 Duns, David G., Dunse, 1866 Duncan, Alexander, Methhc, Aberdeen, 1851 Duncan, Archibald, Coliasburgh, Fife, 1834 Dundas, George, Wick, 1858 Dunlop, Alexander, Airdrie, 1837 Dunlop, John, Dreghom, 1859 Dunlop, Andrew, New Zealand, 1862 220 Duns, W. E., Dunse, 1863 Dycer, Edward, Dublin, 1838 Dycer, William, Dublin, 1841 Eaglonson, John, Stranraer, Wigtown, 1844 Eastcott, "WiUiam, Broadwood, Devonshire, 1863 Eckford, Jas. M., Leith, 1866 Edmonston, Andrew, Aberargie, Perth, 1835 Edwards, John, Abergele, Wales, 1858 Elam, "William, Huddersfield, 1846 Ellison, Alexander, Taiti, Eoss-shire, 1847 230 Erskine, Eohert, Grantown, Inverness, 1863 Evans, WiUiam, Co. Cork, 1863 Ewan, David, Barry, Forfarshire, 1851 Faichney, John, Douglas, Isle of Man, 1853 Eairley, John, Glamis, Forfarshire, 1857 Falconer, Daniel, Loanhead, 1848 Falconer, John, Loanhead, h 1835 XCVlll LIST OF GRADUATES Farquhar, William, Ayrshire, 1848 Farrell, Hiram, E.I.C., Bombay, 1858 Farrell, James, Dublin, 1851 1!40 Fawoett, Benjamin, Ponteland, 1855 Feamley, "WiUiam, Featherston, York, 1866 Ferguson, George, Craighead, Perthshire, 1829 Ferguson, James, Cuba, 1839 Ferguson, Patrick, Peebles, 1833 Fergusson, John H., Ayr, 1862 Ferris, John, Devonshire, 1856 Field, William Allan, London, 1857 Fields, William, Beverley, Yorkshire, 1862 Findlater, Eichard, Carstairs, Lanarkshire, 1844 'J50 Fingzies, James, Kinross, 1860 Fisher, John, Whithaven, 1852 Fitzwigram, Lieut. -Col. F., 15th Hussars, 1854 Fleming, George, 3d Hussars, 1855 Fleming, William, Oldham, 1861 Fogan, James, iTorthumber] and. 1859 Forbes, Charles, Aberdeenshire, 1841 Forrest Samuel, Carluke, Lanarkshire, 1842 Forsyth, Eohert, PortobeUo, 1837 Fraser, Alexander, Marnoch, Banff, 1856 ^60 Fraser, Charles, Limerick, 1841 Frater, William, America, 1830 Frater, WilHam, Hawksland, Lanarkshire, 1864 Friend, William, Walsall, 1848 Fry, Thomas, Virginstone, Devonshire, 1854 Fulton, David, Midlingar, L?eland, 1859 Fulton, John, Ayr, 1830 Fulton, Gilbert, Liverpool, 1836 Ganley, Andrew, Dublin, 1860 Gardiner, James, Alexandria by Dumbarton, 1830 270 Gardner, B. R. C, Staff Veter. Surgeon, Army, 1843 Gardner, Charles, Toronto, 1844 Gavin, William, India, 1845 Gill, David, Aberdeenshire, 1858 GiUespie, John, Lockerbie, 1856 Gillespie, Alexander, Wooler, 1861 GUmour, John, Clonmel, Ireland, 1850 Gladwin, Edward, Manchester, 1854 Glass, John W., Coldston, Aberdeen, 1843 EDINBURGH VETEEINAEY COLLEGE. XCIX Gleig, Williani, 280 Glennie, Matthew, Gofton, John, Glover, Eohert H., Gordon, WiUiam, Goudie, John, Gould, William, Gow, Alexander, Graham, Young E., Grainger, James, Grant, E"orman, 290 Grant, Eobert, Gray, Alexander, Gray, Edward Simpson, Gray, Thomas, Gray, John, Gray, Charles, Grierson, "William, Grieve, James, Guthrie, David, Haggard, Edward, 300 HaKey, Joseph, Halket, Alexander, Hall, Charles, HaU, E. W., Hall, WiUiam, Hall, Eohert, Hallen, J. H. B., Hamilton, Alexander, Hamilton, John H., Hammond, WiUiam, 310 Hammond, John, Hardy, Adam, Hardy, WiUiam, Harrison, George, Harrison, John, Harrison, Moolas, Haslam, James E"., HaunseU, WiUiam, Hampton, Peter, Hay, G. W., 320 Hay, John, f Hatton of Fotheringham, ( Eorfarshhe, I 1850 Coupar-Angus, 1843 Eothbury, Northumberland, 1862 Dumfries, 1841 Kirkmichael, 1860 Hinckley, Leicestershire, 1846 Whitchurch, Shropshire, 1864 Blair-Athole, 1857 Birmingham, 1847 EoseweU, Edinburgh, 1844 Dalrey, Eorres, 1850 Craig-begg, Invemess-shu-e, 1857 Edinburgh, 1836 8th Hussars, 1839 India, 1846 Craigie Burn, Lanarkshire, 1860 Wishaw, 1861 Kirkcudbright, 1844 Crossgates, 1829 Forfar, 1858 America, 1839 Southport, Lancashire, 1858 America, 1840 Staffordshire, 1854 Oxford, 1845 6tli Dragoon Guards, 1861 Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, 1864 E.I.C., India, 1848 New Zealand, 1861 Kandy, Ceylon, 1862 Witton-Ie-Wear, 1845 Newton-Stewart, 1865 Eoxburgh, America, 1844 Diu'ham, 1861 Croft, Leicester, 1842 Brough, Westmoreland, 1857 Swansea, Wales, 1863 Manchester, 1859 Staithes, Whitby, 1839 Arbroath, 1851 BosweU's Green, 1837 Lauder, Berwickshire, 1848 LIST OF GRADUATES : Hay, Thomas, Kirkmichael, Banff, 1850 Haycock, William, Manchester, 1842 Healey, Micliael F., Army, 1861 Heard, "William, Launceston, Cornwall, 1850 Heard, Edward H., Carrick-on-Suir, 1864 Hely, F. A, Carrickmacross, Ireland, 1849 Henderson, Alexander, Aberdeenshire, 1857 Henderson, William, Eoxburghshire, 1841 Hepburn, John, Laurencekirk, 1842 330 Hepburn, John, Milnathort, 1850 Hepburn, William, Laurencekirk, 1839 Hepburn, William, Kinross-shire, 1857 Hepburn, Michael, Blair-Adam, 1863 Herd, John, Appleby, Westmoreland, 1845 Herriott, Arthur, Polmont, Stirlingshire, 1831 Hick, William, FuKord, York, 1851 Hill, E. B., Forfarshire, 1848 Hill, William Wyatt, Coderhead, Lancashire, 1856 HiU, William F. H., Cheshire, 1857 340 HiU, H., Cadis Head, Lancashire, 1863 Hodgson, Septimus, Cumberland, 1854 Hogarth, George, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1842 Horner, Francis, Bingley, Yorksliire, 1863 Horsburgh, David, Dalkeith, 1851 Horsburgh, James, Dalkeith, 1835 Houston, George, Midlothian, 1844 Howatt, Eryoe, Londonderry, Ireland, 1858 Howatt, John, PoUokshaws, 1848 Howie, James, New Deer, 1847 350 Hughes, J. H., Swansea, 1866 Hulme, Peter Leicester, Manchester, 1850 Hume, James, America, 1853 Hunter, James, Confunderland, Aberdeenshire, 1862 Hurst, Henry, Liverpool, 1842 Hurst, James, Liverpool, 1851 Hutchinson, Hope, Scone, 1827 Hutchinson, John, South Shields, 1855 Illensworth, Thomas, High Hesket, 1854 Irvine, John, Castle-Douglas, 1840 360 Jack, Wmiam, Montrose, 1858 Jack, John, Inverkeillor, 1864 Jack, Thomas, Edinburgh, 1865 Jackson, Thomas, Portadown, Armagh, 1861 EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. CI Jaffrey, Thomas, Forres, 1852 Jebson, James, Bishop Wilton, Yorkshire, 1854 Johnson, James, Cruden, Aberdeenshire, 1832 Johnson, James, Millerhill, Edinburghshire, 1844 Johnson, William, Eoslin, 1836 Jones, Owen, Anglesea, 1853 370 Jones, Hugh, Paygrove, Caernarvonshire, 1864 Kay, James, Porfar, 1834 Kay, James, Forgandenny, Perthshire, 1846 Kay, John, Pontefract, Yorkshire, 1843 Kelly, Alexander, Edinburgh, 1862 Keith, Alexander, Old Deer, Aberdeen, 1853 Keith, "William, New York, 1858 Keith, James, Old Deer, 1865 Kelbum, Thomas, Skelton, Yorkshire, 1865 Kendall, Joseph, Lowich Bridge, Lancashire, 1866 380 Kennedy, Thomas, Wrexham, 1847 Ker, James, Peebles, 1862 Kerr, William, Beith, Ayrshire, 1861 Kettle, James, Leith Fort, 1866 Keyes, H. O'Snllivan, Limerick, Ireland, 1856 King, James, Belfast, 1843 Kirk, Benjamin E., United States Army, 1863 Kirkby, James, Sibsey, Lincolnshire, 1856 Kirkham, James, Liverpool, 1841 Kirkham, George, West Derby, 1843 390 Kirkpatrick, John, Dunscore, Dumfriesshire, 1831 Knight, James, Eenfrewshire, 1839 Knight, Eobert, Alloa, 1851 Knox, George, Haddington, 1846 Laidlaw, Eobert, Montreal, America, 1840 Laing, William, Banchory, 1826 Laing, Eobert, Carron, 1861 Lamb, William, Indian Army, 1850 Lambert, James, Eoyal Artillery, 1855 Lambert, Thomas, Manchester, 1859 400 Lambert, Septimus, Manchester, 1861 Lang, Eobert, Bridge of Weir, Eenfrew, 1858 Langdon, John, Launceston, 1854 Lauder, Charles, Dumfries, 1830 Law, James, Edinburgh, 1857 Lawson, Alexander, Bolton, Lancashire, 1842 Lawson, John, Manchester, 1837 Cll LIST OF GRADUATES : Lawson, John, High Street, Forres, 1851 Lawson, "William C, Bolton, 1864 Lawson, John, jun.. Manchester, 1862 410 Lawton, Peter, Alderley, Cheshire, 1862 Learmonth, Thomas, Edinhurgh, 1837 Leather, Joseph, Douglas, Isle of Man, 1862 Lee, John Henry, Chesterfield, 1857 Lees, Robert, Tarholton, AjTshire, 1862 Leith, WiUiam, Alford, Aberdeen, 1834 Lewis, Walter, Crewe, Cheshire, 1856 Lewis, George, Monmouth, 1861 Lewis, John Y., Hartlebury, Worcester, 1862 Lewis, Edward, Great Budworth, Cheshire, 1866 420 Liddle, John, Brockholes, Berwickshire, 1833 Linton, George, Bishop Auckland, 1855 Little, Thomas, Swinefleot, Yorkshire, 1862 Little, John, Agusterton, Cumberland, 1863 Little, "William, North Cave, Yorkshire, 1866 Littler, Eohert, Clawson, Leicestershire, 1850 Livingston, James, Strathtay, 1827 Loader, Thomas, Basingstoke, Hampshire, 1843 Lookhart, "WiUiam, New York, 1849 Lookhart, Alexander, Glasgow, 1865 430 Lockwood, G. W., York, 1840 Lockwood, Noel, HuU, Yorkshire, 1847 Lord, Eichard, Halifax, Yorkshire, 1857 Lord, "William C, 5th Lancers, 1842 Lothian, "WUliam, Thirlstane, Berwickshire, 1844 Lowe, Charles, Eedgorton, Perthshire, 1851 Low, John, Pittendennie, Perth, 1842 Low, John, Marchbum, Kincardine, 1842 Lyon, John, Prescott, Lancashire, 1845 Lyon, "William, Porfar, 1833 440 M'Arthur, Alexander, Largs, Ayrshire, 1863 M'Caa, John, Ayrshii'e, 1844 ]\['CaU, James, Glasgow, 1857 M'GonneU, Thomas, Wigtown, 1866 M'Court, John, Belfast, 1859 M'Crorie, Thomas, Monkton, Ayrshire, 1865 M'Culloch, Allan, Glasgow, 1862 M'Donald, James G., America, 1844 M'Dougal, Alexander, Old Kilpatrick, 1864 i\I'DougaU, James, West Kilpatrick, 1838 EDINBURGH VETEKINAEY COLLEGE. cm 450 M'Dougall, John, M'Eactran, Duncan M., MTarlane, Andrew, M'Gregor, Andrew, M'Gillivray, James, M'GUlivTay, Alex. E., M' Gavin, James, M'GiU, John F., M'Gregor, John, M'Intosh, Eohert, 460 M'Intosh, Eohert, M.D., M'Intosh,W.,M.E.C.S.E. M'Intosh, Andrew J., M'Kerrow, Hugh, M'Lachlan, David, M'Lae, WiUiam, M'Laren, John, INI 'Lean, John, M'Lean, John, M'Lean, John, 470 M'Lean, John, M'Lean, LaeUan, M'Lean, Daniel, M'Kiidy, John, M'MiHan, Hugh, M'lSTaughton, John, M'lS^aughton, Edward, M'Eohie, Eohert, M'Vean, Eohert, Maginn, Charles James, 480 ]\Ialcolm, John, Mann, Andrew, Marno, WUliam, Marshall, Matthew J., Marshall, Thomas, Jlarshall, William, Martin, Edward, Martin, Henry, Martin, John, Martin, James, 490 Mason, John, Mason, Eohert, Mather, Thomas, Cardross, i860 Canada West, 1861 Trinity Gask, Perthshire, 1848 Crieff, 1838 Eayne, by Insch, Aherdeenshu'e,l 845 Eayne, Aberdeenshire, 1866 Johnstone, 1848 Ayrshire, 1849 Tain, Sutherland, 1850 Falkirk, 1855 Australia, 1839 , Australia, 1839 Dumfries, 1862 Lesmahagow, 1828 Paisley, 1864 Dalmuir, 1852 jSTewport, Yorkshire, 1863 Aberfeldie, 1826 Edinburgh, 1837 Eenfrew, 1837 Springburn, Glasgow, 1856 Dunfermline, 1854 Eoyal Artillery, 1861 Kingarth, Bute, 1834 Aberfeldy, 1861 Langholm, 1836 Melbourne, 1846 Glasgow, 1842 Stirling, 1828 Ireland, 1847 Enniscorthy, Ireland, 1863 Lambton, Durham, 1865 Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, 1857 East India Company, 1853 Glasgow, 1851 Yorkshire, 1844 Camoyle, Forfar, 1850 Scone, 1860 Limerick, 1842 Navan, Co. Meath 1864 Kincardine, 1844 North Berwick, 1835 Edinburgh ] 840 CIV LIST OF GRADUATES Maxwell, James, Dalswinton, Dumfries, 1835 Mayer, William, Penrith, 1846 Meohie, Peter, Wishaw, 1852 Mechie, William, Berwickshire, 1841 Meiklam, Eobert, East Kilpatrick, 1866 Mellis, Thomas, Inverury, Aberdeenshire, 1862 Mennie, George, Skene, Aberdeenshire, 1857 500 Merry, Charles, Cumnock, Ayrshire, 1863 Michie, Thomas, Australia, 1855 Midgley, John, Birkenhead, 1860 Mills, John, 18th Light Dragoons, 1858 Millar, George, Bradninch, Devon, 1845 MiUar, William, Methven, Perthshire, 1853 Milligan, John, Lockerbie, 1864 Miscamble, John, Melboiu?ne, Australia, 1845 Mitchell, Andrew, Barr, Ayrshire, 1850 Mitchell, Graham, Linlithgowshire, 1854 510 MitoheU, Eobert, Glasgow, 1859 Mitchell, WiUiam, Bathgate, Linhthgowshire, 1849 Mitchell, John, Aberdeenshire, 1865 Mitchell, James, Kelso, 1865 Moffat, George D., Edinburgh, 1844 Moir, Charles, Wales, 1851 Moir, John, Banchory, 1855 Moir, Peter, Army, 1861 Monlrman, Mark, Leeds, 1841 Montgomery, Edward, Dublin, 1858 520 Moore, James, London, 1837 Moore, Eobert, London, 1865 Moorehouse, James W., , New Zealand, 1853 Morgan, George, Liverpool, 1856 Morris, John, Aberdeen, 1857 Morris, William, Aberdeen, 1864 Morrison, Alexander, Towie, Aberdeenshire, 1862 Morton, George, Edinburgh, 1840 Munn, John, Ocliiltree, Ayr 1852 Murphy, John B., Drogheda, Louth, 1846 530 Murphy, M. B. J., Dublin, 1848 Murphy, James, Armagh, 1862 Murray, John, Dunse, 1830 Murray, David, Methven, 1838 Murray, Peter, TuUa, Clare, 1844 Murray, Thomas, Tulla, Clare, 1846 EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. CV Murray, "WiUiam C, Muter, William, ISTewton, Peter, Nicholson, Robert, 540 Nimnio, Alexander, Nimmo, Andrew, Nuttal, Edmund, O'Brien, Maurice, Ogston, Eobert, Olden, George, Olden, Robert, senior, Olden, Robert, junior, OUver, George, Ord, Robert, 550 Ormiston, William, Osborne, Joseph, Owles, A. J., Paley, David, PaUin, WiUiam, Parks, Henry, Paterson, Robert B., Paton, William, Paton, Thomas, Paton, James G., 560 Patterson, Charles, Pears, Joseph, Pears, Hem-y, Peebles, James, Peech, John D., Percival, George, Perrie, James, Perry, Edward, Pettigrew, Robert, Phillipson, Thomas, 570 Pitt, John Edward, Poett, Augustus J. J., Poett, John Luke, Pollock, Thomas, Pollock, David, Pope, Adam, Potts, Leonard, Potts, Robert, Pottie, Alexander, Portobello, 1844 Cape of Good Hope, 1849 America, 1842 Womersley, Yorkshire, 1844 Linlithgow, 1827 Linlithgow, 1850 Bury, Lancashire, 1863 Clonmel, 1866 MiU of Calurlie, Aberdeenshire, 1858 Cork, 1845 Cork, 1839 Cork, 1839 Army, 1863 Roxburgh, 1846 Mexico, 1837 Spondon, Derbyshire, 1845 Staff Veter. Surgeon, Army, 1848 11th Hussars, 1859 Carlow, Ireland, 1863 Liverpool, 1852 Dumfries, 1840 Inchinnan, 1838 Cape Mounted Rifles, 1855 Manchester, 1865 Hull, 1853 Penrith, I860 Walton, Cumberland, 1858 Lochee, Eorfarshire, 1860 Wentworth, Yorkshire, 1851 Over Whitley, Cheshire, 1863 Old Deer, 1828 Leicestershire, 1865 Carluke, 1847 Stamfordham, 1836 Birmingham, 1857 East India Company, 1843 Curragh, I860 Edinburgh, 1842 Bellshill, Lanark, 1862 Tarves, Aberdeen, 1833 Penrith, 1859 Austraha, 1837 Renfrew, I860 CVl LIST OF GRADUATES : Pottie, Michael, Strathmigio, 1829 580 Pottie, John, Australia, 1858 Pratt, Thomas, Masham, Yorkshire, 1858 Prentice, Eohert, Bathgate, 1852 Preston, James, Mallow, Ireland 1860 Pritchard, Thomas, Madras, 1851 Proctor, Thomas, Liverpool, 1843 Proudfoot, George, Eastgate, 1855 Pugh, Charles G., Haverford West 1842 Purdie, John, Weston, Lanarkshire, 1833 Purves, George, Stirling, 1834 590 Quick, John Couch, St Ives, 1841 Eamsay, Henry, Lumphanan, Aberdeenshire, 1861 Eawes, William, Shap, Westmoreland, 1859 Eeed, Thomas, Shotley Bridge, 1860 Eeid, Andrew, Cluny, Pifesliire, 1859 Eeid, Alexander, Towie, Aberdeenshire, 1857 Eeid, Charles, Strathardle, Perth, 1830 Eeid, Patrick, Easter-Middleton, 1844 Eeid, Peter, Stirlingshire, 1844 Eeid, Eohert, r Assistant - Inspector of") t Slaughter-Houses, Edin. j ^^^^ 600 Eeilley, Owen, Oristown, Ireland, 1860 Eennie, George, Elgm, 1836 Eeynolds, Bernard, Dublin, 1851 Ehodes, John H., Manchester, 1864 Eichmond, Eohert, Poppleton, Yorkshire, 1855 Eiddell, Joseph, Abergeldie, 1827 EiddeU, WilUam, Garioch, Aberdeen, 1833 Eitchie, Andrew, Laurencekirk, 1847 Eitchie, James, Perthshire, 1838 Eitchie, Thomas, Scotland Well, Kinross, 1830 610 Eobb, Andrew, Parkhead, Glasgow, 1861 Eoherts, Eohert, Merioneth, 1854 Eoherts, Thomas, Lodge, Chirke, Salop, 1862 Eobertson, Alexander, Stonehaven, Kincardine, 1836 Eobertson, Alexander, Stonehaven, Kincardine, 1844 Eobertson, Daniel, Strathey, Perthshire, 1832 Eobertson, James, Half-pay, Army, 1838 Eobertson, John, Perthshire, 1844 Eobertson, William, Kelso, 1862 Eobertson, Adam C, Airdrie, 1862 620 Eobinson, Alexander, Greenock, 1849 BDINBUEGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. evil Robinson, James, Eenfrewshire, 1846 Eobson, Josepli, Penrith, 1856 Eomanis, Charles S., St Petersburg, 1847 Eoss, Adam, Inverness-shire, 1833 Eoss, Andrew G-albraith, Scots Greys, 1860 Eowe, H. S., Leeds, 1849 Eowlands, David, Oswestress, Denbighshire, 1864 Eoy, William, Crieff, 1842 Eumney, Oswald J., Cumberland, 1857 630 Eutherford, Eiohard, Calcutta, 1860 Sandeman, James, Cortaohy, Forfar, 1834 Savage, Charles John, Manchester, 1853 Scott, George, ISTorham, 1859 Scott, Luke, Tweedmouth, 1831 Scott, Strettel, Dublin, 1859 Scott, George, Earlston, Berwickshire, 1861 Scott, Eobert, Warwick, Eoxburgh, 1862 Scholefield, John, Pontefract, 1857 Scriven, George, Wetherby, 1844 640 Scriven, William, Aberford, 1836 Scrymgeour, James, St Johns, Xew Brunswick, 1866 Seaman, Isaac, Saffron, Walden, 1845 Seeker, Charles, Knaresborough, 1844 Seeker, Thomas, Eipon, 1849 Sermon, George, Manchester, 1862 Seton, Henry, Edinburgh, 1835 Sharp, Thomas, Hamilton, 1865 Sharpe, James, Hamilton, 1850 Shea, Thomas, Dublin, 1859 650 Shearer, Andrew, Kirkcudbright, 1839 Shenton, Eichard, Derbyshire, 1855 Shenton, Thomas, Bakewell, 1850 Shepherd, Eichard, Pickering, 1856 Sheriff, John, Calcutta, 1854 Shields, WiUiam, Arbirlot, Forfar, 1830 Shortt, John, M.D., Madras, East Indies, 1860 Simmonds, Benjamin, London, 1856 SiddeU, Thomas, Shotley, 1844 Simon, John, Auchterless, Aberdeen, 1866 660 Simpson, Andrew, Fettercairn, 1860 Simpson, Cuthbert, Manchester, 1837 Simpson, George, Liverpool, 1842 Simpson, John, Liverpool, 1846 CVlll LIST OF GRADUATES : Simpson, Thomas, Ellon, Aberdeenshii-e, 1864 Sinclair John, Auchterarder, 1834 Skea, Joseph, Aberdeen, 1843 Slater, James, Kirkham, Lancashire, 1853 Sloane, E. W., Kirkcudbright, 1865 Smeaton, Alexander, Crichton, 1834 670 Smith, Alexander, Appletreehall, Eoxburgh, 1842 Smith, Anthony, Australia, 1834 Smith, Benjamin, Ulverston, 1860 Smith, David, Fettercairn, 1828 Smith, Gilbert, Closeburn, Dumfries, 1836 Smith, Godfrey, Darton, near Barnsley, 1860 Smith, James, Inverury, 1829 Smith, James, Auchterarder, 1852 Smith, Walter, Eglinton, 1827 Smith, WiUiam, Eedstone, Perthshire, 1841 680 Smith, William, Tranent, 1852 Smith, William, Ceylon, 1854 Smith, Benjamin, Darton, Yorkshire, 1863 Smith, John, Birkenhead, 1864 Smith, Andrew, 1 Lecturer on Veterinary 1 Science, Toronto, Canada, |l861 Smith, William A., Dublin, 1865 Snowball, George, Huntly, 1851 Snowball, Matthew, Huntly, 1853 Sorely, Eobert, Cromar, Aberdeenshire, 1846 Soulsby, James Collier, Hartlepool, 1857 690 Spenser, John, Bakewell, Derby, 1843 Sproiill, James, Milngavie, Glasgow, 1840 Spruell, William, Paisley, 1862 St Clair, John Pattison, , Lancaster, 1835 Steel, John, Biggar, Lanarkshire, 1831 Steele, John, Australia, 1862 Stewart, George, Banffshire, Eothiemay, 1846 Stewart, George, Perth, 1858 Stewart, John, Perth, 1827 Stewart, John, Australia, 1860 700 Stewart, Thomas, Broughty Ferry, 1850 Stewart, William, Aberdeenshire, 1824 Stewart, George, Penrith, 1861 Stewart, Alexander, Eotlriemay, Aberdeen, 1866 Stirling, William, Ireland,' 1843 Stokoe, Thomas, Hay, Brecon, 1864 EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. CIX Stone, Harry, Donington, Leicestershire, 1864 Storar, James, The Palace, Dubford, Banff, 1848 Storie, Francis, East Linton, 1827 Stowe, William H., Warwick, 1857 710 Strangeways, Thomas, C Lecturer on Anatomy, Edin. \ Veterinary College, I 1857 Strut, Peter, Eord Bridge, Northumberland, 1835 Summers, William, Chardstock, Dorset, 1866 Swarbrek, Thomas, Preston, Lancashire, 1841 Tait, George, Meigle, 1824 Tait, George, inn.. Meigle, 1848 Tait, James, Perthshire, 1857 Tait, John, Tweedmouth, 1835 Tait, John, Kirkintilloch, 1848 Tait, Joseph, Portsoy, 1861 720 TaUontire, John, Skelton, Cumberland, 1863 Taylor, Alexander, Brechin, 1842 Taylor, Peter, Manchester, 1844 Taylor, Thomas, Manchester, ; 1859 Taylor, Walter, Cheshire, 1857 Taylor, William, Australia, 1856 Taylor, William, Wetherby, Yorkshire, 1859 Taylor, James, Co. Down, Ireland, 1863 Tennant, Charles, Maybole, 1844 Tennant, J. B., Maybole, 1840 730 Terry, WiUiam, WeUs, Norfolk, 1843 Teviotdale, John, Elgin, 1839 Thomson, David, Trinidad, 1859 Thomson, George, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, 1853 Thomson, Henry, Eosyth, 1833 Thomson, Henry, Aspatria, Cumberland, 1860 Thomson, John, Kingswood, Perth, 1833 Thomson, John, Glammis, Forfar, 1841 Thomson, John, Bridge of Ardrock, 1843 Thomson, Eobert, Auchterarder, 1828 740 Thomson, Samuel, Corehouse, 1850 Thomson, Thomas, Eedstone, Perthshire, 1832 Thomson, Thomas, Sunderland, 1840 Thomson, Thomas, Strathaven, Lanark, 1853 Thomson, William, Dunbar, 1849 Tindal, James, Glasgow, 1834 Towers, J. T., 13th Light Dragoons, 1850 Tudhope, David, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, 1844 ex LIST OF GRADUATES : Turnbull, Arcliibald, East India Co., Bengal, 1846 Turnbull, Thomas, Hawick, 1831 750 TiirnbuU, John, Ehynie, Aberdeenshire, 1862 TurnbiLU, Peter, Ehynie, Aberdeenshire, 1866 Turner, James, Montreal, Canada, 1833 Turner, Jolin, Warrington, 1847 TuthiU, John, Tralee, 1852 Unsworth, John Bell, Manchester, 1856 Vasey, Nicholas, Durham, 1856 Waddell, Alexander, Perth, 1835 Wagstaif, Samuel, Leadenham, Liucoln, 1862 Wainwright, Thomas, Sherburne, Yorkshire, 1861 760 Waldie, Edward, Jedburgh, 1840 Walker, Eobert, Kirkintilloch, 1848 Walker, Thomas, Eothley, Leicestershire, 1844 Walker, William, Dundonald, Ayrshire, 1829 Walker, William, Dairy, Ayrshire, 1845 Walker, Peter, Luss, Dumbarton, 1861 Wallier, James, P.S., Grantown, Eoss-shire, 1866 Wall, Frederick, Manchester, 1865 Warfolk, Thomas, Wishaw, 1852 Waterhouse, William, Briarly Manor, Barnsley, 1866 770 Waters, George, Buntingford, Herts, 1845 Watt, Alexander, Edinburgh, 1837 Watt, James, Edinburgh, 1826 Waugh, William, Stirling, 1846 Webster, John, Fourden, Kincardineshire, 1862 Welsh, C, Whaley Bridge, Derby, 1863 West, Eichard, Thetford, l^orfolk. 1862 Wheeler, William C, Cairo, Egypt, 1862 White, James, Aberdeenshire, 1836 White, James, Paxton, Berwickshire, 1835 780 White, John, Waltham, Lincolnshire, 1846 White, Thomas, Corwen, Wales, 1861 Whitney, W. S., Cork, 1866 Whittle, William, Manchester, 1848 Whyte, WiUiam, Girvan, Ayrshire, 1844 Whyttock, Alexander, Perthshire, 1843 WUkie, Alexander, Forfarshire, 1831 Wilkinson, James, Dundee, Forfarshire, 1844 Williams, John, St Asaph, 1845 Williams, William, Bradford, Yorkshire, 1857 790 Williamson, John, Dalkeith, 1839 EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. CXI Willett, Will. Gregory, Wills, Samuel J., Wilson, Archibald, Wilson, George, Wilson, James, Wilson, James, Wilson, James, Wilson, John Marshall, Wilson, Eohert Stretton, 800 Wilson, William, Wishart, John, Wishart, Philip, Womack, John, Wood, Sampson, Wood, WiUiam, Wordie, John, Wordie, Eohert, 1, William, < Worthington, William, 810 Wragg, G. Moore, Wright, WUliam, Wright, J. W., Wylie, George, Yoimg, WilUam, Young, Andrew, Young, William, Young, David, 818 Young, George, Worthington, Stretton, Cheshire, 1861 Blandford, Dorset, 1861 Africa, 1838 Bauli House, Edinburgh, 1837 Keig,Whitehouse, Aberdeensh., 1 850 Stirlingshire, 1852 Australia, 1860 Military Train, 1858 Ollerton, Notts, 1852 Sanquhar, 1862 Melrose, 1832 Haddington, 1844 Ponteland, Northumberland, 1861 Moor Town, Leeds, 1853 Wigan, 1854 Cumbernauld, 1843 Cumbernauld, 1845 Clinical Assistant, Edinburgh ' Veterinary College, Garstang, Lancashire, 1863 Doncaster, 1850 Tideswell, Derbyshire, 1857 Bilbrough, Yorkshire, 1866 Slewoodfield, Aberdeenshire, 1842 Noblehouse, 1834 Jedburgh, 1834 Lanarkshire, 1832 Hamilton, 1865 Haddington, 1865 1840 OCCASIONAL PAPERS VETERINAEY SUBJECTS. ON THE ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF THE FOOT OF THE HOESE. Of all the subjects connected with veterinary science, there is none which has attracted so much attention as tire ana- tomy and diseases of the foot of the horse. The import- ance of this organ to the animal, the numerous diseases to which it is liable, and the frequency of their occurrence, are perhaps enough to account for the anxiety displayed regarding it ; but while volume after volume has been sent forth by the London press, and diffused through the southern part of our island, with the single exception of the short but excellent treatise by J. Clark of Edinburgh, nothing, in so far as I know, has hitherto appeared in Scotland upon the subject. Little, therefore, is known in this part of the island regarding it ; and where ignorance prevails, the mischief is always in proportion. With a view, therefore, to direct the attention of your nume- rous readers to this important subject, allow me to give the following sketch of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the foot of that animal. A 2 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF To a careless observer, the hoof seems to have nothing deserving his attention. It appears a mere block of horn attached to the limb, to allow a shoe to be nailed on, or to pre- vent the stump from being worn away ; but, on slight inquiry, we find it made up of various parts, arranged in a peculiar order, each performing a different function, and all well deserv- ing of our careful attention, for by perverting the functions of the different parts of which the hoof is composed, by the appli- cation of what we consider "a defence" (a shoe), we produce most of the diseases to which it is liable. The hoof is made up of the crust or wall, the bars, the sole, the frog, and coronary frog-band. The crust, or wall, is that part which is seen when the foot is resting on the ground, apparently extending round the whole foot, and continued from the hair, or termination of the skin, to the ground, considerably deeper in the front, which receives the name of toe, than in the sides, which are called the quarters, and still more so than in the posterior parts, denominated the heels. The crust is the strongest and most compact part of the hoof : it is composed of fibres, which run parallel with each other, as they descend in an oblique direc- tion towards the ground, firmly united together by a glutinous horny matter, or circular fibres, which are secreted along with the parallel descending fibres by the coronary ligament — that thickened part of the skin where the hoof commences. This part of the hoof is analogous to the claws of the lower animals, and the nails of the human species. Like them, it presents a fibrous structure, and is secreted from the same part, the cutis. The superior part of the foot is called the coronet, which, when the sensible parts of the hoof have been removed, we find hollowed out, being the space filled up by the coronary liga- ment. In this hollow we perceive an immense number of small holes {foramina), which are formed by the termination of the arteries (the villi), by which the horny matter is poured out. These pores would make it appear that the fibres were hollow, but they are filled up as they are pushed off from the THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 3 secreting extremities. The whole united, termed the walls, vary in thickness as well as in depth — the toe being in gene- ral about five-eighths of an inch, while the inside quarter is freq^uently not more than three-eighths thick. The strength of the quarter seldom differs so much from that of the toe in the hind as in the fore feet. On the interior of the crust we find a laminated structure, similar in appearance to the under surface of a mushroom, running from the coronet downwards in the direction of the fibres. By these, the horny laminfe, the crust is connected with the coffin-bone (os pedis) through the medium of other laminse, which arise from the anterior and lateral parts of the bone, called the sensible laminse. The sensible and horny laminse are received into each other in such a manner (or " dovetailed," as Professor Coleman has it) as to form a bond of union with one another so firm, that, without previous inflammation, the greatest force is incapable of effect- ing a separation without a laceration of their structure. These, together with the whole hoof, are possessed of a considerable degree of elasticity ; and therefore, while by their firm adhe- sion they give sufficient security, they are admirably fitted to guard against the concussion to which the foot and the whole limb would otherwise be exposed. The crust may be con- sidered analogically as the permanent structure of tlie hoof; the other parts as a variety adapted to the use and habits of the animal. In the horse it presents an arch of props, com- posed of fibres, upon which the whole limb is firmly supported. These fibres are arranged in a circle, as already stated, running from the coronet to the ground, the form differing in different individuals. In some it is the truncated section of a cone, in others the truncated section of a cylinder : thus in colts, when foaled, and for a considerable period afterwards, it is contracted and narrow inferiorly, but afterwards becomes expanded and fully developed by age, and gradually extends, so as to afford a sufficient base for the support of the animal. In this, indeed, as in all that relates to the mechanism of the foot, the Author of Nature has displayed such an admirable arrangement 4 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF and distribution of parts as to excite our wonder and admiration. A wide extended cone of horn might have afforded a suffi- cient base upon which the limb might have rested, but it would have admited of but a very imperfect performance of the other functions of the parts ; and, accordingly, as it becomes neces- sary that the foot should be guarded against concussion, and at the same time admit of the greatest freedom of motion, we find that, in the first place, the crust, instead of forming a con- tinued circle of horn, becomes suddenly inflected at each heel, and continued inwards to the centre of the foot, forming the bars, and by this angle, or sudden turn of the crust at the heels, providing a pillar of strength, well adapted to support the weight thrown on the posterior parts of the foot. The space left free by this arrangement of the crust and bars, being filled up with the softest and most elastic portion of horn, called the frog, allows of the necessary degree of expansion and contraction of the several parts. In the second place, the horn is so distributed as to admit the greatest freedom of motion in the limbs, with the least possible obstruction. In animals destined for speed, the anterior extremities are brought near each other to give freedom of motion. This being the case, the hoof, if of a perfectly upright conical form, would almost un- avoidably strike and injure the opposite leg as it passes in action ; but, to avoid this, the inside quarter becomes per- pendicular, and, to give a sufficient degree of security, the outside is extended outwards, by which means the base is sufficiently enlarged. The bars, as has already been stated, are a continuation of the crust, running on each side of the frog forward towards the centre of the foot from the extremities or heels of the crust, adding greatly to its strength, and are admirably fitted to pre- vent the too great approximation of it, and also assisting in producing the natural and full expansion of the foot. Between these, the crust and the anterior extremity of the frog, we find the horny sole, that part which, in the healthy and natural THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 5 state, is scooped out, giving a sufficient protection to the parts above it by the thickness of the scaly horn of which it is composed. The frog is that portion of the hoof which is lodged between the bars, somewhat like the head of a dart, or of a triangular appearance, projecting boldly downwards, to meet the ground, and to support a portion of the weight thrown upon the poste- rior parts of the foot. In the back part of the centre of the frog, and on each side between it and the bars, there are deep furrows — the one in the centre (the " cleft ") extending forward to about the middle of the frog, and one on each side extend- ing to its extremity. On examining the internal parts of the hoof, we perceive that these furrows cause projections inwards, while the external prominent parts are excavated, so that the frog, notwithstanding its strong appearance when viewed ex- ternally, is not possessed, in the natural and healthy structure, of a greater proportion of horn than the rest of the foot. The whole under parts of the hoof, in fact, present a series of partially developed folds, which admit of a freedom of expan- sion and contraction, with little danger of laceration of fibres. These folds, aided by the circumstance of the frog's being the most elastic part of the whole hoof, allow of much freedom, with the slightest possible displacement in the individual parts, and hence the whole structure is admirably adapted to allow expansion, diffuse force, and prevent concussion. Surrounding the coronet of the hoof we find a slight band of soft horn, called the Coronary Frog Band, in texture similar to the frog, continued into it, and indeed seemingly a part of the same structure. It forms a medium of connection between the cutis and hoof, and is, as it were, a thick and special cuticle to cover over this joining of different substances, preventing their separation or other injuries. It is precisely analogous, both in structure and use, to the small margin of cuticle which overlaps the root of the nails of our fingers. Before entering upon the nature of the diseases of the foot, or the effects of shoeing, it is necessary that we should inquire 6 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OP into the structure and functions of its interior, for it is only in relation to those parts that the changes which take place in the hoof can be of any importance, the hoof itself being an insensible mass. We must, therefore, now proceed to examine what is called the Sensible Foot. "Wlien the hoof has been carefully removed, without destroy- ing the secreting surface from which it is poured forth, the sensible foot exhibits an exact counterpart of the interior of the hoof At the termination of the hair there is a thicken- ing of the skin, which has already been mentioned as receiving the name of coronary ligament, forming a circle or ring extend- ing round the termination of the hair, gradually becoming narrow as it approaches the heels, and turning inwards in the direction of the bars, the surface being covered with hairy-like projections (the villi) from which the crust is secreted. From the coronary ligament, the sensible laminee (with which the horny laminae are connected, and from which they are secreted) descend, arising from the anterior and lateral surface of the coffin or foot-bone {os pedis), wliile the under surface (the sensible sole and frog) is covered with a hairy-like web (villi), similar to that on the coronary ligament, and bears a close resemblance in form to the external under surface of the hoof. As the whole surface of the sensible foot performs the office of secretion, it must of course be plentifully supphed with blood, and accordingly we find a large artery proceeding to the foot becoming divided into two larger branches imme- diately above the fetlock joint. As they pass down on each side of the pastern, they generally send off two branches about the middle of the pastern bone, which, running downwards and forwards, communicate with other branches that come off lower down, and which, passing under the extensor tendon, form the superior coronary artery, and, sweeping round the coronet, meet each other to form the inferior coronary artery. From these, again, branches descend perpendicularly, to ramify on the secreting surface of the coronary ligament. The two main branches, as they still pass down in the back part of the THE FOOT OF THE HOBSE. 7 pastern, next send out branches, first to the frog, then to the sides of the cofiin-bone and neighbouring parts, and at length, entering the bone, meet by a circular route in the interior of it, sending branches out through numerous holes {foramina) which are found in it to the laminse and the sole, so freely communicating (anastomosing) with each other at the lower edge of the coffin-bone, as almost to form another circular artery. From this peculiar distribution of the arteries, the circulation is apparently retarded, in order probably to allow time for the perfect secretion of horn. The blood that has not been expended in the secretion of hoof is returned to the heart by the veins, which are here somewhat peculiarly arranged and constructed. On injecting the vessels of the foot, we soon perceive that the veins run into one another, like a complete net-work, throughout the whole extent of the secreting part of the foot, which, aided by the circumstance of there being no valves (as we find in almost all the other veins) to direct the blood in one particular course, allows the blood to escape so readily in every direction from the interior of the foot as at once to insure a free circulation of it, and at the same time to prevent the possibility of a rupture of the vessels taking place. In- deed, so free is the communication between the vessels in the foot, that the circulation of the blood may at once be de- monstrated by simply affixing an injecting pipe upon the trunk of the arteries passing to the foot, either in the horse or in the ox ; and by a slight degree of force with a common injecting syringe, a common injection, but more especially oil of turpentine, coloured with alkanet root, or size and ver- milion, or even water, may be made to pass readily through the arteries into the veins, and to flow out from the trunk of the veins in a copious stream. This experiment, so far as is known, was first exhibited in the Edinburgh Veterinary School. Besides arteries and veins, the foot is also supplied with absorbents and nerves, the first to remove the parts that have 8 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF become useless, decayed, or weakened in tlie sensible foot, the latter to supply it witli nervous energy and sensation, accord- ing to tlie wants and necessities of its several parts. The removal of the parts of the sensible foot, at which we have already glanced, exhibits to our view the coffin or foot and navicular bones, connected by their ligaments with the cartilages, the tendons, and sensible frog. The OS 2xdis (foot-bone) bears a strong resemblance to the shape of the hoof It is light and porous in its structure, perforated by innumerable holes for the transmission of blood- vessels, its hoUowed-out under surface corresponding with the horny and sensible sole, and, by a second or posterior excava- tion, allowing space for the firm attachment of the flexor tendon. Its anterior and lateral surface is rough for the firm attachment of the sensible laminae ; its upper surface, forming the coffin joint, is hollowed out for the under surface of the coronary bone, and sloped off posteriorly to articulate with the navicular bone, but rises into a projection anteriorly to give insertion to the extensor tendon, while laterally it extends into two alffi or wings, from which several lateral ligaments arise, affording space for the connection of the lateral cartilages, which are seen to rise bodily out from within the hoof on each quarter, and are found to extend downward to be connected with the sensible frog. Extending between the alfe of the coffin bone, and connected with the posterior part of its articulation by a broad ligament, is the navicular bone (in appearance somewhat like a boat or weaver's shuttle, whence its name), enlarging considerably tire coffin joint, and also serving as a movable lever or pulley to assist the action of the flexor tendon (Jlexor perforans), to which (by a ligament that arises from its posterior edge) it is attached. The sensible frog fills up, then, the space left between each cartilage, or rather the sensible frog and cartilages appear to run insensibly into each other. The frog, being made up of a mixture of cartilage, ligament, and a peculiar fatty-like sub- THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 9 stance, all of which are curiously intermixed and blended to- gether, possesses a considerable degree of elasticity, while it is in a great measure destitute of sensation, for the obvious pur- pose of rendering it an elastic insensible pad for the support of the posterior of the foot under severe action, and for ward- ing off the shock arising from concussion by diffusing its force to the elastic lateral cartilages. It defends, at the same time, by its elasticity and insensibility, the deeper and more im- portant parts from mechanical injuries, proving, like the horn* and hair at the extremity or posterior of the fetlock, a pad of support, consisting of parts well adapted, by their insensibility and toughness, to resist the injuries to which this part is in many cases exposed. The frog is in fact precisely analogous to the pads we firid in the foot of the dog, in the posterior parts of the feet of oxen — in short, in the posterior resting-place of the feet of all animals ; the sensible parts in all being of a similar structure to the sensible frog, " cartilago-ligamentous fatty substance ; " and if they have not all a horny frog, a thickening and induration of the cuticle, little short of it, may be traced in the foot of almost every quadruped. I am aware of the obscurity which attends anatomical descriptions of the nature here given, but in pursuing the investigation I hope to remove a portion of the obscurity which may have attended my present descriptions, by delineations of the parts to which reference has been made. Agreeably to the notice at the conclusion of my last paper on the Foot of the Horse, I now present two sketches * A horny part, the use of which has hitherto been entirely overlooked by veterinary writers. It performs the office of a pad to defend the fetlock from injury, to which it is exposed in galloping through deep ground : it also de- fends the tendon, which, although in health, is but slightly sensitive, yet when injured, becomes highly so, and therefore requiring to be, and is, carefully de- fended. Cover the flexor tendon of the horn with simple skin where it passes over the navicular bone, and what would be the conseciuence upon our roads ? 10 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF UK. illustrative of the parts described, which will, I trust, be suf- ficient to enable your readers to understand the description already given, as weU as the remarks which are to follow. The first represents a section of the foot and a part of the leg ; and the other is a perspective view of the sole, from a portion of which the horny sole and frog are supposed to be removed. These two sketches represent all the parts formerly described, with the exception of blood-vessels, absorbents, and nerves. A, The metacarpal bone. B, Large pastern {os sufft-aginu). 0, Small pastern (os corona;). D, CofiBn bone (os pedis). E, Fetlock bones (ossa sesmoidea). F, Navicular bone. G, Extensor tendon. H, Its insertion into the anterior pro- cess of the coffin bone. If I, Suspensory ligament, descending to jti, its insertion in the sesamoid bone. .1, Flexor perforans, descending to the under surface of the coffin bone to be there inserted. K, Flexor perforatus, descending to the OS coronce, forming a sheath to the perforans. L, Inferior long and short ligaments of the sesamoid bones. M, Fetlock pad, resembling the horny frog, with the cartilage -ligamentous fatty substance between it and the tendon, analogous to the sensible frog. N, The sensible frog. O, The horny frog. P, Horny sole, with the sensible sole between it and the coffin bone. Q, The crust, the space between it and the coffin bone being occupied by the laminae. R, The coronet. S, The toe. T, The synovial capsule, the seat of disease in grogginess, being the space seen between the flexor perforans and the navicular bone. UU,, Ligaments of the navicular bone. V, Coffin-joint. X, Pastern-joint. Y, Fetlock- joint. THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 11 The sensible foot of the horse, as mentioned in my former letter, is covered and protected by the laoof, or horny part, Fic. 2. A, Lateral cartilage. B, Coronary ligament. C, Laminse. D, Sensible sole. E, The toe. FF, The crust. G, The horny sole. H, The quarter. I, The heel. J, The frog. K, Part of the coronary frog band. L, The bars. M, Perforans tendon. which possesses in an eminent degree, both by its construction and the material of which it is composed, properties well calculated to resist the wear and tear to which it is exposed. But although this organ is capable of supporting the animal sufficiently to enable him to provide himself with food, the enjoyment of life, and to lend a powerful aid to man, there are bounds to its endurance. It is unable to contend against the combined influence of our self-interestedness and maca- damised roads, and hence we are compelled to adopt some plan of defending the hoof against the effects of the efforts the animal is excited to make under such circumstances. "When such a defence became necessary, it must have at once been found that nothing short of the most durable substance would be sufficient for this purpose, and an iron defence (a shoe) was accordingly adopted. The iron shoe first came into use about six or seven hundred years ago. It does not appear that the ancients adopted such durable means : they were content with 12 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF an economic expenditure of what nature had provided, and were most scrupulous in the care and attention which were paid to the preservation of the feet. Xenophon, a celebrated Grecian general, has entered into a careful consideration of the means to be used for the preservation of the hoofs of horses in the Grecian armies. The application of an iron shoe at once prevents the foot from being worn away ; but while it effects this, it interrupts some of the most important functions of the foot. The tough- ness of the hoof and the strength of the crust, the inferior ter- mination of which is seen at FF, in fig. 2, afford a ready means of attaching the shoe ; but as this must be effected by means of nails, and as these must be continued round a con- siderable part of the hoof, the crust thus becomes firmly fixed to the shoe, so as almost entirely to prevent the natural and necessary expansion and contraction of that part of the hoof ; and as the action of the whole depends in a considerable degree upon the individual parts, a general derangement of the whole foot is a necessary consequence of the interruption of these functions. It must have appeared, on the first application of a shoe, that it was necessary to allow a degree of freedom to the motion of the horny sole, because constant firm pressure on it, even in the strongest feet, will produce lameness ; consequently the earliest and the most rudely constructed horse-shoe that we find for the fore feet, was formed so as to admit in a certain degxee of the motion or descent of the sole. But it was after- wards found, as more particular attention came to be paid to the diseases of the feet, that many other iUs Fig 3 . to which the feet of the animal are liable arose from the means adopted to prevent the more obvious mischiefs. The simplest and readiest method of preventing pressure upon the sole, by allowing its descent, was to bevel off the shoe, as in the figure, in such a manner that the crust of the hoof could only rest on the outer edge of it, thus leaving a sufficient space for the descent of the sole. Such a construe- THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 13 tion, however, involved the foot in more serious consequences. The sides and extremities of the crust, resting upon an inclined plane, when the animal is made to perform the ordinary exer- tions to which he is commonly applied, are made to approxi- mate each other at every step ; and instead of tlie freedom, the liberty, and the expansion whiclr would take place in the natural and unrestrained state, the foot becomes squeezed to- gether in such a maimer (as has been observed by J. Clark) as to prove both a source of pain to the animal, and a total destruction of the functions of this important organ. Connected with shoeing arises another inconvenience in the gradual growth of the hoof, which, exposed in a state of nature, is constantly being worn away ; but here, by the protection of the shoe, it becomes abundant, and requires in general cutting down more or less at different periods. The paring of the hoof being of necessity intrusted to those who apply the shoe, and they viewing the operation as an indifferent matter, a careless and improper removal of the hoof is almost a certain consequence, by which means parts that ought to be left strong and well protected are removed, while those which ought to be removed are commonly allowed to remain : thus the feet become dis- torted, and disease is rapidly induced. Amongst the first who attempted to remedy these defects was La Fosse, who considered the principal source of mischief to arise from the construction of the common shoe raising the heels and frog from the ground, which, he says, deprives the tendons, when in action, of the necessary support which they receive from the frog in a state of nature ^ , ° Fig. 4. resting upon the ground; hence they become strained, and lameness is frequently the conse- quence. To obviate these mischiefs, he strongly recommended the short thin-heeled or half- moon shoe, extending round the toe, and back to the quarters, as in fig. 4, and to leave the sole and frog unpared. By these means he considered he would be able to prevent most of the diseases of the feet. The 14 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF heels and quarters being thus left at liberty, and the frog brought in contact with the ground, the foot somewhat ap- proaches the natural state. But while this shoe may be applied with safety and advantage to strong feet, the varieties that occur, both in the form and strength of different feet, and the construction of the limbs of many horses, set narrow limits to the advantages that were at first expected to arise from the adoption of this plan of shoeing. The tendons of the limb, instead of being relieved by such a plan, seemed to suffer more frequently than before, because the toe, be- coming elongated by the gradual growth of horn and the addition of the shoe upon frequently an improperly prepared foot, throws a greater instead of a less strain upon the ten- dons (more especially in long-pasterned horses) than the older method ; and thus a formidable objection to it was raised, which, together with its obvious inapplicability to very low weak-lieeled feet, seems to have been the cause of its having been laid aside. Osmer, J. Clark, and Moorcroft, considering that the evils produced by shoeing arose chiefly from the bevelling of the shoe, improper paring, and unequal pressure, introduced and recommended the seated concave shoe, now most commonly in use in the most respectable forges in the country ; but the advantages of the seated shoe, great as these are, have been found insufficient to prevent a number of the diseases of the feet— chronic founder, contraction, grogginess, or shaken in the shoulders (or " the curse upon all good horse-flesh," as it has been emphatically called by Mmrod, the celebrated writer in the 'Sporting Magazine'), and all its consequences, even under the hands of the best and most careful workmen, makes its insidious progress ; and it is found that the most valuable horses are continually falling victims to this most destructive disease. Professor Coleman, at the commencement of his career, adopted the opinions of La Fosse, which were also held by his predecessor St Bel ; and, by a variety of ingenious contrivances THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 15 (far several of which he took out patents), he has continued to support the same views. Finding, at an early period, more difficulty in the practical application of the short shoe than in the principles of it, he chose to make the heels of it extend to the extremity of the crust, at the junction of the bars, keeping the heels of the shoe sufficiently thin to allow the frog, under ordinary circumstances, to receive a degree of pressure ; but as this could not always be obtained, he invented an artificial frog (an iron wedge), of sufficient thickness at its posterior part to extend beyond the level of the shoe and rest on the frog ; so that when the animal stood in the stable he should by this means rest the whole, or the greater part, of his weight upon the frog. From this it was expected that the foot would become expanded, and contraction be prevented. This, how- ever, after a time, was found insufficient to effect these pur- poses; and in addition to the thin heels and wedge clips were added, which were made to press against the junction of the crust and bars, and thus to offer a mechanical obstruction to the contraction of the hoof. The friction, however, arising from the elasticity of the heels, soon allowing these clips to insinuate themselves into the horn, prevented those advantages which were first expected from them. To aid this, again, the heels of the shoes were now bevelled outwards, so that the hoof, resting on this inclined plane, was forced asunder, as it were, at every step. The failure of the plans already mentioned led to the iatro- duction of the frog-bar shoe, which, in its various forms, by keeping up continued pressure upon the frog, was expected to have the power, not only of preventing contraction and remov- ing it when it had taken place, but also of proving a complete protection to weak heels, and a preventive of corns, thrushes, sandcrack, false quarter, canker, and the like. But the frog-bar shoe, instead of affording the ease or pro- tection expected from it, proved in many cases a cause of some of the diseases it was intended to prevent, and the Professor has now made it give w.ay in a great measure to the spring- 16 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF heeled shoe, which is at present much iii use at the Veterinary College. The spring-heeled shoe (or Grasshopper, as it has been wittily called by some London veterinarians) differs from the common shoe in being bevelled off towards the heels, on the sm'face next the hoof, from the quarter A, fig. 5, to the extremity of the heel C. At the commencement of the slope in the quarter, there is a steel spring AC, welded or rivetted on, and continued to the heel, so as to form a continued plane DC with the surface of the haof Between the extremity of the spring and the thianed part of the heel of the shoe BC, a space of about three-eighths of an inch is left ; so that when the weight of the posterior part of the heel falls on the spring it is allowed to descend, and a degree of liberty is thus afforded. The construction of this shoe is quite new, but the principles upon which it is applied have been long known. While I agree with the principles upon which this shoe is applied, I do not altogether agree with the construction of the shoe itself The advantage to be derived from keeping the heel easy, or springing the heel of the shoe, has been long known to working farriers, and such a process has been found pjg 5 to afford relief in many of the evils of the foot. It is effected in two ways — either by bending the shoe a little from the hoof at the point of the heel, or by cutting away such a portion of the horn as to prevent the heel of the shoe and the heel of the hoof from coming in contact ; and in this latter state it will remain and retain its situation until the proportion of the hoof is altered by the progress of growth and the friction between the hoof and shoe. Such an adaptation of the common shoe seems to possess all the advantages, without the complexity, of Mr Coleman's spring-heeled shoe — namely, keeping the heels easy, assisting in preventing corns, and affording Kberty and elas- ticity to the heels ; and where, from the weakness of the quarters, the common shoe cannot be properly supported, it THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 17 can in almost every instance be obtained by tlae bar-shoe. But where the frog is much diseased, and both heels and quarters weak, Mr Coleman's shoe may be found of service. Contemporaneously with Mr Coleman, Mr B. Clark, it would appear, has been employed in the investigation of the functions and diseases of the foot of the horse, and in endeavouring to discover the best means of shoeing ; and after a series of ex- periments and observations, he has come to the conclusion, that the principal causes of the mischiefs which take place in the foot are almost a necessary consequence of affixing an inflexible shoe to the elastic hoof. Hence he has endeavoured to introduce to general use a jointed shoe, by which he expects to ward off the injuries which occur to it. Mr Goodwin, by report and observation, was induced to tiy some experiment with the French plan of shoeing, and has been led from these to recommend a similar plan for general use in this country. Having thus shortly noticed the different plans of shoeing, I shall next proceed to offer some remarks on shoeing in general. It has been frequently observed that there is no plan of shoeing which can be properly applied to all kinds of feet, and authors of systems of shoeing have availed themselves of this circumstance as an exception in favour of their own method. I shall endeavour principally to investigate shoeing as it is, and offer such remarks thereon as appear to me useful. I have already stated that the common seated shoe recommended by Osmer, James Clark, and Moorcroft, is that at present in most oeneral use, which circumstance, after the numerous investi- gations which have taken place regarding shoeing and the dis- eases of the feet, is almost enough to establish its superiority over the other methods which have been brought forward. A' properly made seated shoe is formed nearly of an equal thick- ness on its outer edge, from the heel to the toe. On the sur- face next the hoof a portion is left quite flat for the crust to rest upon, which flat part is continued all round the outer edge of the hoof surface, but is at each heel the full breadth of the B 18 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF shoe for the junction of the crust and bars to rest upon ; by this means the hoof which rests upon it is not squeezed or inclined in, as in the old plan of shoeing ; nay, at the extremi- ties of the heels it may be so arranged that, instead of inclin- ing the crust inwards, it may be bevelled off, so as to form an inclined plane outwards, and thus assist in expanding the foot. After sufficient space is left for the resting of the crust, the remainder of the web (the inner part of the shoe) is bevelled off, so as to leave a space, when the shoe is put upon the foot, sufficient to allow a picker to pass freely all around between it and the horny sole. By this arrangement the shoe is tightened, and a ilat or even a concave surface may be exposed to the ground, by which the animal's step is rendered secure. To preserve the shoe safely in its situation, it is pierced with eight nail-holes for a moderate-sized horse, but the number is increased for larger ones. These holes are generally pierced from a groove, technically termed the fullering, made in the ground surface, but they may be stamped at once without affecting the merits of the shoe ; though I am rather partial to fullering, because it seems to take a firmer hold of the ground, and, when properly executed, serves for a guide to the proper placing of the nail-holes, which in all cases should be placed at a sufficient distance from the edge of the shoe, so as to allow of a sufficient hold being taken with the nail — a circumstance not sufficiently attended to in this country. The holes should also be particularly regular in their direction and distribution, attention to which being of much more importance in preserv- ing the hoof sound than is generally imagined. Before saying more upon shoeing, I must observe that the diseases arising from it are wounds, pricking with nails, bruises, corns, sandcrack, quittor, false quarter, contraction or groggi- ness, and its consequences. It has already been stated that shoeing seems to be the principal cause of contraction and its effects, and I shall now attempt to explain the nature of this disease. Here let us reflect on the vascularity and sensibility of the foot, as THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 19 previously described, the complexity of its structure, the bones, ligaments, cartilages, joints, synovial capsules, the sensible frog, sole, laminae, and coronary ligament ; and in addition to all these, the insensible covering with its different parts, by which all is covered and surrounded ; and then let us consider the concussion to which it is continually exposed, and our admira- tion is at once excited. What piece of mechanism of the same bulk could withstand the shocks it receives ? and are we to wonder at this machine being liable to injury ? — the wonder is that it should be so seldom wrong. A slight reflection on its structure shows that it must be liable to inflammation, and the complexity of the machine must suggest that inflammation, once induced, will most likely (un- less controlled by circumstances) extend and produce very serious consequences. I have already stated that various opinions have been enter- tained as to the cause of contractions, hence the different plans of shoeing. The causes of this disease, however, are perhaps as various as the different opinions held regarding it. "What- ever produces inflammation in the foot will, if continued, pro- duce it. But there are particular breeds of horses, and certain formations of the limbs, more liable to it than others — Eng- lish horses more than French ; hunters, carriage-horses, and thoroughbreds more than cai"t-horses or Highland ponies. In treating this part of the subject, it may be divided into two classes, the predisposing and exciting causes. Among the predisposing causes I am inclined to place all the gradioal effects produced by shoeing, improper paring, the artificial treatment in the stable, heat of litter, want of stop- ping, and confinement in the stall ; also a peculiar formation of the limbs. As the immediate exciting causes may be considered any sudden continued pressure or contraction of the whole, or any part of the foot, bruises, strain of the tendon, and violent over- exertion. It has been generally admitted that the constraint produce4 20 Alv^ATOMY AND DISEASES OF by a fixed shoe, of whatever kind, has a greater or less effect in producing a gradual degree of contraction or change in the form of the hoof; hence it has been asserted that the disease is a necessary consequence of all shoeing, good or bad ; but experience shows that, in a large majority of cases, horses will go on doing their work without showing any symptoms of pain or inconvenience even after the feet have become very much contracted, while some feet will even be able to resist all the effects of shoeing, and remain, 1 may say, perfect to old age. I recollect a horse, belonging to a postmaster, which was shod at my forge for a number of years with the common seated shoe turned up at the heels, whose feet (after he was in other respects wore out) were as sound and perfect in their propor- tions as the plate given by Bracy Clark of a hoof which had never been sliod till the animal was five years old. Wlien, therefore, we compare the number shod with the number lamed by contraction, it must at once be admitted that some other cause must be looked for. Raising the frog from the ground, improper paring, standing on heated litter, thrushes, neglect of stopping, and confine- ment, are also considered as frequently producing it. But when we reflect on the numerous instances of overgrown feet to be met with amongst farm and cart horses, amongst which the disease is scarcely known, how many are confined on heated litter and dry straw, how few are properly attended to in regard to stopping when compared with those which are, and how frequently we meet with thrushes in those in which the disease is unknown, how few of the cart and carriage horses in Scotland have their frogs allowed to come in contact with pres- sure, in consequence of the general practice of turning cauk- lins on the heels, and the comparative small number which are lame from this disease, we can only view all these causes enumerated as predisposing the feet to disease, and must look to some more active agents for the destructive effects produced. The conformation and breeds of horses show a tendency to THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 21 this disease, as already asserted, but the numbers which escape also show that these circumstances can only be viewed as re- mote or predisposing causes. But there are cases which, from the form of the foot and the pastern, and I may say the whole limb, with the actions these parts exhibit, it must be obvious to every scientific veterinarian, will soon become diseased when exposed to the exciting causes. The ordinary effect of shoeing upon the foot is, by a degree of pressure and restraint, together with the continued growth of the hoof from the protection afforded it by the shoe, a displacement of the relative position, and a gradual absorption of the foot ; but from the gradual nature of this process under such circumstances, the parts within accommodate themselves to the external pressure or restraint, and the foot undergoes the change almost imperceptibly ; and such is the accommo- dating power which nature has bestowed, that the animal will continue to do his work without inconvenience; but whenever the change is sudden or violent, we find the func- tions are deranged, inflammation is set up in the various tissues, and, by extending from one part to another, at length terminates in the destructive effects which are found to follow in important parts. In this case, however, much depends upon the degree of inflammation excited. The puncture of a nail, for example, when inflammation follows, runs on, almost invariably, to suppuration, and an abscess is the consequence ; the result of this is, either that suppuration exhausts or terminates the inflammation at the part, and the matter is allowed to escape by some opening being made, or it extends to the coronet, detaching and destroying the parts. But a bruise with a nail seldom produces this effect. The pressure it produces will, in some instances, cause absorption of a por- tion of the soft parts, and if with rest this occurs, nothing further may be observed but a slight heat or lameness. The part of the hoof in which the nail is, gradually receding from the quick, soon leaves the parts in their original state ; but if a nail is drove so as to press in with considerable force a por- 22 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF tion of the hoof upon the internal parts, and the foot is there- by pinched — a fact, the occurrence of which has been denied by the late Professor Peal, but which I am sure no practical veterinarian will deny — and if put to exercise, the animal then with his sensible foot, as in a tight shoe, will at first feel sore, but afterwards the whole foot becomes inflamed, the inflammation extending to all the neighbouring part, and a general inflammation set up throughout the whole foot. This is materially increased by the circumstance of the inflamma- tion seldom proceeding to suppuration, which would prove, in one way or other, a termination of it ; but instead of this, the inflammation, once induced in this degree, is kept up by the circumstance that the hoof is governed by different laws from that of the other parts of the foot. The heat and swelling attendant on inflammation here serve to add to and keep up the original complaint, because the degree of heat evolved causes evaporation of the natural moisture of the hoof and a proportionate contraction, while the determination of blood to the internal foot has a tendency to enlarge and swell it ; this, being resisted by the hoof, causes increased pain and irritation, and a consequent continuation and extension of the inflamma- tion, involving, amongst other parts, the synovial capsule between the flexor tendon and navicular bone, deranging the natural secretions and state of these parts, and setting up adhesive inflammation in the synovial membrane, by which, at length, adhesion is produced between the two surfaces. In like manner, violent pressure upon any one point of the foot enclosed within the hoof, or travelling for some time with a stone fixed in the foot, or the shoe resting with great pressure on the heel, will also produce it. This last-mentioned cause is, I think, the most common. If a shoeing smith, in paring the foot, happens to cut the quarter too low, thereby allowing the whole weight to rest upon the extremity of the heel ; or if the shoe, instead of presenting a flat and even sur- face to the foot, and being made to rest equally on every part, has the extremity of the heel bent towards the foot, and by THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 23 the carelessness of the shoer allowed only to bear upon the heel, and if, to bring it close to the foot, the shoe is firmly hammered to it, — there is then such a degree of continued pressure produced as is suiJicient to set up the inflammation I have just noticed : this is likely to be followed by all the effects I have described as regards pressure with the nails. Even in favourable cases, where this is not induced by the early removal of the cause and the previous healthy state of the "foot, corns are least likely to follow. But when the foot has suffered from any of the predisposing causes before enumerated, the ordinary termination in such feet is the extension and continuation of the inflammation, until perma- nent disease is established in the synovial capsule between the tendon and navicular bone. These are not hypothetical cases, but are such as must have been met with by every practitioner. The last immediate exciting causes which I have to enu- merate are those arising from strain and over-exertion of the tendon where it passes under the navicular bone. If we trace the course of the perforans tendon down the limb, we find it so arranged as to operate with the greatest advantage in flexing the limb. To assist the tendon, various contrivances are added to facilitate its operations and add to its strength ; amongst these means there is none holds a more important place than the navicular bone, under which the tendon passes to be inserted into the coffin-bone as already described and exhibited in the section of the foot, fig. 1. Here the na- vicular bone is interposed to throw the tendon farther from the centre of motion, and to assist it by acting as a movable puUy or lever, sliding always to the most advantageous situa- tion for the purpose of its action, which is accomplished by the assistance of its ligaments. But the acuteness of the angle at which tlie tendon is made to turn, while it materially in- creases its strength of action, renders it more liable to disease than would have been the case had it passed to its insertion in a more direct course. I cannot but remark, however, how 24 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF beautifully this part, and iudeed the whole limb, is strength- ened by ligaments, and the addition of new matter where it is most required. At the fetlock, where the perforatus accom- panies the perforans, we find it thickened, because here the greatest strain falls in the action of the animal ; and in the pastern where the perforatus leaves the perforans, as it is still necessary to have great strength, we find two strong ligaments rising, one from each side about the middle of the pastern bone, running downwards and backwards, and crossing obliquely the insertions of the perforatus tendon, and then becoming inserted into the perforans before it reaches the navicular bone. These ligaments, being added to the posterior surface, considerably increase both its bulk and strength, and at the point where the tendon appears single we find it considerably strengthened by an addition of fibres. Such an arrangement and distribu.tion of parts might suggest to us a liability to disease, and if we take a survey of the diseases which are met with in similar structures, it will lead us to a more correct pathology of these parts. What is the cause of the diseases (windgalls, &c.) which occur in the synovial capsules, the fetlocks, knee-joints, and hocks? what but sudden strain, or long-continued exertion of the tendons and ligaments of these parts ? If the idea is not too mechanical, I may observe that the continued action produces friction between the parts, from a deficiency or change in the joint-oil, similar to what takes place under like circumstances in any machinery, and similar to what is frequently met with in the hock joints, where the cartilage becomes at times either partially or wholly worn off by friction, and the bones take on a hard polished surface similar in appearance to enamel, of which I have a number of specimens. The consequence of such friction is (heat) inflam- mation, with an altered state of the secretions. This is materially augmented by the action of the part which, from its relative position, is constantly, while the animal is erect or in motion, supporting a considerable degree of pressure, and by the depth of its situation little advantage can be derived THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 25 from the application of remedies. Inflammation once excited in a cartilage or bone, or in the membranes surrounding them, is generally followed by a deposition of bony matter, as, for example, in splints, sprains, ossified lateral cartilages, &c. Thus it is that ossific spicula are deposited on the cartilage on the under surface of the naAdcular bone, which goes on fre- quently until the whole of this surface is materially altered by new bony matter being deposited. The motion and play of the tendon for a time keep up the inflamed action in the bone (which is shown by the discolouration observable upon it), till at length the continued irritation of such friction ex- cites the action of the absorbents, and they, by absorption of a portion of the bone, produce an ulcerated surface similar to a carious tooth. The ragged surface thus produced now acts upon the tendon, the inflammation is increased, and lymph is effused, to allay, as it were, the irritation on both surfaces. As the lameness must now be extreme, rest is given, during which adhesive inflammation unites both surfaces together. In other cases, the ulcerated surface of the bone lacerates the tendon, and small shreds are found on dissection attached to its surface, while others are found connecting it to the bone. And this ulcerated surface, in old or severe cases, is frequently so extensive that, after the nei-ves have been divided (an oper- ation frequently performed to relieve the animal), and the animal enabled, by the foot being deprived of sensation, to use it with greater freedom, the friction completely divides the tendon, and the pastern falls to the ground. It is generally considered as an established pathological fact that, in those injuries commonly designated strains of tendons, the injury is confined to the sheaths, and that the tendons themselves are not the seat of the injury. This at least is, I believe, the general opinion of veterinarians, and is the doctrine taught by veterinary writers. I am inclined, how- ever, to take a different view of these injuries, and I am bold enough to assert, on the ground of pathological investigation, that in such cases the injuries are sustained in the tendons 26 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF themselves, while the effect produced on the sheath, or cellular membrane by which they are suiTonnded, is only an extension of the inflammation consequent upon the injury to the more important parts. In support of this assertion, I may observe that I have known tendons partially and wholly ruptured, blood effused, lymph organised, and osseous matter deposited in and on them : I have seen all these occur where the tendon passes under the navicular bone, and I have also found the same in other parts of tendons. The obdurate and painful enlargement of the bursa at the fetlock, which leaves generally a permanent thickening, also arises from such injury. In those cases in which the disease depends upon injury occurring first in the joint itself, the inflammation is not always confined to that particular part, but generally spreads throughout the rest of the foot, producing similar effects as that already described, such as arise from pinching with the nails, or from a bruise with the heel of the shoe, which, by the action and reaction which take place, produces a degree of contraction in the hoof similar to what occurs from the more superficial causes already mentioned. Hence it will be seen that the navicular disease (grogginess) may be either a cause or an effect of contraction. There are cases, however, in which, either from the slight degree of injury, the treatment adopted, or the strength of the foot, this change in the appearance of the hoof does not take place so rapidly as in others, and in which it requires all the advantages of extensive experience and careful observation to detect — they appear groggy in their action, but the strength and open form of the feet deceive the inexperienced. I have thus endeavoured to explain the nature and causes of this disease, about which much obscurity seems hitherto to have existed in the minds of veterinarians, and I shall now offer some remarks on the views entertained by others. Mr J. Turner of London, who appears to have been the first who pointed out the particular seat of the disease (although it was THE FOOT OF THE HOESE. 27 not altogether unknown to others), has published an excellent essay on this disease in the 14th number of the ' Veterinarian,' in which he has endeavoured to prove that it is produced by a bruise of the synovial membrane, in consequence of the gene- ral contraction causing an increase of the internal convexity of the horny sole, which is produced in exactly the same pro- portion as the external concavity, by which the cof&n, navicu- lar bones, and other parts of the foot, are forced upwards. In such cases, if the horse is kept at rest, the feet, on any sudden exertion, become subject to the disease, because, as stated by Mr Turner, " from the fixed ascent of the frog an unnatural arch is formed, which, by absorption of the soft elastic parts of the frog, becomes a rigid protuberance, and is the rock of danger on which, I am daring enough to assert, more valuable horses have been struck with foot lameness than ships have been wrecked on the rocks of the ocean." He contends that, as the navicular bone descends when pressed down by the weight of the animal being thrown on the limb, it comes in contact with an unyielding arch, and hence becomes bruised. I am, however, inclined to think that, although this is a very plausible theory, it will not bear a strict physiological investigation. I contend that the navicular bone cannot become injured in the manner stated, that the soft parts are never so completely absorbed as to admit of the membrane being thus bruised, and that the disease is more commonly in the centre of the bone, opposite to which the soft parts of the frog are always to be found : I have also met with tiie disease in weak flat soles, and in feet with bad thrushes, and therefore what he alludes to cannot take place. If this disease arose from concussion or bruise, we should find all the effects occur- ring in the coffin-joint; but this, Mr Turner says, he has never seen. I have, however, a specimen of ulceration of the carti- lage in the coffin-joint, and it cannot be denied that if it could take place from a bruise we should have it there. As the coronary bone frequently becomes fractured in consequence of the concussion which takes place under certain circumstances 28 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF between the coffin, coronary, and large pastern bones, in slighter injuries I should expect to find these parts suffer in a minor degree, if such were the cause, as the membrane and cartilages of these bones are of the same structure as that of the navicular bone. j\Ir Turner has been evidently led to this conclusion by mistaking the action which is going on at the time he supposes the injury to occur. In speaking of the action of these parts, he says : " As to the binding appearance of the flexor tendon, this does not in reality impede its descent, because, at the instant the navicular bone descends under the weight received from the small pastern, the fibres of the flexor perforans muscle are relaxed, and consequently the muscle and tendon are elongated" Now, I contend that neither the muscle nor the tendon is relaxed at the time the navicular bone descends, but that they are in fact under active exertion in order to support the limb. If these were relaxed when a horse, for example, comes in contact with the ground from a high leap, and continued to be so during the descent of the navicular bone, it is evident that the whole weight of the animal would fall upon the suspensory ligaments of the fore- legs, and the animal would inevitably be broken down. The perforatus and perforans are, I contend, in action at this time, and the descent, which takes place at the fetlock and navicular articulations, is allowed more by the elasticity of the tendons and ligaments than b}^ the relaxation of the muscles; and although such a doctrine is contrary to the opinion of many eminent physiologists, I feel confident that I can support my assertion both by theory and facts when occasion requires. If the leg of a horse is cut off by the knee-joint, and the v/eight thrown upon it in the manner in which the limb supports the body during action, it will be found even then that the navic- ular bone is closely pressed when the muscle has been detached; there are, in fact, ligaments both in the leg and pastern which support the tendon, and assist it in opposing the great weight thrown upon them ; and by these alone the pressure I have alluded to will be kept up, even if the muscles were completely THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 29 relaxed. The only position in which the pressure of the ten- don is removed from the navicular bone is when the weight of the body is not resting upon the limb. If the ascent of the frog and bars were the cause of the disease, we should find that the disease would be as frequent behind as before, because those parts behind are as frequently pressed upwards as in the fore feet — but this is not the case ; and when we revert to the increased action, it is at once seen that the great force falling upon the fore feet requires greater exertion in the parts, and they are consequently more liable to disease. The views I have given agree with Mr Turner in the length of toe being a cause, as it will greatly assist in producing the disease by the increase of counter lever, which operates against the action of the tendon. The confinement in the stall, I also agree with him, is a predisposing cause ; parts unaccustomed to action, if pushed at once to it, being sure to suffer, and that more espe- cially when under unnatural restraint. The action is cramped and confined, and by this means is caused the irregular action of the muscle and other parts which is likely to be followed by the disease alluded to. Mr Coleman contends that this disease arises from the frog being raised from the ground and deprived of its action, and that then, the navicular capsule being thrown out of use, it becomes diseased, the synovia becomes thickened, and adhe- sion to the tendon takes place. Mr Goodwin contends that it is owing to concussion, arising from shoeing, and in sup- port of his argument adduces the rarity of the occurrence of the disease in France. But while Mr Coleman contends that the French horses are not liable to the disease, from their high action being sufficient to bring their frogs to the ground and this capsule into use, and Mr Goodwin contends that it is owing to the principles of their shoeing rendering them less liable to concussion, I conceive that their diminished liability may be accounted for on other principles, and these are their action and general conformation. The high action of the French horses is materially different from ours ; instead of 30 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF bringing tlieir fore feet witii greater force to the ground than our horses do, they do it with much less force, consequently the strain upon the tendon is less in proportion than in our horses. The darting, rapid, firm action of well-hred English horses is the cause of all the mischief " It is the pace that kills," as has been remarked by the celebrated sporting writer before quoted, who, though not a professional veterinarian, is a man of facts and observation. I shall here conclude with an enumeration of the symptoms of the disease. In the early stage of the disease there is a peculiar shifting of the feet and shortness of step, and a degree of heat is found in the foot, more especially about the heels and coronet ; in the stable he is always pointing or holding the foot in a relaxed position ; there is a dryness of the hoof, throbbing of the pastern arteries, and pain on pressure in the hollow of the pastern. The other parts of the limb are clean and fine. There is a general tenderness of the foot on pressure ; he trips and stumbles ; the foot is contracted ; the muscles of the shoulders wasted ; and he is then a confirmed Grogg. In the latter part of my last paper I endeavoured to ex- plain the nature and causes of Contraction, Navicular Lame- ness, or Grogginess ; and at the conclusion of it I gave an enumeration of the symptoms of the disease. In the present paper, after offering a few further remarks on the symptoms, I shall proceed to point out the means to be adopted in the treatment and prevention of the disease. The foot of the horse, as has already been stated, is attacked by this disease in various ways. In some the attack is sud- den, in others its progress is slow. In the former case, it commonly arises from an injuiy done at the seat of the disease. In the latter case, the injury extends from the other parts of the foot ; and here we have the symptoms formerly enume- rated — the shifting of the feet, the shortness of the step, and THE FOOT OF THE HOESE. 31 the heat of the heels and coronet. There is also a chronic degree of inflammation of the feet produced, which causes the animal to shift alternately his weight from the one foot to the other, in order to obtain relief ; and when in action, he steps short for the same reason. No sooner does he raise one foot from the ground than the pain in the other, in supporting his weight, causes him to bring it quickly down, whUe the tender- ness of the foot which has been elevated prevents him from raising it, for fear of the concussion arising from such action. Thus he moves with short steps, his feet scarcely raised from the ground, and is, in consequence, frequently tripping and stumbling. The tenderness, however, in his fore feet produces also a carefulness of action : he throws his weight habitually upon his haunches; and such horses are not, therefore, so liable to fall as might, upon observing their motion, be supposed. As the disease goes on, the muscles of the shoulder become wasted, from the pain and irritation in the feet, and from the confinement of the action produced as above described. This change in the muscles of the shoulder has long proved a powerful source of deception to the farrier and proprietors of horses. The evident alteration in the muscles of the shoulder, and the apparent total absence of any morbid change in any other part of the limb or foot, afford to them a demonstrative evidence of the seat of the disease ; hence the term " shook in the shoulders." But the physiological veterinarian takes another view of the case ; he knows that if a person has a disease in the finger, and he is thereby prevented for a time from using the muscles of the arm, absorption of the muscles takes place, and they become shrunk more or less according to the duration and severity of the disease. Such is the view which he will take of the case in question; and instead of proceeding to rowel in the chest, blow the shoulder, insert a seton, blister, peg, or bore it with a red-hot iron (as is but too frequently the case for this effect of the disease), he will direct his attention to the foot, where the case of all this mischief 32 AJ^ATOMY AND DISEASES OF resides. The wasting of the muscles of the shoulder, aud the apparent freeness of the foot and limb from disease, are to him the strongest proofs of the nature and seat of the injuiy. From these alone he is frequently obliged to form his opinion ; and in cases of lameness in the fore feet which have existed for a few weeks, he will, in ninety-nine cases in a hundred, be cor- rect ill his opinions, with no other proof than the symptoms described. In those cases where only one foot is affected, the hoof, in addition to the other symptoms, generally becomes contracted and smaller than the other, and thus serves as a guide to the seat of this hidden and deep-seated disease. From what has been stated regarding the nature and seat of this disease, some idea may have been already formed of the difficulties that must occur in our attempts to remove it. If once the navicular bone has become ulcerated, and adhesion has taken place between it and the tendon, or if even ossific particles have been deposited on the articular cartilage, all our efforts to effect a radical cure are futile and useless ; all we can expect to accomplish, in such cases, is a mitigation of the ani- mal's sufferings. Our attention ought, therefore, to be directed to the earliest stages of the complaint, while as yet there is only inflammation in the synovial membrane, if we wish or expect to effect a cure of navicular lameness. Our treatment must be regulated by the causes which have operated to produce the disease in each of the individual cases which occur. In all cases, however, it must appear evident that, in a part so much exposed to action as the navicular cap- sule is, rest must be of the first importance in the early stages of the complaint. Topical bleeding must also be allowed to be of equal importance ; and this may be effected either by bleed- ing in the toe, or opening the pastern veins, or both may be opened with advantage ; aud although leeches have not been much tried in veterinary practice, a dozen might prove a use- ful auxiliary if applied in the hollow of the pastern ; and these means should be repeatedly had recourse to in severe and obstinate recent cases. Even general bleeding and purging may THE FOOT OF THE HOESE. 33 be of service, as means of diminishing inflammatory action. The foot should be kept in a warm emollient poultice for some time, or cold lotions may be constantly applied to the pastern and foot ; even an ice-poultice, several times repeated, might be used with advantage. Should these fail, blisters are next to be tried ; "and they should be applied all round the coronet and pastern, and several times repeated ; for it frequently hap- pens that, although the lameness may be removed by a single blister, the symptom returns when the animal is put to exer- cise, showing plainly that the disease had not yet been com- pletely subdued. The blister ought therefore to be repeated, as a means of preventing the recurrence of the lameness, and to insure a more effectual cure. Nor ought the failiu-e of suc- cess iu the application of one or two blisters altogether to dis- courage the repetition of them ; for I have not unfrequently seen a successful termination of cases, even after having had occasion to repeat the blisters five or six times. The blisters must be freely applied in the hollow of the pastern, for, being nearer the immediate seat of the disease, they produce a greater effect upon it than if more remote. Nor need we be afraid of any unpleasant effects or blemishes taking place in this part more than any other if a proper blister is used. If, after a fair trial of blisters, a cure has not been effected, firing round the coronet and in the pastern may be tried ; but if blisters fail in giving relief, firing is seldom attended with success. Where they have failed, a seton is frequently passed through the frog. The seton is made to pass from the pastern down through the centre of the frog, so as to exert a deep- seated counter-irritation, and a discharge of matter from parts closely connected with the seat of the disease ; and this dis- charge may be kept up by continuing the seton in the frog for a fortnight or three weeks. In this treatment, however, I have not much confidence. Throughout the use of the various plans of treatment which I have mentioned, the greatest attention ought to be paid to the reduction of the inflammation in the other parts of the c 34 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF foot, as this greatly assists ia effecting a cure. The sole of the hoof should be well pared, to allow of ease and liberty to the soft parts within. The shoe ought either to be removed or applied so as to give no restraint to the action of the hoof dur- ing the progress of cure, either by being put loosely on with few nails, or by a jointed shoe applied to the foot. The toe of the hoof ought to be made as low and short as it will admit of, and the heels left uncut, by which means the limb is brought more to the perpendicular line, and the force upon the seat of the disease in an equal proportion removed ; and the hoof may be softened by making the animal stand for several hours a-day in a trough with hot water. Such is a summary of what may be tried in the earlier stages of this disease ; and although an endless variety of plans of treatment have been from time to time brought forward, and are stiU frequently adopted, with a view of enlarging the hoof and removing contraction, it will, I think, appear evident, if I have given a correct view of the nature of the affection, that all or most of them have been? applied to remove merely an effect of the disease. For this reason I have not brought for- ward or recommended the various plans of scoring the hoof, rasping the quarters, paring the heels, and giving the frog pres- sure, nor the different expanding shoes to enlarge the hoof; because, having shown that the contraction of the hoof is com- monly an effect of the navicular disease, and that, in all cases of continued lameness from contraction, the navicular synovial capsule is the seat of the disease, the enlargement of the hoof cannot by any possibility remove it when once established in this part. If, therefore, the means which I have already recommended are not sufficient to remove the lameness, the animal must be pronounced a confirmed " grogg." Should he be reduced to such a state, and be unable to per- form a reasonable degree of work, or be otherwise unpleasant from the lameness he exhibits, the only alternative is to have him unnerrcd — an operation by which the foot is deprived of its nervous energy and feeling, by which the animal, uncon- THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 35 scious of the existence of disease or pain in his feet, goes on doing his work, in many instances for a considerable number of years, with apparent ease and freedom. But although this operation gives immediate relief from pain and lameness, un- pleasant effects frequently soon follow. The operation of un- nerving consists in making an incision through the integu- ments (sldn), at or below the fetlock, on each side of the leg, and having exposed the nerves going to the foot, they are first divided, and a portion, about an inch or upwards in length, is dissected out. But as the operation requires some anatomical knowledge, and can only be properly performed by a person acquainted with anatomy, I need not enlarge further upon the method of operating. The foot, I have already said, is exposed to many unpleasant effects from this operation. In consequence of depriving the foot of sensation, the animal is unable to distinguish whether he treads upon an even or an uneven surface — whether he has picked up a stone, been wounded in shoeing, or his foot bruised by the tightness of the shoe ; the consequence of which is, that suppuration frequently follows these injuries, and, as the animal is still unconscious of what is going on in his foot, he continues to use it until the suppurative process has spread over the whole foot and the hoof is detached. And in cases of old standing, where the navicular bone has become ulcerated, the ulcerated surface, now that the parts are deprived of sen- sation, being brought freely in contact with the tendon, either excites inflammation and suppuration (as the division of the nerves does not here appear to influence or change the action of the vascular system of the foot), which, spreading to the surrounding parts, cause the hoof to be sloughed off; or the rough surface of the bone, now acting freely on the flexor tendon, in a short time — sooner or later, according to the de- gree of previous disease or roughness of the bone — wears or cuts the tendon through by friction, and allows the pastern to come to the ground. This renders the animal completely useless ; and there are no means by which we can completely guard 36 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF against these effects, as we seldom know exactly the length of time the foot has been affected, nor the rapidity of the progress or the severity of the disease ; and as it is only by these that we can possibly judge, such judgment must, in many cases, prove fallacious. I have operated on some horses that have stood sound for years ; in others a few weeks determined their fate. I may mention an example of the latter : A poor carter some time ago brought his horse to me, very lame from the disease of which we have been treating — he was, in fact, useless — and I saw that the only tiling which could be tried was unnerving. This I considered a forlorn hope, from the extreme lameness, but it was tried. The horse, as usual after the operation, got up sound; and the poor carter, although strictly enjoined to allow him a month or six weeks' rest, was so proud of the change, that in a fortnight he rode him to church, a distance of be- tween two and three miles, and, in his vanity in thus showing him off to his acquaintances, brought on the inflammation which I have already spoken of : the hoof sloughed off in two or three days, and all his hopes were at once blasted. Such is the unfavourable view which we are compelled to take of this disease ; and it therefore becomes of the first im- portance to prevent its occurrence. The many plans of shoeing that have from time to time been introduced sufficiently show its obstinate nature, and have led to the remark that it is a consequence of all shoeing, whether good or bad. With the opinion that shoeing is the cause of it I certainly do agree, though on a somewhat different principle; for it must be observed that the simple circumstance of the shoe preventing the hoof from being worn, at the same time enables the animal to undergo greater fatigue, and thus exposes the limbs and feet to the injuries already described. The common application of a shoe to the foot of a horse is so familiar to us, that we almost forget that it is an artificial appendage, and that it is by means of it that we are enabled to take so much advantage of Ms great power and speed. Without it, he would become lame, THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 37 by his hoofs being broken before he covdd be made to undergo the exertion productive of grogginess. If, then, I have been correct in the theory I have advanced, it must appear that grogginess is, in one point of view, a con- sequence of all shoeing, good or bad. But it must not be supposed, from what I have advanced, that all kinds of shoes will, in an equal degree, tend to produce the disease ; on the contrary, I am of opinion that much may be done in shoeing to prevent it, some of which means I have noticed in my last paper. But I must again remark that the more the liberty of the foot is cramped and confined, the more liable will it be to disease ; and it must therefore appear, that if a shoe capable of allowing of the elastic action of the hoof, and calculated for ordinary purposes, could be formed, it would be preferable to all others. Such a shoe has been described in your last num- ber by Mr Whyte ; but I am afraid that, however well Mr Whyte's shoe may appear to answer when properly executed, the nicety required in forming the spring and tempering, and the consequent expense, are iiisurmountable obstacles to the " everyday use " of such a shoe. There is such an endless variety in the degrees of strength, size, and form of the hoof, that even the best workman, after devoting more than double the portion of time to its formation that is required for a com- mon shoe, would, in almost every case, faU to give it the proper degree of spring on its first application. Although, therefore, it may answer well enough if proper attention be paid to remove the contraction of the hoof, and also the lameness, where it arises from that cause alone, yet it cannot become a shoe for " everyday use," much less can it remove the disease, which, I have shown, is of a more serious nature than the contraction of the hoof. But it appears to me that, if we merely wish to produce the expansion of the hoof, this might be effected by a much simpler process — namely, by the application of Mr Coleman's clip-shoe ; this shoe having clips turned up, so as to press against the bars where they form the junction with the crust at the heels, -38 ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF and that in a iDroper sloping direction. These clips may be made to act like a wedge in expanding the foot, and that simply by a sjjring from the heel, or by having a small portion of the heels of the hoof lowered, so that, when the shoe is nailed on the hoof, it may have a space left between it and the shoe. And in this case, as the hoof is capable of descending, or rather has the property of descending, at every step, and as the clips at the junction of the bars are resting on an inclined plane, the heels, as they descend, must be thus expanded or pressed out- wards. And if the nails are placed on one side, well forward towards the toe, all the effects of Mr Whyte's shoe avlH be produced, with much less trouble and nicety. Mr Turner of London has lately proposed that we should apply shoes, in every case, in the same manner as we are in the habit of doing in those cases where a horse is much inclined to cut — that is, applying the common shoe with the nails ex- tending only round the toe, or doing little more than making the turn of the toe. By this means, no doubt, the foot is left at almost its natural liberty, from the inside being unrestrained by the nails ; but this plan, although it has been long adopted for horses which cut themselves, is not had recourse to in the prdinary course of shoeing ; nor is it found so secure as when the shoe is nailed further back in the quarter of the hoof, and can only be used in good roads, or in the streets. In the field it is out of the question. Goodwin's shoe I have noticed on a former occasion as pos- sessing advantages. By keeping the toe short, the concussion is prevented, the power of resistance against the action of the tendons and muscles of the extremity is so far removed, and thus much injury avoided. The best, however, of the new plans of shoeing is Bracy Clark's jointed shoe, if to it is added a clip at each heel, in the manner I have already mentioned, as in Mr Coleman's shoe, by means of which the great objec- tion to the jointed shoe is removed — namely, the straining of the nails by the motion of the shoe causing the crust to break awayj and in this way doing more injury to the foot than all THE FOOT OF THE HOESE. 39 the advantages otherwise gained. But the joint and clips are obstacles to its common use, which it will, as in the case of Mr Whyte's shoe, require a great while to overcome ; for the progress of the disease is not very obvious, and these plans, as preventives, are not likely, for a long time at least, to be introduced ; while the common-seated shoe will still continue to overcome all those obstacles which have been opposed to it. But even if the objection to all these plans were obviated, still we have the difficulty which I have endeavoured to explain — namely, the circumstance of the shoe, by defending the foot from the wear and tear to which it would otherwise be ex- posed, enabling the animal to make those exertions we require of him, and thus in many instances producing grogginess, in- dependent of shoeing in every other respect. I would, in conclusion, remark that one of the evils of shoe- ing is, that the whole weight of the animal is suspended by the laminae, both in a state of exercise and rest. In the first case this cannot well be overcome ; but in the second it may be effected by filling the sole with some substance of an elastic nature containing moisture ; and nothing is better for this purpose than felt, which was first recommended by Mr Cherry of Clapham. The pads thus made not only effect what I have just mentioned, but also, when soaked in water, serve to keep the foot moist, and answer all the purposes of stopping, the use of which, with a loose-box, regular exercise, and the other means I have mentioned, will, I think, effect all that can weU be done, either to prevent the recurrence of this disease, or effect its removal when it has once taken place. ON THE ACCIDENTAL INJURIES OF THE FOOT OF THE HORSE ARISING FROM SHOEING, WITH THEIR EFFECTS AND TREATMENT. Having on a former occasion offered some remarks on one of the most obscure diseases to which the foot of the horse is liable, I now trouble you with a few observations on the more common and obvious injuries arising from shoeing. From the plan which is necessarily adopted of affixing the shoe to the foot by driving nails through a portion of the hoof, and from the small space which the structure of the hoof allows for the nails to pass through without injuring the quick (the sensible part of the foot) — from the many accidental cir- cumstances connected with such an operation, and the fre- quency of its repetition — it must be expected that in some cases, by a carelessness or an accidental eccentricity of direc- tion in driving the nails, some of them may enter into and wound the quick ; which accident, when it does occur, is denominated ^jricHM^. Although I do not intend to enter into a defence of the carelessness of shoeing-smiths, I cannot help remarking, that when we reflect on the frequent repeti- tion of the operation of shoeing, the number of nails driven into each shoe, and the small portion of horn through which the nails must pass (say three-eighths of an inch in thickness), we cannot but be astonished that this accident so seldom occurs. In many cases, no doubt, where the injury is slight, no bad effects follow, and the injury may be unknown ; but it more commonly happens that where a puncture has been inflicted inflammation is produced, which, running through a INJURIES OF FOOT OF HOESE. 41 variety of stages, destroys a greater or less portion of the foot, according to its severity or the treatment adopted, and renders the animal for a considerable time unfit for use. A simple puncture with a nail, if at first attended to, is a matter, comparatively speaking, of little consequence ; but the effects which rapidly follow both this and many other, at first, trifling injuries, are frequently most serious. In every instance where the quick is irritated by a foreign body, and that irritation kept up, or where it is sufficient at first to excite suppurative inflammation (a formation of matter or an abscess), \mless it is detected in an early stage of its progress, and a proper opening made to allow the escape of the matter immediately after it has been formed, it will almost invariably be found that the suppuration will continue to increase, and as it cannot open a way for itself through the hoof, it will pass up to the coronet, detaching the hoof in proportion to the degree of inflammation which has been set up. In some instances this may be comparatively slight and to small extent, but more commonly it is violent, and pro- duces the most destructive effects in the part which it has attacked, causing extensive sloughings of the coronet, and, in some extreme cases, extending until it has produced even a detachment of the whole hoof. Suppuration within the hoof may be produced, not only by wounds with nails in shoeing, but by wounds from sharp stones or other bodies on rough roads. It may also arise from bruises, corns, sandcracks, treads, overreaches, and what is sometimes called a seedy toe. In all these cases effects are produced similar to what I have mentioned in punctures with nails : matter is formed within the hoof, which must be allowed at once freely to escape, otherwise the suppurative inflammation extends throughout the whole foot, producing complete destruction, permanent lameness, or a quitter. In every instance (except in unnerved horses) where suppuration takes place in the foot, great and acute pain is soon evinced, and this continues until the matter escapes at the coronet, or 42 INJURIES OF FOOT OF HOKSE : the wound has been opened through the horn. But the diffi- culty, in most cases, consists in discovering the seat and nature of the complaint. The various causes from which suppuration may arise, are, to those unaccustomed with the examination of the foot, so little known, that the lameness is commonly referred to some other part. A violent strain, it is perhaps thought, must be the cause of it, because it has come on suddenly, and because the leg has become swollen ; but these are common occur- rences in the kind of injuries of which we are treating, and cannot be mistaken without incurring the danger of irrepar- able mischief. The lameness may be sudden, because the wound may arise from picking up a nail, or from treading upon the corner of a stone and wounding the sole ; it may arise from a corn, or from accidentally treading with increased force upon a part already inflamed by having been previously wounded by a nail, perhaps from an accidental twist or dis- placement given to the shoe ; or it may arise from the sudden occurrence of sandcrack, a tread, or an overreach. In such cases, unless there appears an obvious wound, the chances are that the lameness is referred to some obscure situation, such as the shoulder, the hip-joint, or the back sinews, and these parts are incessantly besmeared with ointments, until the mistake is discovered by the appearance of a collection of matter between the hair and hoof. The seat of the disease is then discovered when too late, and instead of being able to check its progress and restore the animal to soundness in a few hours, as many weeks or months will in all probability be required. When matter forms within the hoof, the lameness frequently comes on very suddenly, and is in such cases brought on by some accidental cause, as before described. It is commonly followed by a degree of swelling in the limb, attended with pain, produced by the inflammation having extended along the absorbent vessels, together with a general increase of the determination of the blood to the limb, which, both from the THEIR EFFECTS AND TBEATMENT. 43 appearance and situation of the swelling, is generally mis- taken for a sprain, and wMch frequently misleads the unwary, by which they overlook the cause in the effect, until the time of cure has gone by, and months are lost, if not the animal. If, then, so much danger arises from overlooking the diseases of the foot, would it not be a wise precaution, in every instance where lameness occurs, to have the foot immediately and care- fully examined ? And I would even recommend that not only one examination of the foot should take place, but that those who are not gifted with the " second sight " should repeat it, even where the cause of lameness may as obviously exist in the leg as if a fracture had taken place. Lameness from in- juries of the foot exhibits in its progress such a variety of symptoms, as to pain, movements of the limb, &c., that, with- out the precaution I have given, mistakes must happen, and these, too, serious ones. If, then, the disease is known to exist in the foot, it may be expected that the particular part will be easily discovered ; but this is not always the case, and the greater caution is therefore necessary. In examining the foot, attention must be paid to the general bearing of the shoe, the extent of the hold of the nails, the regularity of the holds, and situation as to the strength of the hoof, the various modifications of the form of the hoof, and the temperature of it. By attention to these particulars, the seat of the injury may often be discov- ered ; but these alone are not to be considered sufficient to determine the absence of disease in the foot — the shoe must be removed, the hoof pared when it is possessed of much strength, and a degree of pressure firmly made by means of the pincers, pressing the foot from the one heel round by the toe to the other, making the sole of the hoof yield at every pressure that is given ; and if, in this way, the foot is exa- mined, the sore part can scarcely escape notice ; the animal will draw away his foot from the pressure the moment it is applied to the inflamed part. But lest in strong feet the hoof should withstand by its strength the pressure of the pincers. 44 INJURIES OF FOOT OF HORSE : the hoof must then be further pared, and the examination repeated ; or it may be gently tapped round the crust with a hammer while the horse is standing carelessly at rest upon a flat surface— and in this case he will give way when the ham- mer has tapped upon the exterior of the sore part, if any such exist in the foot. Having thus ascertained the situation of the injury, a de- pendent opening must be made by following the trace of the injury with a drawing-knife, until the matter is allowed to escape. The same treatment must be followed, whatever may be the cause from which it has originated. It may truly be said, in this case, that a knowledge of the disease is half the cure ; for having once discovered its seat in the early stage of the disease, the treatment is extremely simple. All that is generally required to be done is merely to soothe the parts, and allay the irritation which has been produced by the removal of the detached horn, and the application of a few bran or porridge poultices, and the parts will soon reinstate themselves. It must, however, be remarked, that much de- pends upon the removal of every source of irritation in cases such as have been alluded to ; for unless the detached horn is carefully removed or well relieved from the diseased part, and also the sand and gravel which commonly are found in it, there is much danger of the disease extending, and sinuses or quittors forming, which prove in every instance of a trouble- some nature. I therefore repeat that it is of the iirst importance, in every instance where lameness occurs, to have the foot carefully and repeatedly examined. It is from a neglect of these precau- tions that quittors, and diseases of that kind, are so common amongst agricultural and other draught horses. Having allayed the inflammation consequent upon a wound from a nail or any other cause by the application of poultices repeated every night and morning, a dressing of melted tar with tow is commonly applied, which rapidly encourages a secretion of horn, and a few such dressings will put all to THEIR EFFECTS AND TREATMENT. 45 rights. Some prefer dressing the wound with tincture of myrrh, or that combined with aloes ; while others prefer dress- ing the part with some caustic, to "keep down the proud flesh." Now, while I must confess that, in some cases, escha- rotics are of service in healing up these wounds, I must also observe that it is, generally speaking, overcoming the disease by force instead of science ; and that in all cases the appear- ance oi proud flesh springing up is almost a certain symptom that the cause of irritation has not been completely removed. This cause may arise from a small portion of the hoof having become partially detached in consequence of the inflammation of the part ; for I must here remark that, when any portion of the hoof has been detached by inflammation and suppuration, it then becomes as a foreign body, and proves a source of irritation to the sensible part with which it was formerly in harmonious irnion. The irritation in such cases is materially increased and kept up by the enlargement which always arises from inflammation and increased determination of blood to any part ; but in the foot the evil is doubly increased by the circumstance of the sensible foot, with its extreme vas- cularity, being completely enclosed within the insensible hoof — a part governed by different laws from the parts which it encloses. We know that where a part is inflamed it swells by the increased determination of blood to it, and that pain is mate- rially increased by any degree of pressure. In the foot, when in- flammation occurs, the comparatively small degree of elasticity which exists in the hoof is insufficient to allow of the neces- sary degree of expansion, and the parts within are violently compressed ; thus the signs of excruciating pain evinced by an animal suffering from such a disease are accounted for. The hoof must therefore be well opened and thinned, or altogether removed from the part affected, in every case where inflamma- tion of the foot exists. Where these means are not sufficiently adopted, or where they are not carried into effect with suffi- cient decision, the suppuration extends upwards, detaching 46 INJURIES OF FOOT OF HORSE : the coronary ligament from the parts with which it is im- mediately joined, and matter is formed under it which, by rapidly extending around the foot, soon produces most exten- sive destruction. To check the progress of suppuration, when it is detaching the coronary ligament, we must at once make an opening or two with the lancet in a vertical direction, so as to allow the matter to escape, which, from the time com- monly required for the suppurative process being completed in such parts as those to which we allude, it seldom of itself does, without extending, and thereby doing great mischief. Where matter has been thus formed at the coronet and al- lowed to escape, the causes of the inflammation removed, and proper attention paid to the application of poultices, in which some mild astringent wash has been mixed, the parts gradu- ally heal up, and soon get well ; but unless gTeat care has been taken, troublesome sinus ulcers form, which extend in various directions, and the disease is then designated a Quitter. When these sinuses have formed they commonly prove troublesome to heal, and if a country farrier accidentally suc- ceeds in the treatment of such a case, he is at once supposed to be at the head of his profession, is dubbed "the Doctor" by his employers, and licensed by common consent to cut and carve at pleasure. From the variety of structures that are involved in this affection, considerable discrimination is neces- sary to treat the disease upon scientific principles. The close connection of the hoof with the vascular secreting surface, the lamina, the coronary ligament, the cartilages, ligaments, bones, and joints, render such diseases at once obstinate, requiring the most accurate knowledge of the parts for their scientific treat- ment. There are several methods adopted for the cure of quitter. The first and oldest practice is that of coring out the diseased parts, and reducing the whole to one continued healthy surface, and afterwards treating the sore as a simple wound ; the second, of at once extirpating the diseased parts by excision ; and the third, by exciting healthy action in the THEIR EFFECTS AND TREATMENT. 4*7 ulcers, and promoting adhesion. The first and oldest prac- tice is that usually adopted by farriers, and is effected com- monly by actual cautery, or the most active caustics, or both combined. The wounds are filled by forcing in with a probe a large portion of corrosive sublimate, arsenic, lunar caustic, sulphate of copper, or the acetate of copper ; or they are injected with a syringe, with the muriate of antimony, the sulphuric, nitric, or muriatic acids, to core out the quittor. And when these fail, the dose is repeated, the enlarged substance on the coronet is bored with a hot iron, and the caustic introduced, by means of which greater portions of it are detached, and a large sore produced requiring a great length of time to heal; and in every instance, even when it does succeed, producing a great derangement of the secretion of hoof, with a weakness or fissure of the crust, which is denominated false quarter. This defect is mainly owing to the extent to which this coring treatment is carried. Farriers are not content with simply producing a new surface in the wound itself, but hav- ing perhaps in some cases found a small portion of bone, which has been thrown off by exfoliation in the progress of the disease, they are led to suppose that the same is necessary in every instance, and that they must not only core out the quittor, but likewise the quittor bone.* They are therefore in the habit of protracting the cure by repeating the application of the caustic, until part of the coronary ligament is destroyed and altered in its structure, the consequence of which is a diseased secretion. The ligament having been destroyed and divided by these caustics, the hoof which is secreted and formed by it is, as a necessary conse- quence, divided also, and grows down a false quarter. Caution is therefore necessary in the use of caustics. They ought to be adopted as seldom as possible, and I am inclined to think that with patience most cases would be found to submit to * The cored out part is generally supposed to be the quittor, but is nothing but a portion of the quick that has been destroyed by the caustic. 48 INJURIES OF FOOT OF HOESE : milder means than that commonly adopted. The caustic ought to be the last instead of the first remedy. What, then, is to be done with quittor ? the farriers will say. Why, in the first place, relieve the sensible parts as much as necessary by thinning away the hoof as completely as possible, taking care at the same time to avoid giving fresh wounds to sound parts in the course of the operation ; see that no sharp corner or edge of hoof is allowed to remain pressing into and confin- ing a portion of the soft parts. In the next place, examine the sinuses, and ascertain if the orifice is dependent ; or whether any foreign body, as a little gravel, a piece of wood, a portion of exfoliated bone or cartilage, ligament, or lymph, is not lodged in some part or cavity of the sinuses, and keeping up the discharge ; and having ascer- tained that these circumstances do not operate in keeping up the disease, then try what can be effected, not by coring out and destroying the parts, but by exciting a fresh action in them. Let a solution of any of the solid caustics above enumerated, or some of the liquid ones in a diluted state, be injected into the very bottom of the sinuses, and this repeated every day until what is called adhesive inflammation is set up, and the wound will soon close. Setons are also used with the same view, and when kept in the part for a few days, often do good. Escharotics, as sulphate of zinc or alum, may be intro- duced in the solid form into the ulcers with the same view ; and the first will be found in many cases, where the inflamma- tion is not very active, to fiU up the wounds in a few days, if it has been properly introduced into the bottom of the wound. The same happy result will often follow a continuation of careful and complete injections of a solution of some of the caustics. Saturated solutions in water of the sulphate of zinc or copper, or the oxymuriate of mercury, has commonly the best effect; but in old and obstinate cases their effect may be materially increased for the better by the application of a blister over the swelled part, repeating it as occasion requires. But instead of requiring in general the aid of blisters to excite THEIR EFFECTS AND TREATMENT. 49 inflammation, there is more commonly too much set up by the injections, and a poultice is therefore rather required to miti- gate the inflammation and assuage the pain. Indeed, mild as the injection of caustic in a diluted state is when compared with the introduction of it in the solid form, as farriers are commonly in the habit of using it, this treatment is often more powerful than is required. The wound may frequently be healed by simply removing that portion of the hoof which presses upon it, making a dependent orifice, and soothing the whole by a continuation of poultices ; and even where it may be found that caustic must be employed in the solid form, or where recourse must be had to excision with the knife, the application of poultices continued will materially assist in allaying the irritation arising from the application of such remedies, and contribute much in preventing their bad effects. The removal of the diseased parts with the knife cannot be much recommended; the knife should only be used in old cases, and then, too, only where all the diseased parts can be completely removed without much destruction to the foot. In some instances I have seen a good cure effected by this method, but it is only in favourable cases that it should be tried. I am a strong advocate for mild measures in veterinary practice; our object must be a restoration of parts — their removal is not for us. ON THE DISEASE OF THE HORSE TEEMED NAVICULAR. In some of the preceding numbers of your Journal, I have had occasion to treat of a few of the numerous diseases to which the foot of the horse is liable, and, amongst others, that of contraction, navicular lameness, or grogginess. In your last number I observe a letter by Mr Charles Clark of London, in which, I perceive, he is opposed to my views of the nature of that disease. I am glad to see such a gentleman as Mr Clark, who is already so well known as a writer on this particular subject in the ' Lancet' and ' Farrier ' and ' Naturalist,' now come forward with so much zeal. Mr Clark is already too much wedded, I fear, to the side of the question which he has so long and eagerly advocated, to allow me to hope to be able to make a convert of him. But I will use my best endeavour to do so ; and whether I succeed or not with Mr Clark, I shall at least have the satisfaction of alTording the numerous readers of your Journal an opportunity of judging for themselves of the merits of our respective views upon the subject. I have very little doubt indeed with respect to the result; and, in the mean time, I feel much gratified by the opportunity which you have so kindly afforded me of making a reply to the observations which Mr Clark has. hazarded upon this subject. I must confess I am not surprised that Mr Clark should have opposed me in the views which I entertain regarding the nature of this disease. For if a person has, after considerable labour and study, arrived at what he thinks a fair and for- tunate conclusion, and by which he expects not only to remedy or prevent the evil he has been combating, but by which he DISEASE OP THE HORSE TERMED NAVICULAR. 51 also hopes to establish his fame, should another happen to take such a view of the matter as completely to overturn his high expectations, it is natural to infer that he will endeavour to regain his ground. Such is the case with Mr Charles Clark ; he, or rather his uncle, Mr Bracy Clark, has been led to conclude that the whole of the evils which occur to the foot arise from the confinement produced by the fixed nature of the common shoe. I have thought otherwise, and I am now pre- pared to establish my position ; and in doing so I shall follow the arrangement which Mr Clark has adopted, though perhaps not the happiest one that might have been pursued. From the manner in which Mr Clark, at the commencement of his paper, has introduced the term Navicular disease, one is almost led to imagine that he supposes I had invented the term. But he knew well that that term has been long in com- mon use ; and because it was so, I used it. The same remark applies to Grogginess, upon which he has also chosen to make some observations, stating, by the way, that this " disgraceful grogginess " is a term which scientific men should be ashamed to employ, because it " bespeaks ignorance of its real causes." Now, Mr Clark should bear in mind that common terms are best understood by nou-scientific men, and for the information of these principally my essays were written ; and Mr Clark himself says in the 'Farrier,' we must use this term to be under- stood. Indeed, I have not the slightest fear that any one, unless under the influence of grog himself, will be in danger of mistaking this disease on account of the name. But I am more ambitious that the disease should be rightly understood, which Mr Clark himself considers to be a matter of some con- sequence, than to cavil about the name. I should have passed over this part of the discussion more slightly, had not Mr Clark recurred to these terms more than once in the course of his paper. At length, however, he gets so much enraged about this " disgraceful grogginess," and high-sounding title of navicular disease, that he must inform your readers from whence he supposed the term navicular to have been trans- 52 DISEASE OF THE HORSE ferred. He finds fault with the teachers of the Veterinary College for having changed the term Shuttle-bone to that of Navicular. I apprehend, however, that the change of the name of the bone was justifiable, because, there being a bone fewer in the tarsus of the horse than in that of the human body, if the same names were to be applied to all, one must be left out ; and as the bone corresponding to the navicular in its relative situa- tion has not, in the horse, a strict resemblance, but assumes more of the cuneiform character, I conceive it to be a cavilling about nothing to find fault with its being transposed, as the shuttle-hone has as great a resemblance to a boat as a shuttle. It therefore appears to me, that whoever transposed the name has applied the term navicular because of the likeness of the bone to a boat — not its distance from the ground, as Mr Clark sarcastically enough observes, and would have it to be supposed. But not only would I defend those who have adopted the term os naviculare from blame, in as far as regards the bone itself, but I even contend for the correctness of the term, as conveying some idea of the disease. The symptoms which are exhibited by an animal affected with it are such as to convey some idea of a person just arrived from on board ship, who, from the motion of the ship, has acquired a staggering gait. It is true, indeed, that these arise from very different causes ; in the one the head is affected, in the other the feet ; but it is the symptoms of which we are at present speaking. And as to grogginess, the same remarks are applicable ; the name is derived from symptoms exhibited ; and the veriest booby would not, from the name, mistake the cause. But then it is a term, says Mr Clark, "which scientific men should be ashamed to employ," because it "bespeaks ignorance of its real nature." It would look more learned and scientific, per- haps, to write u-^hxuXna ; the vulgar would not understand it, and then such an advantage it would be to the Grecians ! Mr Clark next finds fault with my presuming to write upon TERMED NAVICULAR. 53 a subject which has been so often discussed, and yet confessedly obscure, unless I had some new light to throw on the subject, instead of the observations I have made upon the views and treatment of others ; and because, he says, these observations and opinions are not founded upon my " own practical know- ledge " and " real experience." These are rather bold asser- tions. If the views and observations I have made are not my own, will Mr Clark have the goodness to say where they are to be found. If the nature, progress, and effects of the disease described here have appeared in print before I wrote them in your Journal, I must confess I am curious to see them. But it must be allowed that they at least have appeared somewhat new to Mr Clark, since they have produced from him such a lengthened reply. With regard to my own practical knowledge and real experience, I am at a loss to know what that amount is which Mr Clark conceives necessary to enable a person to write on a subject. Trained from my youth to all the minutiae of the forge, in a practice tolerably extensive, and with the " real ex- perience " of nearly a score of years — such, I humbly conceive, should have been a sufficient reason for preventing any one from honestly bringing against me the charge of a want of real experience ; and if he means experience in the jointed shoe, I beg to state that few, except himself and his particular friends, have given it a fairer trial than I have done. When I wrote the essays for your Journal on the disease in question, I thought that the various states of the diseased synovial bursa had been stated with sufficient plainness to be observed without much searching, though Mr Clark asserts otherwise. But if he will again resume his search, he will find it stated that the disease in the part under discussion was described as being liable to inflammation in the slightest defrree, onward to the most destructive effect that takes place. By the by, the term " good or bad shoeing," as Mr Clark chooses to be hypercritical, is not mine. It is a common, and, I think, an appropriate manner of expression in use, both in regard to the principles and practice of shoeing. ,54 DISEASE OF THE HOKSE There are two essential points upon whicli Mr Clark and 1 are at issue, tipon the establishment of which the hypo- thesis I have advanced must stand or fall : first, he does not believe that the navicular disease exists in more than one- fourth of the cases to which I allude ; and, in the second place, he has yet to learn that it cannot be prevented by any mode of shoeing. First, then, I assert, and he denies, the existence of the disease to the extent I have stated : well, we must have proof Mr Clark brings forward what he considers a for- midable array : he says he has " examined thousands of con- tracted feet," and the result has been that, in a very large majority, no morbid appearance whatever exists in that joint ; though in some instances of chronic lameness in its worst stages occasional well-marked cases are seen. These, con- tinues he, form but a very small part indeed of the number that are dead lame ; but he also acknowledges that the disease may exist with little external contraction. He then repeats Turner's view of the causes by which it may be produced in such cases, without noticing, however, the remarks I have already made on such causes in the papers under discussion, and therefore I need not recur to them. Now I do not think that I have examined, by dissection, thousands of diseased feet ; but I have from necessity had oc- casion to examine, in the course of my lectures, a larger pro- portion of feet than many in the profession ; and I must say that my experience has brought me to a very different conclu- sion to what Mr Clark has arrived at. In my former essays I have given my ideas of the progress of the disease described, with the symptoms by which it is known ; and from the notions I have formed regarding it, I have been able to dis- cover it, in cases where my opinion has been put to the test, by the immediate death of the animal, of which I could give many examples. But I shall only give an extract from a let- ter which I have just received from Mr Tennant, veterinary surgeon, Ravenstruther, near Lanark. He says : " You will TERMED NAVICULAE. 55 perhaps recollect a horse belonging to Sir Eichard Honey- man, Bart., that was sent for your advice, with lameness in both fore feet, and with an enlargement on the pastern-bone of the off foot. This you considered as ring-bone with navicular disease, and recommended to fire the off one aU round, and blister both repeatedly, which was accordingly done, and the horse got almost sound. But it was unfortunately killed by a wound in the thigh from a harrow-tooth. I examined the feet, and found traces of considerable disease in both navicular bursa." I have already stated, in my former essays, the symptoms by which the disease is to be discovered in the living horse, but as Mr Clark is still doubtful of its existence, and has challenged those who consider the navicular disease as the prevailing evil, I cheerfully accept his challenge ; and so con- fident am I of being able to point out the disease, that I will stake my reputation upon a single case. And I shall stand to the proof whenever Mr Clark chooses by having the animal destroyed and dissected ; and let he who is wrong bear all expenses. And lest the distance between us should be any bar, I will undertake to select a horse in which both feet are diseased ; I will send him one to dissect himself, and keep the other in reserve, as proof, here. But I must observe that, in examining a foot, there is a care and a method necessary in order to see the disease pro- perly. The lioof, or at least a great part of it, must he, taken off, and the sensible frog removed ; an incision must be made on each side of the tendon parallel with it, and at the ex- tremities of the navicular bone, and the tendon afterwards dissected carefully down, separating it from the perforatus, when, on dividing the broad ligament which connects the tendon and the bone together, the synovial capsule is ex- posed ; and, by laying back the tendon upon the sole of the coffin-bone, if any disease exists it will at once be seen. It may appear as an increased secretion of synovia, with inflam- mation of the synovial membrane, or this membrane may be 56 DISEASE OF THE HORSE abraded; perhaps a deposition of lympli, in a layer like a new membrane, may be found ; or an abraded appearance of the tendon; or adhesion of it by a new membrane to the bone; a destruction or deficiency of the cartilage covering the bone ; a roughness from ossific spicula upon it ; an ulcer- ation of the bone, or even pus, may be found in the bursa. Now, has Mr Clark proceeded in the manner I have described in the dissections he has made, or did he not rather only make a perpendicular section of the feet he examined ? If he did so, I am not surprised that he has seen the disease in only one-fourth of the cases he dissected. I suggest this, because the examination of thousands of feet, if properly done, wordd require no Little time ; and because his uncle, Mr Bracy Clark, informed me, when I had the pleasure of seeing him in Edinburgh, that this was the manner he was in the habit of following. Now, if I am correct in the supposi- tion that Mr Clark has examined the feet in this manner, I am only surprised that he has found so many examples, as the disease, by such means, can only be seen in the very worst cases. But mark how the cases were selected. Mr Clark says, " I have examined thousands of contracted feet at the slaughter- houses in this metropolis, and employed the men to preserve for me all that they found in a diseased state at that part, and the result is that, in a very large majority of contracted feet, no morbid appearance whatever exists in that joint." I must here observe, however, that the men were very incompetent judges of the existence of those cases in which the disease was to be found. Such men would, of course, give Mr Clark plenty of contracted feet so long as they got anything for their trouble, and that, too, whether the horses were lame in the feet or not. But Mr Clark must recollect that I have stated that it is only in contracted feet, accompanied with lameness, that the disease is likely to be found. I would have greater expectation of finding the disease in strong " coarse " feet of a certain character, without contraction, TERMED NAVICULAR. 67 than in cases of contracted feet, where there was no lame- ness. Mr Clark appears to have been content with nothing short of adhesion of the tendon or ulceration of the bone ; but surely he must have reflected upon the various stages and degrees of disease which must have existed from the commencement of that which has produced such effects. Might not the inflam- mation at the commencement be so acute as to render the ani- mal dead lame ? Might not that be allayed and re-excited ? Would there not be various changes going on in the part be- fore the full and complete appearance, which Mr Clark seems to have expected to find in every case, could have occurred ? And might he not, in the examination of thousands of cases, have been disappointed in the appearances he expected, and the disease still exist in its most painful, though not completely developed, stage ? I will not insult Mr Clark by doubting his reply. Mr Clark appears to have but very imperfect notions of my views of lameness, if he supposes that I confound diseases of the coffin-joint, and other parts, with that of the navicular bvirsa. I am of opinion that a scientific man ought to be able to detect and distinguish these diseases from each other ; and I know that this can be done. I am unwilling to suppose Mr Clark has mistaken me, or that he wishes wilfully to mislead, by quoting the older farriers on cofiSn-joint lameness ; but I am compelled to say that he has not clearly stated what he means when he speaks of the coffin- joint being affected. Nay, if it had not been that, in the com- mencement of his paper, he had found, by searching my essay, that " this magnified evil " appeared to consist either in an ulceration of the small transverse or shuttle bone of the foot, or in adhesion between it and the perforans tendon, which passes under, and is attached immediately below it, I would have been compelled to have charged him with a total igno- rance of the anatomy of the foot, or at least with a want of the knowledge of the seat of the disease ; because we find 58 DISEASE OF THE HOKSE him stating " that it may happen that the terminating artic- ulation of the foot, formed hy the coronet, coffin, and shuttle bones, may become highly inflamed;" and that "the coffin- joint lameness (is) a term fully as correct, and much more dis- tinctive than that employed by the higher professing veteri- narians of the present day." Again he says, "A veterinary surgeon " (Mr Turner, I suppose, he means) " took notice, in the course of his post mortem researches, of the diseased state of the coffin-joint, and, in making it generally public, gave it the sounding title of Navicular Disease." And again : " In this hard and fixed state it (the horny sole) oifers a solid resistance to the pressure of the coffin-joint from above, instead of yield- ing to it, as it ought to do. This is enough to occasion inflam- mation of that joint, and its train of bad effects." After these quotations, will it be believed that the disease in question is not situated in the coffin-joint; that the term yom< is not ap- plicable to the part aifected ; that, in fact, it is a distinct and separate cavity in -which the disease is found ? The navicular bursa mucosa is the seat of the disease ; and, as a cavity, it has no communication whatever with the coffin-joint. Now, let him look again at my essays, and see what is there described as the seat of the disease ; certainly not the coffin-joint, which, I repeat, we ought to be able, when it is diseased, to distinguish from the disease in question ; and if Mr Clark has looked into the coffin-joint for the disease, then I say again I am surprised he has found it in so large a proportion. But farther, where he ventures to say what are the diseased states of the part affected, he is still in much confusion, show- ing evidently that to him this disease is indeed " a rare thing." " Adhesion of the tendon to the bone is perhaps '' (he says) "the most common occurrence; but a diseased shuttle-bone is in reality a rare thing." Pray, how can adhesion take place betwixt the tendon and the bone without involving the bone in a greater or less degree of disease ? Is not the very adhe- sion a diseased action 1 The bone, in every case of adhesion, partakes of the disease, and sooner or later, in some degree or TERMED NAVICULAK. 59 other, whether adhesion takes place or not, becomes diseased. If this were new to Mr Clark, he would indeed be a superficial pathologist. I would not press Mr Clark so hard upon this point, were it not, as he expresses it, " a matter of some consequence ; " but as a knowledge of the disease is half the cure, I must insist that we ought to be able to distinguish the difference between diseases in the coffin-joint and in the navicular bursa. The situation of the diseases are different, their symptoms are different, and their effects are different. And when we know the nature of the disease, we are more likely to treat it with success ; and if not, we are at least able to give a rational rea- son for the obstinate nature of the lameness, instead of the vague and undefinable ideas attached to contraction of the hoof, which, in my opinion, has proved a greater bugbear to the profession than ever navicular disease has done. If con- traction alone were the cause, we could remove the disease at once by the simple enlargement of the hoof ; but this Mr Clark well knows can seldom be done : and if, in some cases of con- firmed lameness with contraction, the disease is subdued, it is, I am at liberty to say, as much owing to those remedies which are used having removed the inflammation in the bursa, as the relief given to the contraction of the hoof. Mr Clark asks what produces lameness — and replies, the iron hoop, the shoe ; but he wHl be pleased to observe that, until he has shown how the shoe produces the inflammation in this part, he has only made an assertion. He will tell us that inflammation is the effect of the constraint produced by the shoe ; but let me ask. Do we not find thousands of feet contracted, and that to the last degree, without obvious lameness ? I say obvious lame- ness, because we are not to quibble about subtleties which do not admit of fuU proof; and do we not meet with numerous cases where there is that kind of lameness which is said to be the effect of contraction, where the feet are not perceptibly altered in their form? Yes. Mr Clark reluctantly admits that such viay occur ; that in " certain coarse feet " — a term, by 60 DISEASE OF THE HORSE the way, too coarse for scientific men to use — " this effect (the contraction) is not very obvious ; " that in such cases the dis- ease is produced by the resistance offered by the sole not de- scending. I am quite aware that a hard thick sole will pro- duce, in some instances, inflammation in the sensible sole, and that various effects may arise from it. But it unfortunately happens, for this view of the case, that in those feet where there is little contraction, there the soft elastic frog and the almost insensible tendon, in an unaltered state, are interposed between the bursa and the sole. But why reason thus ? Were this the only bursa or joint liable to disease, we might be led to suppose that Mr Clark's assertion was correct ; but when we find that the bursa at the fetlock and hock, and also most of the joints, are liable to dis- ease precisely similar in appearance and effects, are we not boimd, by such demonstrative evidence, to conclude, that as this bursa is, like other synovial capsules, placed in analogous situations, similarly constructed, and performing similar func- tions, it must be liable to similar diseases, and these diseases, too, arising from similar causes ? Now, if Mr Clark has not seen disease in other bursa, I could show him a variety of specimens, sufficient, I think, to satisfy him as to their liabil- ity to disease. And such being the case, how will he account for disease in these parts ? Are they bruised, or has contrac- tion of the hoof anything to do with these parts ? Can the hoof press on the fetlock synovial capsule, or on that of the profundus tendon, as it passes over the hock ? No. And why should he be so reluctant in allowing a capsule, the parts of which are perhaps more in action than the others, to be liable to similar diseases? To deny these positions, is to set at de- fiance every principle of anatomy, physiology, and pathology, on which is founded my " belief." In regard to the rarity of the appearances in this disease, I must observe a very singular fact, that on the first visit I made to the tan-yard after reading Mr Clark's letter (to make a post mortem examination of a horse that had died) TERMED NAVICULAR. 61 the very first foot which I took up proved to be one affected with this disease ; and this foot was selected simply from its external appearance. And although I had no information regarding the feet, or whether the horses to which they be- longed were lame or not, I found that out of other three feet which I examined, one proved also to have the same mor- bid appearances ; and further, although eight days had not elapsed from meeting with these two specimens, another came into my hands, and that, too, a case in which I ventured to predict the state of the parts prior to death. And T must further remark, that in two subsequent visits to the tanners, in company with several of my pupils, of seven feet selected as worthy of dissection, simply from their appearance and form, without any knowledge of the horses, or whether they had been lame or not, four of these proved to be affected with the same disease. But I must hasten to his second point, and endeavour to show why I am of opinion that all shoeing, whether good or had, will produce the disease. Mr Clark seems to feel very sanguine about his expansion-shoe, and appears surprised I have said so little about it. Now I thought I had said enough; I said, in fact, that in principle it is the best, but in practice it has some defects in common with other shoes. It is attached with nails, and these nails may pinch the sensible parts within by displacing the soft parts of the hoof inwards. Although this has been denied by the late Mr Peal of Dublin, I am sure every practical man in the profession will bear me out when I assert that such is the fact, and which I can also prove by specimens of morbid anatomy; and so sensible was Mr Clark's uncle of this, that, to prevent such almost unavoidable occurrence with the expansion-shoe, he invented a stretcher, and published an account of it for the use of those who may apply the shoes. Now, in this way, contraction may be produced even with the expansion-shoe. But besides this, unless the jointed shoe were composed of 62 DISEASE OP THE HORSE elastic materials, it would not admit the equal expansion of the different parts— an argument which has been repeatedly urged against the jointed shoe, and which I will not therefore insist upon. But it is, besides, liable to the objections of the common shoe, in the irregular pressure that may arise from it if not properly bedded — that is, if it rest too much on any one part of the hoof ; the effects which follow such extra pressure will be inflammation and its consequences. Besides, this is more likely to occur with the jointed shoe than any other, because, unless the joint is made to play horizontally with a degree of mathematical exactness (scarcely to be expected in the construction of the shoe, even although it is made of cast iron), the contraction or expansion of it may cause an increase of pressure upon either heel, which may produce inflamma- tion and all its consequences. And unless Mr Clark sets up a claim to infallibility in his workmen, I cannot see how these circumstances should not have occurred in the course of his practice. Where, then, is the impossibility of the disease occurring with his expansion-shoe ? Mr Clark surely wOl not deny that inflammation could be produced by the causes I have stated ; and if, therefore, he has not yet had the misfor- tune of finding a horse going lame with the expansion-shoe, he must not suppose it is therefore perfection ; he may yet have more experience. And with regard to his testimonials, I am bold to say that there are hundreds of practitioners who could tell the same tale in regard to their different, kinds of shoes ; ay, and get as many testimonials as Mr Clark. How rare, for example, does the " fettering " system affect farm horses in slow work ; how seldom does it occur in ponies of light weight ! How is it so little known in France and on the Continent, amongst horses that go much upon their haunches, and have high action, but which put their fore feet to the ground with less force than our well-bred horses ? If the fet- tering system was so very destructive, we should have all our horses lame in a short time. But let Mr Clark look back to the case I mentioned on a former occasion, and explain how, TERMED NAVICULAR. 63 with " fettered " shoes, the horse's feet contmued perfect when he was otherwise worn out. We are told that Mr Clarlc has " used expansion-shoes for several years on a considerable number of horses," and that he has never seen, " while wearing thmn, a single horse become affected in this manner." In what manner ? In the manner he confessedly does not understand. But mark the caution of the expression, " while wearing them." Few horses having, it would appear, used these shoes constantly, if they fell lame, it was always after they had been wearing common shoes ; to them the lameness was ascribed — the fatal contamination of the common shoe. Mr Clark asks, very triumphantly, why the ancient Eoman veterinary writers have not mentioned this disease, if it arises from the " pace," and at a time when their pace was as rapid as ours, without shoes ? But is there anything wonderful in the Eomans not being aware of the existence of a disease about which even Mr Clark himself is not satisfied 1 Will he pre- tend ignorance of the fact, that, even in the present day, it is commonly supposed to exist in the shoulders? And is he really serious when he says, that " where no unnatural restraint of the foot is permitted, there will be no inflammation and no subsequent disease" ? Will not the "pace" — will not over-exer- tion — induce inflammation, and that too in such a degree as in some instances to threaten separation of the entire hoof, as in acute founder ; and why not in the degree and in the part I have treated of 1 If Mr Clark does not believe it, I do ; and have had proof by " real experience." Let us here, however, inquire into the expansion of the foot before going farther, and see whether we have not been making a noise about nothing. What is the amount and nature of the expansion of the hoof ? It appears to me that we have been led too far by the expansive doctrine. What is the action of the foot when the weight is thrown upon it and the hoof unshod ? We see the under extremity of the crust coming in contact with a hard surface ; and if on a pavement, the edge of 64 DISEASE OF THE HORSE the crust will embrace it with increasing firmness as the weight increases upon it. Now it is said that the hoof expands when the weight is thrown upon it ; but, unless perhaps where the frog is prominent, if pressing on a surface such as a pavement, or that of a smooth Macadamised road — where, I ask, would the expansion take place ? I do not think there would, in such a case, be play to any great extent between the lower edge of the crust and the ground, so long as it is a fixed principle in mechanics that the increase of friction retards motion. But besides this, the laminae on the interior of the crust are so many springs running downward and inward ; and as the weight is thrown upon them, their action is to draw the sides in some degree together. But observe how nature has pro- vided to guard against injury in such circumstances. The blood, by the peculiar construction of the vessels, escapes from the foot by innumerable channels, and the increased portion of the foot, which is forced down by the superincumbent weight, is thus allowed to enter within the hoof, without any material expansion of it being required ; and thus we see that the hoof becomes fettered independent of shoeing ; and of this Mr Clark is not altogether ignorant, as he has alluded to it in the 'Farrier,' without, however, offering any remarks upon the subject. Let us next inquire into the principles of the common shoe, so much condemned by Mr Clark. It is a defence to the hoof, attached by means of nails, which extend round one half of the foot, or rather half the circle of the hoof It is not fair, there- fore, in Mr Clark to stigmatise the common shoe as rendering the hoof " as rigid as a block of wood bound round with a ring of iron." The hoof, at most, is only bound half round ; it is still allowed the play of its expansive properties behind the nails. The common shoe is at most only a half-ring, in as far as the fixing is concerned ; and all the boasted improvement of Mr Clark's expansion system consists in dividing this half- ring into two quarters. This is the mighty improvement— this the ne plus ultra of the art of shoeing. I have admitted that the jointed shoe has its advantages ; but, in the mean time, let TERMED NAVICULAR. 65 JMr Clark consider what play can take place in the jointed shoe when it is resting on a firm surface below, and pressed upon by the hoof and the weight of the horse above ; that is not a likely time for its expansion. I do not deny the elasticity of the hoof. Who ever did 1 I allow there are circumstances where the hoof is expanded, and where it is advantageous that it should be allowed to do so with freedom. But while so much atten- tion has been paid to its expansive properties, why should its opposite properties be so much overlooked ? Has the contrac- tile power been given to the hoof in vain ? ]\Iay not the fixed state which must take place in the crust when in contact with a hard flat surface, even before the hoof has been shoed, require that the horny sole should be compressible to allow it to de- scend when pressed upon from above ? Do we not find, when hoofs are very wide and open, that the sole is apt to descend in such a degree as to become diseased, and that, too, in defiance of what the common shoe can do to press up the sole and con- tract the hoof? But not only does the friction, which takes place between the under edge of the crust and the ground, pre- vent expansion at the moment of greatest pressure, and when the greatest necessity for such expansion apparently occurs, but the heels of the hoof run in a direction obliquely forward under the superincumbent weight, in such a manner that, in- stead of expansion, there is, of necessity, a natural tendency to contract at these extreme parts. Methinks I hear Mr Clark say. What doctrine is this which is brought forward ? Is every established opinion to be subverted to support an absurd the- ory ? No : but these remarks will perhaps lead Mr Clark to consider better what he advances in regard to a subject about which we chance to differ. Having formerly shown that this disease is similar to what occurs in other parts of the animal, I only recommended the ordinary treatment for such cases. A specific was not to be expected. I certainly expected none. On the contrary, I have been led to doubt the merits of Mr Clark's specific — the expansion-shoe. Although I have not enlarged so fully as I E 66 DISEASE OF THE HORSE TERMED NAVICULAR. might have done on many parts of Mr Clark's letter, I shall content myself with only further remarking, that whatever may have been the discussions of the London Veterinary Me- dical Society upon the disease in question, my opinions were not even alluded to there ; and whether Mr Clark thinks so or not, I am induced to believe that most of your readers will be able to draw this conclusion from the discussion — that neither the expansion-shoe nor any other will be sufficient to prevent the disease so long as the animal is subjected to " a killing pace upon the road," and that combined with the other disadvantages under which this animal is compelled to labour. ON THE NAVICULAR DISEASE AND NEUROTOMY. I HAVE read with pleasure, in your last number, Mr Turner's ingenious essay on the " Symptoms and Cure of Navicular Lameness." In it he has introduced an observation I have made on the effects of friction in the navicular bursa after neurotomy, and has mentioned some cases to show that the friction alluded to is not always necessary to con- stitute the failure of the operation by the descent of the fet- lock in old and extreme cases. As, however, the same object may be expected to present different appearances according to the theoretical medium through which it is viewed, I take the liberty of troubling you with the following remarks. I have mentioned, in the essay to which Mr Turner alludes, that in some cases the ulcerated surface of the navicular bone is frequently so extensive, that after the nerves have been divided, the friction which takes place divides the tendon, and the pastern falls to the ground. Mr Turner states that he has seen cases where the tendon has given way immediately on the animal being allowed to get up ; and therefore considers that in such cases friction could not have been the cause. He also observes, that he has seen cases where the tendon has been so attenuated by absorption, that he could see distinctly through the few remaining fibres. Never having met with a case where the tendon has given way so immediately after the operation as in those mentioned by Mr T., I have not alluded to them, but those he has mentioned do not induce me to alter my opinion. 68 NAVICULAR DISEASE AND NEUEOTOMY. If a fresh rope was made to pass over a pulley (which the navicular bone may represent), and was attached to a resist- ing body, and if the pulley in course of use, instead of having the smoothest possible surface, was to become worm-eaten, and to put on a ragged surface, the friction would be such as soon to destroy the rope. But if the machine was so admirably constructed, that the engineer, although he could not restore the sound state of the parts, could, by throwing a little more of the weight upon the other ropes and tackle, still keep the machine in motion, and at the same time save the injured part ; and if, after a time, the engineer could, by some means or other, be led to suppose that the pulley and rope had been made as sound as ever (while, on the contrary, the rope had continued to waste, and the pulley to have become rougher than at first); and if, under such circumstances, the strain was to be thrown at once upon these parts, what might we expect to be the consequences ? — why, that by the first movement the rope would be sawn through. That friction is the cause of the attenuation and absorption of the tendon at the part alluded to, I am induced to believe from the appearance which it presents in such cases as men- tioned by Mr Turner ; for I have found portions of the ten- dons on the surface next the navicular bone exhibiting the appearance of several of the fibres of the tendon having been divided, as it were, about the centre of the bursa, retiring upwards and downwards, and coiled up, or the ends of the fibres rounded, as if from the play of the parts ; in other cases the appearance of a separation of fibres longitudinally, similar to what is shown when a tendon taken from the dead subject has been drawn several times over a rough surface. Such ap- pearance I have no doubt Mr T. must have observed in his minute examination of these cases. It must here be observed that the operation of neurotomy reduces the foot to the state of an inanimate machine, and I am therefore entitled to apply the reasoning I have adopted to it. It is only by viewing it in this light that we are NAVICULAR DISEASE AND NEUROTOMY. 69 enabled to account for all the phenomena which occur. lu depriving the foot of its nervous communication with the rest of the body, we at the same time deprive it of its nervous, its vital energy ; and we have then nothing to trust to but the exquisite mechanism and physical strength of the materials ; and we know that, however beautiful the parts of an animal body may be formed and arranged, its power resides in its vitality. The body is only the machine by which the ani- mating spirits operate ; the nerves are the wires which con- vey its commands and its powers to the individual parts. Such being the case, need we wonder that, deprived of such influence, we find it soon gives way ? Nay, it has even been proved that these parts, in otherwise a sound and healthy condition, are unable to withstand the friction and strain which exist.- Mr Castley has informed me that in one instance, as an experiment, he divided the nerves of a horse above the pastern- joint, in which the feet were sound, and that the flexor per- forans some months after gave way ; thus showing that, when the vital power is destroyed or exhausted, the parts of a living body are acted upon like other machinery (it must be ob- served, however, that a horse with long pasterns was selected for the experiment). I am therefore inclined to think that the nervous energy, with increased action of the flexor per- foratus, has a greater influence in preserving the perforans tendon from being destroyed prior to the operation, than any control the animal can possibly exert over the extensor muscles. If the extensor pedis is in a state of contraction, it must, of course, extend the foot, and the action of the extensor suffra- ginis will assist it ; while the relaxation of the flexor perforans muscle will not relieve the navicular bursa, because the power- ful ligament arising from the posterior of the os magnum of the carpus, and inserted principally into the perforans tendon (the corrected anatomy and diseases of which have been so strangely overlooked by British veterinarians), wiU, while the 70 NAVICCJLAR DISEASE AND NEUROTOMY. extensors are in action, keep the tendon of the perforans so much upon the stretch, that the navicular bone must be pressed upon and supported by it ; but if the extensors are relaxed, and the limb is acted upon by the flexor perforatus, we at once see why, by its increased action, and the remaining nervous energy of the part of the perforans, the tendon does not give way previously to the operation. ON THE USE OP PURGATIVES IN CASES OP TETANUS. Having been induced, from experience, to attach more im- portance than has been hitherto done in veterinary practice to the free use of purgatives in the treatment of tetanus, I beg leave to hand you the notes of a few cases, hoping that my professional brethren may be led to bestow some attention upon my views, and furnish more extended experience upon this important subject. Of the eight cases which I shall now notice, five have recovered, chiefly, if not entirely, by the effects of purgatives. Antispasmodics, generally adopted in cases of locked jaw, have so frequently disappointed my hopes, that I have entirely abandoned their use. No. 1. — Upon the 19th August 1825 I was called to look at a grey mare, standing in Wordsworth's Eepository, under dispute in regard to soundness. I was informed that for some days she had shown a difficulty in masticating, and had exhibited a stiff and awkward appearance. I at once observed every symptom of tetanus ; in fact, her jaws would only open about one inch and a half. I ordered a purging-ball, of mode- rate power, which was immediately given, with the greatest care, upon the end of a small rod ; next day the medicine operated, and the jaws relaxed. Three other doses of a like nature were given, with intervals of two days between the setting of each dose, and in three weeks the mare 1mA com- pletely recovered. No. 2. — About two years back, a black cart-horse, the pro- perty of John Walker, carter, Hope Park, was brought to me 72 USE OF PURGATIVES IN uiider locked jaw. Considerable difficulty occurred, from the state of the jaws, in administering a purging-ball, which was effected at last by a probang balling-iron. It operated the following day ; and several subsequent laxatives being given, the animal recovered in six weeks. I applied also, in this case, a blister along the spine ; and the owner being a poor man, to whom I made no charge, I find no further particulars entered in my book. No. 3. — Very soon after the above, I was called by Mr Cleland, a farrier, to visit a horse under tetanus, near Lass- wade. Purgatives were given in like manner, and the animal recovered. No. 4. — The next case which occurred was a bay mare, the property of Mr Bertram, cowfeeder, Mddry Street. Upon the 24th March 1827 she had received a deep wound in the hip, which was sewed up, and promised to heal kindly. Upon 15th of AprQ .she was brought to me, with her jaws closed to three-fourths of an inch. For two days preceding, a stiffness or rigidity had been observed in her general appearance. The wound being nearly healed, I had not seen her for eight or ten days previous to the symptoms of tetanus. With much difficulty a purging-ball was got over by means of the pro- bang. A blister was also applied along the spine, and to the wound on the hip. Six subsequent laxative doses and occa- sional glysters were given, regulated by circumstances in regard to interval and strength. The mare continued progres- sively to amend, and in four weeks from the date of the attack she Avas again at work. No. 5. — Not many weeks after the above, I was called to look at a horse belonging to Mrs Eamsay, Uphall. He had been bled the day I first saw him ; his jaws were only about three-fourths of an inch open, and we had so much difficulty in getting over one purging-ball that it was not repeated. The dose, however, operated well, and in about four weeks he was able to resume work. This case was also blistered along the spine. CASES OF TETANUS. 7.3 The following three cases proved fatal; the first two in about twenty-four hours after I was called in. The third case occurred within these few weeks ; and in it decided advantage was derived from the purgatives, the animal's jaws continuing to relax even to the period of his death, which was afterwards ascertained to have arisen from abscesses in the limgs. In the course of his illness he was nearly carried off by inflammation in his throat, which was, however, relieved by bleeding, blis- tering, and fomentations. The details of these cases are rather defective in some points, such as the age and condition of the patients, stage of the disease at which I was called in, degree of effect produced by the blisters, &c., which in the hurry of practice have not been noted quite so fully as I would have wished. I send them to you, however, such as they are, not without hopes that veterinary surgeons may be led to pay such attention, in tetamis, to the free opeiiing of the bowels, as will either corro- borate or invalidate the practice which I have been led to adopt. ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS. Although the operation of Venesection is perhaps the most common, the simplest, and in many cases the most use- ful, of all the operations performed, whether upon man or the domestic animals, it is, at the same time, frequently but ill performed, in conseqiience of which it gives rise to the most troublesome consequences. As you favoured me with inserting in your last number the cases of tetanus, or locked jaw, which I sent you, I now transmit a few remarks on Bleed- ing, and the causes and treatment of inflamed vein, which are frequently the result of the operation. In doing so I shall mention the occasions in which recourse shoiild be had to bleeding — the proper manner of performing it — and then I shall point out the means to be adopted where any untoward consequences arise. First, then, it may be stated that tliis operation is reqxxired, and is of the greatest importance, in all acute or rapid diseases, more especially in the horse, and, with few exceptions, in cattle also. In colds and inflammation of the lungs it is always required, and is the principal remedy that can be applied. In colic, inflamed bowels, and suppression of urine, it is almost always of service, and should never be long postponed if the symptoms are severe, as, although it may not always efl'ect a cure, it never does harm. In inflammation of the eyes, the brain, or in any other part of the body, whether arising from external injury or internal causes, bleeding is the practice which is to be followed. ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS. 75 As to the situation and manner of performing the operation, I may observe that bloodletting is either local or general. By general bleeding is meant that a quantity is drawn from some large vein sufficient to affect the system. Nor is it a matter of great importance which vein may be fixed upon for the operation. It was formerly supposed that great advantage was derived by bleeding from certain veins in pre- ference to others ; but this opinion, as regards general bleed- ing, is now laid aside, as we know that the blood flows so rapidly through the body, that, from whatever large vessel it may have been taken, in a few seconds the equUibrium will be restored. Any of the larger veins may be opened for a general bleeding with the same success ; but the most convenient are the jugular veins, or veins of the neck — cephahc, or veins of the arm — and the saphena, or veins of the thighs. Having fixed upon the vein, in performing the operation the next thiug to be attended to is the instrument, of which there are several sorts — such as lancets and phlemes. But of all these I hold that, for horses or cattle, the common phleme is the best, the safest, and most easily used instrument for all professional men. It is preferable to the lancet, in being more certain in the extent of the wound made by it ; for all that is necessary to complete the operation with the phleme is to place the star of the instrument fairly upon the part in the line of the vein, and to give a sufficient blow with a blood-stick or piece of wood. The blunted part or blade of the phleme prevents it from going too deep, and the size of the star insures a suffi- cient opening. The lancet, on the contrary, even in the hands of an expert operator, cannot be regulated with precision. The strength of the integuments — the thrust necessary to make the proper wound — the movements of the animal's head — all endanger the success of the operation; and the results in practice are in accordance with this, for veterinary sur- geons, when using the lancet, have been known to wound the carotid artery. The spring phleme is an instrument more difficult to operate with than the common one, and can 76 ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS. scarcely be used by any one who wants skill to use the common phleme. In proceeding to the operation, the first step is to prevent the returning flow of the blood, so that the vein may become filled, and more easily struck. This is done, in the neck of the horse, by pressing with the finger on the course of the vein, below the part where the wound is to be made. In cattle and dogs (where the lancet is the most handy instrument) it is necessary to pass a cord pretty tightly round the neck — in consequence of which the vein swells, and may be readily seen and felt. Having placed the star of the phleme upon the part, a good blow is required— for, as I said above, the blade of the phleme will be a sufficient guard against its going too deep ; and having struck, the blood will immediately flow out ; but it is necessary to continue the pressure upon the part below until enough is drawn away, for on its removal the blood ceases to flow. When it happens that the first blow of the phleme fails to cut the vein, it must be repeated — care being taken to place the instrument in the external opening, and in such a direction as to be fair on the centre of the vein, the neglect of which has been the cause of the former failure. Having now drawn enough, proceed to close the wound, which is commonly done with a pin and a little tow. In this part of the operation I must observe that more nicety is required than is generally supposed ; and it is to this, in the great majority of cases, that we must look for the cause of inflamed veins. Although the wound produced by the operation of bleeding commonly heals by the first intention (adhesion), and without any swelling or acute inflammation taking place, the operation has frequently a more unhappy issue. From accident, or by neglecting or improperly forming or treating the wound at the commencement, a very dangerous and troublesome disease is produced. The parts about the wound swell — suppuration takes place — the vein becomes inflamed, and at last obliter- ated. This is said to arise either from the vein being cut ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS. 77 through, or the carotid artery wounded, or from a foul phleme, or some fault in the manner in which the operation has been performed ; consequently considerable blame is thrown upon the operator, who is commonly unable to account for the effect which has taken place. I have already mentioned that the cause of this misfortune is generally to be found in the man- ner in which the wound has been closed. In pinning up it frequently happens that the pin is inserted so that the sides of the wound are not brought into proper opposition — they are placed ajar, if I may use the expression ; and the effect of this contortion is, in most such cases, to induce a degree of suppuration (I say in most cases, for nature will sometimes close the wound by adhesion, in spite of the obstacles thus thrown in her way). If the matter is confined by the tow hav- ing been firmly wrapt round the pin that it cannot escape, the inflammation often spreads to a considerable extent in the cellular membrane round the wound before the vein becomes affected ; and if, in such a case, the pin is at this time removed, and the coagulated blood which has closed the external part of the wound washed away, the matter allowed to escape, and the part bathed with hot water three or four times that day, or a poultice applied at night, or the part bathed with sugar of lead dissolved in water, it commonly heals up without further trouble. But if these precautions are neglected, the pin allowed to remain in the part, and the matter allowed to be confined in any way, it is sure to be continued to the vein itself, and to produce the troublesome disease already mentioned. Again, the same mischief arises if the pin is inserted too far from the ed^e of the orifice. That part of the skin which is outside of the pin is always destroyed, and is detached as a dry scab; but if it be a large portion of skin that is thus cut off from the cir- culation, the suppurative process takes place before its detach- ment can be accomplished, and the inflammation produced by such a process spreads more or less in the neighbouring parts, and the vein, of course, is frequently affected in common with the rest. 78 ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS. In some instances the pin is introduced through a large por- tion of one side of the wound, and scarcely, if at all, through the other. The parts are therefore not brought into opposition, and the same bad effects follow which have been already de- scribed. Moreover, by inserting the pin too near one end of the orifice, by enclosiag even a minute foreign body, as a single hair, between the lips of the wound — nay, by even a portion of coagulated blood being allowed to remain there — similar effects will be produced. Such are the causes of inflamed vera, as it regards the operation ; from which it will appear that more attention is necessary than is generally bestowed. But there are other causes to be found producing this troublesome dis- ease. And, first, much depends on the situation of the part made choice of; for if the vein is opened more than six inches down the neck from the point where it divides into three branches, there is a great thickness of muscular fibres and celMar membrane to be cut through; and if the animal is used as a draught-horse, the pressure of the collar retarding the circulation of the blood in the vein, causes it to break down the internal opening — the blood escapes into the cellular mem- brane, and produces swelling, inflammation, and all the effects already mentioned. The position of the head wUl in some instances have the effect of producing disease. Where, for example, a horse has been accustomed to be reined up in harness, and is now sent to grass, the manner in which he is obliged to hang his head, in order to get his food, retards the progress of the blood towards the heart, and the weight of the fluid pressing against the sides of the vessel at the parts not as yet sufficiently closed, causes it to give way, and the blood escapes into the cellular mem- brane, and swelling, &c., is produced. Among the causes of this disease we may also enumerate irritation of the wound from external causes, as friction from the rein of the bridle ; or from the animal rubbing his neck against any part, which he is particularly apt to do where there is any disease in the skin, as in mange, in which the irritation of the pin causes ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS. 79 the animal to rub against the stall, and so to give rise to inflammation. A rusty blunt phleme or lancet is also liable to produce injury. Particles of the dirt or dust being left on the edges of the wound prevent their union by adhesion, and all the other effects follow. And if with this rusty or blunt plileme re- peated wounds have been made, or if the wound has been closed for some hours, and afterwards opened for the purpose of taking away a fresh quantity of blood, and the coagulable lymph thus destroyed which had glued the wound together, there is a still greater danger of these effects being produced, against which we have been guarding. Inflammations of the vein, in the horse, are much more fre- quent than in the human subject, but they are also more manageable ; for although in this animal it is a disease requir- ing considerable attention and care, yet it seldom proves fatal ; while in man, when the disease occurs, it almost invariably proves mortal, in spite of the most active treatment. It is most common in the jugulars, from its being more exposed than the other large veins, and from its being more frequently opened. In the early stage of the disease, the wound appears a little swelled, a thin ichorous discharge escapes from about the pin, the vein feels hard, and the hardness is continued upwards toward the ear. As the disease increases the parts enlarge, from the inflammation extending into the surrounding cellular membrane, and up into the parotid gland. The lips of the wound become everted, and a portion of lymph is found protruded through the orifice. A quantity of pus or serum escapes from it, or perhaps a copious flow of blood takes place, which becomes alarming by its quantity, and the difficulty of stopping it. In many cases the first indication of the disease is found to consist in the vein bleeding afresh some few days after the wound has been pinned up, in consequence of the animal having rubbed the pin against the manger ; or from the pressure of the coUar, in draught, having obstructed the circulation, and, under violent exertion, caused it to break the 80 ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS. coaguluni by whicli the wound had been closed. In all cases the disease is known by the vein feeling hard and swelled — a symptom which will distinguish it from simple inflamma- tion, and serve as a criterion for the adoption of the more active treatment I am about to recommend. I have already stated that the inflammation extends upwards to the head. This has led to a good deal of speculation, but it is readily explained by considering the anatomy of the parts. When the inflammation extends into the interior of the vein, a deposit of coagulable lymph takes place, which plugs up the vessel, and obstructs the passage of the blood, which, in consequence of there being no communicating branches to carry it readily into other channels, proves a source of irritation — and the inflam- mation is extended in that direction, as has been very well explained by Percival, in the first volume of his ' Lectures on the Veterinary Art.' By attention to the various causes pointed out as tending to produce those troublesome consequences which it has been my principal object to set forth in this paper, I am of opinion that few instances wiU occur of horses which have lost the vein on one side of the neck. Such cases we frequently meet with, and they are attended with considerable inconvenience. In consequence of the loss of the vein, the animal cannot be turned to pasture. The hanging of the head causes an ac- cumulation of the blood on the side of the head where the vein has been destroyed ; for although the small communicat- ing (anastomosing) veins on that side, the jugular on the other, and the vertebral, all enlarge, to keep up the circulation, still the deficiency and the weakness of the small vessels render them unable to suppport and raise the volume of blood press- ing upon them when the head is in a dependent position. Horses thus deprived, then, of the jugular vein, must be kept in the stable, and constantly fed out of a rack raised above their heads. Now, as to the treatment. On the first appearance of a case where there is but a small portion of the vein affected, and the lips of the wound but ON BLEEDINa, AND INFLAMED VEINS. 81 little everted, with a slight discharge, it may be advisable to bathe the parts weU with hot water, and afterwards apply a strong solution of sulphate of zinc, in the proportion of 1 ounce to 16 ounces of water. Should this not check the discharge, and dry up the wound— but should the inflammation, on the contrary, increase, together with the discharge, or should there be a copious flow of blood — then the wound should be closed by a blunted piece of iron of a brown heat, and applied so as merely to excite a degree of inflammation in the lips of the wound sufficient to cause adhesive inflammation, or to form an eschar, and plug up the wound. With the same view, a por- tion of the sulphate of copper about the size of a pea is some- times introduced. In those cases where a portion of lymph is protruded through the external orifice, a blister should be immediately applied in the course of the vein from the wound upward ; which, by concentrating, as it were, the inflammation, causes a deposition of lymph or crisis to take place, and renders the disease afterwards much more manageable. Fre- quently, indeed, this is all that is required ; but where the disease is not sufficiently checked, the blistering must be repeated untU it is completely subdued. If the wound re- mains open with any discharge, a weak solution of sulphate of zinc or oxymuriate of mercury may be injected into it with a syringe : repeated blisters, however, are the means most to be depended upon. Some have recommended setons to be inserted, and in certain circumstances they are useful ; as, for example, where sinuses have formed. But if they are inserted before the active inflammation has been subdued, they always do harm. Some country farriers are in the habit of cutting out the diseased vein ; which, however, I have never seen necessary, and of which I doubt the propriety, — laying the parts open being aU that is required in these cases. Won- derful stories are often told us about the taking out of the veins ; but in many of such cases all that is done is merely the drawing out a large portion of coagulable lymph, which has been first thrown into the interior of the vein, and after- F 82 ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS. wards detached by suppuration. It sometimes happens that portions of coagulated lymph become detached from the other parts (or sloughs, formed by caustics being introduced), and, lodging in sinuses, prove a source of irritation, keeping up a discharge, imtil it either produces a fresh suppuration or is allowed to escape by the sinuses being laid open with the knife. A case of this kind was once brought me, which had been under the treatment of a farrier for about seven months, in which, although a variety of means had been adopted, the enlargement and discharge of matter stilL continued. On examination with a probe, I found something like a foreign body lodged in the bottom of one of the sinuses ; it was therefore laid freely open, and this body, which proved to be a slough that had been produced by the introduction of a portion of caustic, was removed, and the wound healed up in about a fortnight. It is seldom necessary to adopt any active con- stitutional meairs in the treatment of this disease, but the administration of a few doses of laxative medicine is always advisable. The head should be kept in rather an elevated position, and as little motion should be allowed as the comfort of the animal will permit. The treatment above recommended differs from that adopted by surgeons ; and as their treatment is so generally unsuc- cessful, it may perhaps be worth inquiring into the reasons why it so commonly (I might almost say invariably) proves fatal in man, and so seldom proves so in the horse. I am inclined to suppose it depends in a great measure upon the vigour and strength of the circulating system in the horse, and also, in part, from the different treatment pursued. In the horse we endeavour to force the inflammation of the part to a crisis, as it were, at once, by the violence of the inflammation produced from the blister, which causes effusions of lymph, and the vessel is plugged up ; in this we are aided by the vigour of the constitution, which we never consider necessary to reduce by the lowering system commonly adopted in the human subject. ON BLEEDING, AND INFLAMED VEINS. 83 My friend Dr Dumbreck, in his Inaugural Dissertation, pub- lished in 1822, mentions a case in which he tried the effect of blistering in the human subject. He says, "A blister was applied in one case" (of his) " from the shoulder to the bend of the arm, after the inflammatory symptoms were somewhat subdued by general bleeding, and it was followed by a very marked diminution of the swelling." Now, from this I wovdd infer, that if the same plan was tried on man, and that without weakening the system, we might, if my theory is correct, expect a favourable result. UPON BLEEDING WITHOUT USING THE PIN. Having read in the last number of the Journal some observations by " E." on closing the wound made in bleeding the horse without pinning, and which would seem to have been occasioned by an apparent omission in my paper upon Bleeding and Inflamed Veins, I take the liberty of offering the few following remarks, for the purpose of removing any misconception of my meaning. In the first place, I would observe that the principal objec- tion to leaving the wound unpinned arises from the oriiice in the skin not closing so firmly or so expeditiously as to permit the horse to resume labour, especially coUar-work, with safety ; nor can it be considered safe, as a general rule, to leave the animal's head at liberty without a pin, in an hour or two after operation, as recommended by " E." Should the horse depress his head below the manger, the pressure of the column of blood ascending in the neck, while the head is in a dependent posi- tion, must assuredly endanger the rupture of the coagulum, and allow such a flow of blood, in case it were unobserved, as might greatly injure the animal. I may observe, however, that I have on many occasions left the woxmd in the horse unpinned without bad consequences, and that in cattle and dogs pinning is very seldom adopted. " E.," who is evidently not a practical farrier, seems unac- quainted with the actual mode of pinning up. The vein is not pinned : it is the skin only which is closed by the pin and tow, which, although not perhaps explicitly stated in my former paper, might have been inferred from its whole tenor. From UPON BLEEDING WITHOUT USING THE PIN. 85 these circumstances, it is evident that the remarks upon the contraction of the vein in consequence of pinning do not rest upon a sound theory. In practice I do not recollect to have ever observed the vein contracted from the effects of an ordinary case of bleeding ; on the contrary, it is more commonly found to be dilated and in a varicose state. ON ACCIDENTAL INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. Amongst the many absurdities practised in this country in treating the diseases of domestic animals, there is none more common, and there are few attended with more hurtful effects, than the empirical and ignorant treatment of the common dis- eases and injuries which occur to the eye. If the treatment adopted could only be condemned for its absurdity, I would not consider it necessary to trouble you on the present occa- sion ; but when we find it fraught with cruelty, and the most destructive effects arising from it, I feel persuaded that you will not refuse the few following observations a place in your valuable Journal. I have been led to offer the following remarks from three cases which I met with during the last month. Eeturning from the neighbourhood of Haughead one day, I was accident- ally met by a person on the road, who asked me to look at a horse belonging to his friend, standing in his stable, under the care of a farrier, with a slough in his eye. On my way to the stable he informed me that he understood that the farrier was putting a little corrosive sublimate into the eye to take off the slough; but as it appeared to increase the inflammation, he had recommended (for he, too, pretended to know something of farriery) that the corrosive sublimate should be mixed with ho7iey, to render it less irritating. On examination, I found that the opacity arose from some slight injury,.by which a small portion of the external layer of the transparent part of the eye (transparent cornea) had been abraded, and the eye, as might be expected, was in a high state of inflammation, more especi- ACCIDENTAL INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. 87 ally the eyelids. I reconiniended fomentations of warm water to allay the irritation, and to trust to nature for the rest. In a few days after the above circumstance, I was accosted by a person whom I met on horseback, upon a similar subject, who said the pony which had passed me two or three minutes before had received an injury on the eye eight days previous by a stroke with a whip ; that a slough had been the conse- quence ; that he had bathed it with hot water until the preced- ing night, and it was getting better; but that he had then blojvn in some powdered glass with the view of removing the slough, and that it was a great deal worse. A third case occurred about a fortnight after. A horse, labouring under the catarrhal fever which has been prevailing lately, was at the same time affected with ophthalmia. The farrier, considering this the principal affection, immediately proceeded to blow in powdered glass to take off the slough. When I saw the horse his eyes appeared filled with sand, which I found, on examination, to be coarsely - powdered bottle-glass. From these cases it appears evident that such practices are not uncommon in this country, and a few remarks on the subject may therefore be useful. The eye, like every other part of the animal body, is subject to certain laws. When it is injured it inflames ; and it is from taking an erroneous view of the use. of this effect that such practices as those above alluded to are adopted. The inflam- mation that follows an injury is the process by which nature has prescribed that the injuries of the body shall be repaired ; and we accordingly find that, whenever a part receives an in- jury, inflammation immediately follows ; the consequence of which is, in favourable circumstances, a wonderful reproduc- tion of parts, in a great measure similar to those which have been destroyed. This process, in many instances, may be greatly assisted by art, but it more commonly requires to be checked and soothed rather than to be excited, at least in acute cases. The horse, in particular, from the high state of excite- 88 ACCIDENTAL INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. ment produced by hard feeding, and the artificial state in which the animal is kept, is rendered more susceptible of inflamma- tion than would otherwise happen. In inflammation of the eye, whether arising from external injuries or from other causes, there is an increased action of the arteries of the part ; the eyelids appear red and inflamed, and the transparent parts become opaque. This arises from the different calibre of the vessels. Those in the eyelids foimerly conveyed red blood, and have now only such an increased quantity injected into them, that they are distended and full, and the whole appears red ; while those in the trans- parent part of the eye, being so minute as only to allow the serous part of the blood to circulate through them, have sel- dom a red appearance, but rather seem opaque, in consequence of the vessels being now distended and injected with a greater quantity, and perhaps more opaque parts of the blood ; and although the red particles be still greatly excluded, the opacity, then, is nothing more than inflammation of the trans- parent part of the eye, which is prevented in ordinary cases from becoming red, like other inflamed parts, from the cause I have stated, and must be viewed as the process by which the injured part is to be restored, and though commonly called the Slough, is not in ordinary cases (of which I would be here understood to treat) a substance upon the cornea, but is a change which has been produced in itself. To this point I would wish most particularly to draw atten- tion, as it is only an accurate acquaintance with the nature of the cases which can lead to a proper and scientific mode of treatment. There are no doubt cases in which, from the ex- tent of the injury, or by an improper treatment, granulations do rise upon the surface of the cornea, and to destroy which it may be requisite to apply some escharotic substance ; but such cases are not common, and when they do occur, ought to be put under the care of a scientific practitioner. In ordinary cases, however, there is only an increased action of the vessels of the part, and the danger which exists arises from ACCIDENTAL INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. 89 the inflammation running too high, not from its being too low. The idea of a slough being upon the eye, very naturally suggests the propriety of taking it off; but to accomplish this is found in many cases rather a difficult task, and is attempted by those unacquainted with physiology by some powerful caustic, or mechanical substance, which commonly renders the disease tenfold worse. It is from this mechanical view of the case that either caustic is used with the view of eating off, or powdered glass introduced with the view of scouring off the opacity, — as if the transparent cornea was a metallic substance, which must, when dim, be polished up. It is never supposed that, by simply checking the determination of blood to the part by the application of cold and moisture, the inflammation may be relieved, and the transparency of the part restored ; or that by the application of heat and moisture the vessels may be soothed and relaxed, so as soon to recover their wonted tone, or that the absorbents of the parts are capable of remov- ing the morbid matter which has been effused, and that the eye may be by such means restored. I have often admired the beautiful provisions with which the all-bountiful Author of nature has furnished this organ to guard it from injury, the socket of bone in which it is lodged, the eyelids with which it is shut up and protected, the lacry- mal secretion by which it is washed and kept clean; but above aU, the haw, or membrana nictitans, possessed by those ani- mals which are not provided with hands, like man, to wipe foreign bodies from its surface. So well, indeed, does this important organ perform its functions, that it almost sets at defiance even those destructive agents already noticed, prevent- ing them from doing injury by the rapid manner in which it wipes them off from the surface of the eye, while its action is most materially assisted by the ready increase of the secretion of tears. Such, however, is the perverseness of man, that in some parts of the country it was, and still is, the custom to remove this important appendage (the haw) from the eye, 90 ACCIDENTAL INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. under the supposition of its being a diseased substance, when- ever it is thrown forward, as it always is, in inflammation of the eye ; yet so seldom is it diseased, that throughout the whole of my practice I have met only with three cases where it required to be removed ; and in these instances one was a cow, and the others two dogs. From what has already been stated, the mild treatment I am about to recommend will be in some measure anticipated. In common injuries of the eye, arising from a blow with a whip, from the collar getting into the eye, in ineffectual attempts of the horse to get loose, or any such cases, all that is necessary is to soothe the parts, and to mitigate the inflamma- tion which follows, by fomentations of warm water, or decoc- tions of any of the emollient herbs, Goulard's lotion, or any soothing or cooling remedy, by a continuation of which ap- plications a speedy cure will be effected. It is generally necessary to examine the eye carefully, in order to ascertain whether or not the cause of the injury has been removed ; for it sometimes happens that a foreign body, such as a pile of chaff, remains within the eyelids, notwithstanding the efforts of the membrana nictitans to wipe it off, which, by keeping up the irritation, produces much mischief and great destruction to the eye. This commonly happens when the concave surface of the chaff is applied to the cornea, or where any foreign body has become imbedded in it, under which circumstances the inflammation is kept up as long as the cause is allowed to remain. If the substance is not removed the disease is protracted, because the process by which substances are removed, which are fixed in the cornea, is very slow. In these cases the substance is commonly first covered by a coat of coagulable lymph, to prevent as far as possible irri- tation upon other parts, and the suppurative process is after- wards set up, in order that these irritating causes may be sloughed off along with a portion of the parts by which it is surrounded ; and it is perhaps from such cases as these that ACCIDENTAL INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. 91 the idea has arisen, that in order to remove the opacity of the cornea it is necessary to take off the slough. The following case win. serve to illustrate what may be done by simple means, and the natural powers of the parts when the irritating cause has been removed. A young dog, belonging to myself, in running about the forge, had got a spark from the iron into one of his eyes, which had penetrated the cornea, and remained imbedded in it until I observed one day that he was blind in the left eye. From the state of the eye, when I examined it, the spark must have remained in its situation for a day or two. The eye and eyelids were highly inflamed, and the transparent cornea was opaque, cloudy, and had a dull red appearance, from the intensity of the irritation and bloody effusion in the anterior chamber of the aqueous humour. The spark was immediately removed, the parts fomented with hot water, and Goulard's lotion applied for a few days. In a fort- night the eye had so completely recovered, that the only trace of the injury which could be observed was an almost imper- ceptible speck, and an extremely minute vessel running to the part where the spark had been situated, which in a fortnight more had entirely disappeared. In slight cases, then, of injury to the eye, all that is required is to foment with hot water for the first day or two, and after- wards to bathe it with a weak solution of sugar-of-lead, or Goulard's extract of lead, 1 drachm to 8 oz. of water. In more serious injuries the hot fomentations may be continued for a longer period ; and as some constitutional derangement, in such cases, commonly arises, it may be advisable to take away 4 or 5 quarts of blood and administer a mild dose of physic. When the irritation of the eye has subsided, which often exists for several weeks, and there is an appearance of a slough stdl remaining upon the eye, some gentle stimulant may then be introduced, but not tiLL then. To the lead-wash above recommended, half the quantity of the sulphate of zinc may be added, and a few drops of the lotion introduced within the eyelids two or three times a-day. Shoidd this not sue- 92 ACCIDENTAL INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. ceed in exciting a sufficient degree of action in the absorbent vessels to remove the opacity, a little powdered alum, which has been previously reduced to a fine powder, or a small quan- tity of fine basket-salt (muriate of soda), may be introduced twice a-day ; or, should these give too much irritation, a few drops of the vinum opii may be used twice or thrice a-day. ON THE CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF FOOT-ROT IN SHEEP. The foot-rot in sheep is a subject of so much importance to the agriculturist, and the disease has prevailed to such an extent during the last two years, that any apology for offer- ing a few remarks upon it would be superfluous. Indeed, its destructive effects are at any time such as to call attention to this subject ; and the differences of opinion which exist re- garding the causes which produce the disease, the means of preventing it, and the remedies for it, plainly show that the subject is as yet but imperfectly understood. The are some points of importance to be kept in view, in order to understand properly either the functions of the foot of the sheep, or the nature of the diseases to which it is liable. The foot presents a structure and arrangement of parts well adapted to the natural habits of the animal. It is divided into two digits or toes, which are shod with a hoof composed of different parts, similar in many respects to the hoof of the horse. Each hoof is principally composed of the crust or wall, and the sole. The crust, extending along the outside of the foot round the toe, and turning inwards, is continued about half-way back between each toe on the inside. The sole fills the space on the inferior surface of the hoof between these parts of the crust, and, being continued backwards, becomes softer as it proceeds, assuming somewhat the structure of the substance of the frog in the foot of the horse, and performing at the same time analogous functions. The whole hoof, too, is secreted from the vascular tissue underneath. There are, be- sides, two supplementary digits at the fetlock. 94 CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF Now, this diversity of structure is for particular purposes. The crust, like that in the hoof of the horse, being harder and tougher than the sole, keeps up a sharp edge on the outer margin, and is mainly intended to resist the wear and tear to which the foot of the animal is exposed. " In a state of nature," says Mr Wilson, in the present volume of this Journal, " the sheep is not less active and energetic than the goat ; its dimensions are fully greater, and its muscular strength is at least equal, both in force and duration. It is also an alpine animal, fearless of crag and cliff, and dwelling, indeed, hy preference,, among the steepest and most inaccessible summits of lofty mountains. Among its native fastnesses, it is seen to bound from rock to rock with inconceivable swiftness and agility." And there the construc- tion of its feet, the sharp hard tough margins of the crust, enable it to catch hold of the smallest ridge with the greatest security. In climbing and leaping among rocks, however, in this manner, or travelling on the sides of mountains along the sheep-tracks, its hoofs must be much worn or otherwise destroyed ; but it is found that the hoofs of all animals, by such circumstances, become possessed of a degree of hardness and toughness which they do not possess under other circum- stances. The hoofs of horses, by exercise without shoes on a hard surface, are changed in this way to a certain extent. The hoof is worn away as it grows ; but as the consumption is equal to the production, it is always fresh and sound. This is the case with wild animals, and those of a half-domesticated kind are but little changed from it. But what is the effect of domestication ? What do we gain by enticing the sheep from his native and natural haunts to the richer pasturage of our meadows or lawns? There the animal enjoys a more luxuriant repast ; it fattens to a larger size, and will in this respect repay the increased allowance which has been made to it. But instead of moving about in small troops with the alacrity of the wild kinds, the sheep are seen in flocks of thousands moving slowly over their pastures. FOOT-ROT IN SHEEP. 95 and gorging themselves to an extent whicli cuts short the thread of life by the advancement of various diseases. In- stead of wandering from the summit of one peak to another in quest of a scanty subsistence, or instead of being compelled to descend from the summits of the mountain in the morn- ing, and ascend again in the evening, they are necessitated, in many cases, to remain within a few yards of a particular spot for weeks together, and there engorge themselves to satiety. But what, it may be asked, has this to do with the foot- rot ? — More, I am inclined to think, than is generally ima- gined. The hoofs of sheep, being intended to receive a degree of friction from hard surfaces, are not acted upon when the animal is placed under such circumstances ; and the necessary consequence is an overgrowth of the hoof. The crust, — the part naturally intended to support the weight of the animal, and to endure the greatest share of fatigue, — is here allowed to grow out of all due bounds, because the softness of the pasturages upon which it now moves presents little, if any, of that rough friction to which the feet of the animal is naturally intended to be exposed. The crust, therefore, grows unrestrained, until it either laps over the sole, like the loose sole of an old shoe, and serves to retain and accumulate earth and filth, or is broken off in detached parts, in some cases exposing the quick, or opening new pores, into which particles of earth or sand force their way, until, reaching the quick, an inflammation is set up, which in its progress alters or destroys the whole foot. It is well known that there are some pastures peculiarly apt to produce this disease, and these vary to such an extent that it is with an almost irresistible necessity that the conclusion thence derived is, that the disease is highly infectious. Few have ventured to question this point ; and the stubborn facts advanced in support of such doctrine are so strong, that it requires some degree of hardihood for any one to attempt to refute it. Before I therefore venture to give any opinion upon 96 CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF this part of the subject, I shall first advert a little further to the nature of the situations and circumstances under which the disease most commonly makes its appearance. The finest and richest old pastures and lawns are parti- cularly liable to this disease ; soft, marshy, and luxuriant meadows are equally so ; and it is also found in light, soft, or sandy districts. In the first of these it is perhaps most pre- valent in a moist season, and in the latter in a dry one ; in short, it exists to a greater or less extent in every situation which has a tendency to increase the growth of the hoofs without wearing them away, and more especially where they are kept soft by moisture. It is so prevalent in fine lawns and pleasure-grounds, that they are in many instances re- duced in value to a mere trifle as a pasture for sheep ; they are said to be infected with this disease, and having once be- come so, the vicissitudes of seven seasons are scarcely sufficient to destroy the contagion. A luxuriant herbage on soft pas- tures is equally subject to it ; and in both cases the disease is increased in a wet season. The reason why, in these situations, sheep are so liable to the disease is quite obvious. They are generally brought from lands where their range of pasturage was greater than in these situations. In their former state, from the exercise which the animal took, and the nature of the grounds on which it pas- tured, the hoof was worn down as it grew ; but under the state in question the hoofs not only continue to grow, but where the land is moist that growth is greatly increased ; and the animal does not tread upon hard ground, nor has it exercise to wear them down. Now, in the case of man himself, when the nails of his fingers or toes exceed their proper length, they break, or give him such uneasiness as to induce him to pare them. And the same takes place with the hoof of sheep. But there is this difference in the case of the latter, that when their hoof once breaks, as the animal has not the power of paring it, the part thus broken must continue a wound. Some parts grow out of their natural and proper proportions; the crust of the hoof FOOT-ROT IN SHEEP. 97 grows too long, and the overgrown parts either break off in irregular rents and unnatural forms, or, by overshooting the sole, allow small particles of sand or earth to enter into the pores of the hoof These particles reach the quick, and set up an inflammation, which is followed by the destructive effects which are too well known to require description. Similar effects are produced on soft wet grounds. The feet, in such a situation, are not only not subject to a proper degree of friction to wear down the hoofs, but the growth of the hoofs is materially increased by the soft and moist state in which they are kept. And this state renders the feet the more liable to the disease, as it opens up the pores of the horn, and allows the earth or sand to penetrate and wound the quick in the manner I have already stated. On soft sandy ground of a dry nature the same circumstances may occur. The soft sand gives way by the weight of the animal, and the crust of the hoof is not worn down. The sand penetrates between the sole and the crust, as has been already explained, and produces inflam- mation. The disease, however, is not so common on sand as in the other situations to which I have alluded, the sand seldom being found in such a loose state. There is another circumstance which tends to produce the disease in an overgrown hoof The length to which the crust grows changes completely the proper bearing of the foot ; and this lengthened crust, by being extended forward, is subjected to the whole weight which the foot has to bear. By the con- tinued strain of the parts on this lengthened toe, inflammation is set up in a manner similar to what occurs in acute founder in horses ; and this inflammation produces effects extremely analogous. This is also frequently the cause of disease in the feet of oxen or milch cows which have been kept standing for a long period in the cowhouse. The laminated structure by which the crust in the sheep's foot is connected, hke that of the hoofs of horses, having been inflamed, and that inflamma- tion kept up by the continuation of the causes which originally excited it, there is produced a change in the structure from G 98 CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF which the hoof is formed; and there being a diseased secreting organ, of course a diseased secretion of horn is produced. "We have therefore a loose spongy horn secreted, which, from the openness of its pores, admits the particles of earth and moisture more freely than before, and these are also at the same time more securely lodged by the rapid growth and overshooting of the crust, until, by the continued irritations upon the quick, they soon cause a discharge of matter. This matter from the inflamed part, by mixing with the moisture of the ground and the particles of earth, increases more rapidly the destruction of the whole foot. The progress of the disease is not equally rapid in every instance. Sometimes it seems to go on to a certain extent, and the foot may again in a considerable degree recover. All the feet of the same animal are not equally affected, the fore ones being most liable to the disease. Sometimes there is only one of the feet affected, but that is most commonly a fore one. At times I have found only one of the digits of the foot affected ; and in some, from the hoof having been broken short off, I have found one of the toes recovered, while the other toe continued diseased. In the first stage of the disease there is only found a little overshooting of the edge of the crust, which seems either to be overgrown and bent in upon the sole, or the edge of the crust is forced asunder from the sole by a wedge of earth, which, by the pressure alone between the crust and the laminated struc- ture, produces inflammation. With this the sheep becomes lame, and the disease spreads rapidly. In the other case, the crust or edge of the hoof continues to grow until it envelops the sole and lodges matter, as has been already stated. The softening of the horn of the sole from these causes soon excites that inflammation which detaches the hoof, and produces the alterations in the secreting surface which constitute the dis- ease. Nature, however, is bountiful in her provisions. The inflammation which is set up is not generally of the most active or acute kind ; for it would appear that, instead of the inflam- FOOT-EOT IN SHEEP. 99 mation being raised to that pitch which would at once throw off the hoof, there is for a time most commonly rather an in- crease in the action of the secreting parts, and a large quantity of new horn formed. This horn, however, is of a soft nature, and unfit for the perfect functions of the part, but it neverthe- less presents a surface less sensitive than the more irritable surfac'e which it covers. The sound and healthy horn being destroyed, the vis medi- catrix which exists in the secreting part throws out the most insensible substance which it is still able to produce, in order to afford a temporary protection to the parts underneath ; and even when, by increased or long-continued irritation, the parts are unable longer to secrete even this weak horn, granulations of proud flesh sprout out, whose surface is not of the most sensitive kind. In all cases there is a general increase of the secretion of the whole hoof In some parts, however, this is greater than in others, and hence the great increase of the crust and the general distortion of the foot. As the disease is continued this secretion is altered, according to the degree of the inflamma- tion which exists ; and the hoof, particularly the inside of it, between the digits, has a ridged-like appearance. At the con- nection of the crust at the inside with the softer and thinner parts of the hoof towards the heel, there is also commonly a separation or fissure, from which is thrown out a loose thready- like fungus, similar to what occurs in canker in the foot of the liQrge — to which disease, indeed, some have considered foot-rot very analogous. The difference between the analogy of the two, however, consists in this, that in some cases of long stand- ino- it approaches towards canker, while in more recent cases it resembles thrush. Foot-rot, however, is attended with more inconvenience to sheep than thrush is to the horse. We occasionally meet with something more closely analo- gous to it than either canker or thrush in cases of weak heels with corns, or in what is called a seedy toe in the foot of the horse. In such a case we often find mild or indolent inflam- 100 CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF mations followed by suppuration, wMcli proceeds slowly detaching the crust as in foot-rot. In other circumstances, however, we find that, instead of the slow and gradual progress of the disease which I have described, it moves on with greater rapidity ; violent and painful inflammation is set up, which renders the animal excessively lame in a short time. It even breaks out at the coronet (top of the hoofs), causing the whole hoof to be detached ; or the digits become swelled at the coronet, matter is formed, and sinuses run in various directions. The upper part of the space between the hoofs becomes inflamed, irritated, and moist with a secretion of matter; or, by the play and inflammation being kept up, ulceration extends, and the toes are cleft up almost to the canal above them. This canal is inflamed, the mucous follicles, with which it is lined, are increased in their action, and pour out a large quantity of sebaceous-like matter, which spreads over the fore part of the foot and between the hoofs, and assists in accumulating the filth by its adhesive qualities. In other forms of the disease, it would appear that this interdigital space is the primary seat of the disease, in which cases it will be found that the hoofs are quite worn down by the kind of gi-ound upon which the animal pastures ; but while it is of that nature to wear down the hoofs, the space between the hoofs and also the coronets must be constantly exposed to the action of cold and moisture untU the derangement is set up in the circulation of those parts which produce the disease, in a similar manner as chil- blains in the human subject. The same effect is also sometimes produced in another man- ner on particular pastures. As the animal moves along, the strong coarse grasses are drawn through between the hoofs, until, by repeated friction, inflammation in the form of scald- ing is set up, which will be increased or diminished according as the cause is continued or a proper treatment adopted. In many cases maggots are found wallowing in the matter of foot-rot, which has led some to suppose that the disease is FOOT-ROT IN SHEEP, 101 produced by some insect. This, however, is only an effect, but not a cause of the disease. We find maggots at certain seasons of the year in every situation where an accumulation of putrid animal matter is to be found. I have found them during sum- mer in canker, thrush, and grease, where the cause was too apparent to be questioned ; and this, I think, is also the case with maggots in foot-rot. In all cases much constitutional disturbance is produced, the animal loses flesh rapidly, the flesh is red from the degree of inflammatory fever produced, and, unless relieved by proper treatment, the animal becomes worn out by irritation and its inability to seek jits food ; for a while it shifts about upon its knees, but at last dies from irritation and want. On examining the feet of a flock, in a short time after they have been placed in what is called an infected pasture, it will be found that many of them are becoming rapidly affected with foot-rot, and that, too, before any matter has made its appear- ance, and before any of the sheep have been found lame. In some situations the disease is so rapid in its progress that in two or three weeks the whole flock becomes affected, and this, it is supposed, is produced by infection. This case most commonly occurs when sheep have travelled a good distance and are put upon a wet pasture. Their feet, having been too much worn down and heated on their journey, are then exposed to filth and moisture. By the injury which they have received upon the road, the pores in the horn, which are the consequence of such travelling, render them more liable to disease than if they had travelled a moderate distance. And if they happen to be lame from the effects of a long journey, the whole is charged against the infected ground, or to some Nestor of a sheep which has communicated the contagion. One of my pupils some time ago happened to have some conversation with a shepherd, and was arguing with him against the infectious nature of the disease, but without being able to convince him of its non-infection. The shepherd gave 102 CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF him the following case as a proof of its highly infectious pro- perties : He once set out on a journey with a floclc, and there happened to be one of them lame from foot-rot before starting, and ere he had travelled sixty miles there was scarcely a sound one in the floct. Such a proof of infection as this was not easily overturned ; the road had been infected by the diseased sheep, and what between the road and the sheep it is evident the disease spread. Such is a specimen of the infectious nature of it, or rather the views regarding it. In all proba- bility these sheep had been going on wet soft pasture, and the hoofs being weakened or perhaps diseased before setting out, lameness was a necessary consequence. When I consider the stubborn facts which are urged in sup- port of the infectious nature of this disease, and the weight of those opinions which may be brought in support of it, I con- ceive it to be a matter deserving of calm and dispassionate consideration. But after the pains and investigation I have bestowed upon it, I feel compelled to advance a contrary opinion, and to state that the idea of its being infectious is a mere delusion — an error which is fraught with most important consequences, inasmuch as it has directed the attention to erroneous causes, and thereby to improper or useless means for its prevention. Nay, even lands which have got the name of being infected have in consequence become unnecessarily diminished in value. Since, then, it appears to me that the disease is not infec- tious, what, it may be asked, is the cause from which the foot-rot arises ? I have already described the situations and circumstances under which the disease is found to exist, from which the answer follows as a consequence. I have stated that wherever we find rich old pastures covered with moss plants, or where the hoofs, from the softness of the surface by the quantity of grass upon it, are prevented from being worn down, the disease will be found to prevail ; and in those situa- tions where the soil is rich and moist it will be found more particularly increased. For similar reasons it will prevail FOOT-ROT IN SHEEP. 103 more especially where there is a superabundance of grass, and on dry old pasture it will be found to proceed most rapidly at the season when the dews are greatest. When it occurs on light sandy soils, the dry seasons will be most liable to pro- duce it. All this, it will perhaps be said, may be quite true, and still the disease has not been divested of its contagion. One will say he knows of ground, where foot-rot never existed before, becoming infected by a few sheep, perhaps a single one, having been brought upon it, and that the disease has spread in a few weeks to the whole flock. Another wiU say he Icnows of a case where all the ewes of a flock have caught the infec- tion from a single ram. But in such cases has nothing been done in the way of improving' these lands ? The Ettrick Shepherd, in a paper in the last number of this Journal, has shown that even the alterations produced by the destruction of moles has a material iniluence in causing it, and that, too, while he at the same time considers it infectious. But has any one ever attempted to produce the disease by inoculation? If it is highly infectious, surely it will at once be produced by inoculation. But this is not such an easy matter as one would expect from a disease which is supposed to infect a whole field, and that, too, even if it be of 500 acres in extent. Gohier, a French veterinarian, first applied a piece of horn from a diseased foot, covered with the matter, to the sole of a sound foot, without effect. Secondly, he rubbed a diseased foot against a sound one, without efiect. Thirdly, he pared the sound foot, and having applied a piece of diseased hoof, the disease afterwards appeared ; but in this case the foot afterwards got well of itself, and there seems to have been a doubt in the mind of Gohier as to whether it was truly foot- rot or not. Other French veterinarians have tried similar experiments, and particularly Vielham of Tulle, and Favre of Geneva ; and although I have not seen an account of their experiments, it is said they succeeded in producing the disease by inoculation. 104 CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF Now, it will be asked, Is not this a sufficient proof of its infec- tious nature ? I answer that it is not. It appears to me that this is a strong proof against it. If it is produced with so much difficulty by the direct application of matter, is it not absurd to suppose that a few sheep with diseased feet should infect a whole field? I have not seen an account of the manner in which the experiments of the French veterinarians have been performed. I know not what quantity of matter was employed, neither have we any account of counter experi- ments, nor whether any were tried to prove whether a similar effect would not have been produced by the application of any other morbid matter; — for example, whether the matter of grease from the heels of horses, or from thrushes, would not have produced similar effects. I have little doubt of such being the case, — that sixppuration might be produced by inoculating with that or almost any matter, if in the opera- tion the wound was made sufficiently deep ; nor would I doubt that disease would be produced if matter was spread over the foot in sufficient quantity, and applied for a sufficient time. But I repeat, that it is absurd to suppose that, if applied to the hoof, it would produce the disease. The hoof is not governed by the laws of living matter ; it is totally insensible, and it has not a circulation, neither has it nerves ; it absorbs moisture only like a piece of inert matter, and it is not acted upon as a living part. Matter from the foot of a diseased sheep might as well produce the disease in a tree ; nay, even more likely, because it is a living body, which the hoof is not. Why, then, are we to suppose the hoof to be acted upon by matter from diseased feet, and that, too, after the matter has been exposed to the influence of the atmosphere ? But rain and sun, we must suppose, have no influence upon it. Arsenic may be diluted with water to such an extent as to be swallowed with impunity, but water seems to increase the virulence of the matter of foot-rot. It is true that heat and moisture will reduce, after sufficient exposure, animal matter to a putrid mass of the same consistence and properties; but the influence FOOT-ROT IN SHEEP. 105 of these agents is lost upon the matter of foot-rot. The plague is now known not to be so infectious as it was oace thought to be, but the foot-rot will still infect the most extensive domains. The upas-tree may annihilate the existence of all that comes within its pestiferous shade ; but what is that to the infection of the foot-rot, when a single sheep will contaminate a moun- tain? — Nay, it wiU act even upon parts totally devoid of vitality ; and such, too, is the eccentricity of its action, that it will allow its neighbouring toe to escape, and still infect the whole ground ! Was there ever anything more absurd than the doctrine that this disease is infectious ? What is the quantity of matter secreted, that it should thus operate; and in what mysterious form does it work? We find but a few drops, even in very bad cases, thrown off in many hours ; yet it has been found that it does not act upon the hoof, unless the foot has been wounded. Does not common sense, then, declare that infection can have nothing to do in the case ? But I need not discuss this point further at present, as I trust I have already shown that all ideas of its infectious nature are merely chimerical. As this disease arises in consequence of the hoofs not being exposed to sufficient friction to wear them down, or keep them in their proper state, or where their natural growth is in- creased by the nature and moisture of the ground, the hoofs of all the flock should be regularly rasped or pared at short intervals, say from eight days to a fortnight, according to the rapidity with which a particular pasture produces the disease. In certain situations they might be made to travel upon a hard surface similar to natural sheep-tracks, or be folded in a place purposely prepared, upon which they could move about and wear their hoofs. For that purpose they should be placed in it every day. Driving the sheep along a hard road for a short time daily would have a similar effect ; laying their tracks with gravel would also be beneficial. And, as an experiment, I would 106 CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF FOOT-KOT. suggest to those whose lands are apt to produce the disease, to satisfy themselves by feeding an equal number of diseased sheep and sound ones together in a fold with a hard dry bottom : let that bottom be kept free from filth and moisture, and I have no doubt it will be found that, instead of the sound sheep becoming infected, the diseased ones will become sound, unless, indeed, the feet are so far destroyed as to require medical treatment ; but even in that case the improve- ment will be more rapid than under other circumstances. By the means which I have stated, simple as they are, I have no doubt the foot-rot may be made to disappear from many of those places where it at present proves a great deterioration to the value of pastures. In conclusion, I may further add, — as the locality must be familiar to every one who takes an interest in the romantic scenery around Modern Athens, — that while the rich pastures which are in the neighbourhood of Arthur Seat are very subject to the disease, that hill itself is not only almost entirely free from it, but if the sheep when first infected are removed from the low grounds to the hill, they soon get well. It there- fore follows that the disease may be prevented by adopting proper timely measures: and by adopting the principles I have endeavoured to establish, and applying them according to the circumstances of the infected pastures, a considerable stop may be put to the disease, and in many situations it may be altogether prevented. I do not conceive it necessary to enter upon the cure of the disease. Enough has been written on that subject, and many of the plans recommended are sufficient for the end. Suffice it to say, that the principal points to be attended to are paring away the detached hoof, and dressing the surface with some caustic, of which muriate of antimony is the best. But as prevention is better than cure, I would recommend a strict investigation into the cases in each pasture, and having ascer- tained the true cause, the proper means of prevention will be readily suggested. ON COOKINO FOOD FOE HORSES. The deficiency in last year's crop of hay and straw was such as to have been severely felt by all those connected with horses, and naturally excited a desire of using these articles as economically as possible ; and as the attention which has been bestowed by some individuals who have had a pretty ample field for experiment has led to what I consider some useful results, it appears to me that, notwithstanding the very favourable prospect which is before us in every part of the country, the knowledge that much saving may be effected by an economical use of fodder may be useful to all or most of your agricultural readers. And even should the abundance of the present crop be such as to render it a matter of less moment now than it would have been last season, and may be on some futiire occasion, still the knowledge of the fact is at least worth recording ; and that fact is, that a horse may be kept upon a much less quantity of hay than is generally sup- posed to be necessary for him, and that without stinting him 'of a proper allowance of that kind of provender. Horses, when allowed as much hay as they commonly are, almost invariably waste a considerable quantity of what is placed before them ; the wasted portion with them goes for nothing, but it costs the full price to the owner of the animal. This waste, on an average, amounts to nearly one-half, or at least one-third, of what is consumed. It is quite evident, therefore, that if the portion that is wasted could be saved, a great diminution in the expense of keep would be the result. A saving, however, is not only to be effected by avoiding waste, as far as that is possible, but another saving may be effected 108 COOKING FOOD FOR HORSES. - by the means employed to effect the other, which I shall now endeavour to explain. Before either vegetable or animal food is in a proper state to be acted on by the stomach and other organs immediately concerned in the digestive process, it is necessary that the food which is to pass into the stomach should be broken down and minutely comminuted. This is more especially the case in regard to herbivorous animals : hence we see that these animals have first a mill, the grinding teeth, by which it is reduced to a kind of coarse powder ; it is at the same time mixed with a large quantity of fluid, the saliva, the quantity of which is almost incredible to those who have not had an opportunity of ascertaining it, but which the following fact will testify : A black horse had received a wound in the parotid duct, which became fistulous. When his jaws were in motion, in the act of eating hay, I had the curiosity to collect in a glass measure the quantity which flowed during one minute, by a stop-watch, and it amounted to nearly a dram more than two ounces in that time. Now, if we calculate that the parotid gland on the opposite cheek poured into the mouth the same quaatity in the same time, and allow that the sublingual and submaxillary glands, on each side com- bined, pour into the mouth a quantity equal to the two parotids, we then have no less than eight ounces of saliva passing into the mouth in one minute, for the purpose of softening the food and preparing it for digestion. But this is not all, for we find that it requires to be still farther prepared before it passes on to be digested. In the horse we find a portion of the stomach lined by an insensible coat, forming a kind of pouch for the masticated food to steep in, to be pre- pared to pass on to the portion where the digestion is more especially carried on ; and that that is the case we have rea- son to believe, first, from the circumstance that the coarser por- tions of the food which are taken into the stomach of the horse are found after death to be lodged in this part of the stomach ; and further, that in other animals, such as the ox and sheep, COOKING FOOD FOR HOESES, 109 this process is still more evident. In these animals there is not only the grinding down of the food and mixing with the saliva, but afterwards it is passed into first one stomach, the paunch, where the food is mixed with the secretions of that viscus, and separated into the coarser and finer portions by a kind of eccentric motion, — which I can compare to nothing better than the motion given to coffee in the newly-invented coffee-roaster, or the tossing of corn in a sieve to clean it from dust, the motion certainly not so rapid, but the effect analo- gous — the finer parts passed into the second stomach, and on to the third, while the coarser, after all this cooking and tossing, is again sent up from the stomach to be still further comminuted, and is then passed into the third stomach, to undergo farther preparation before it passes on (in the rumin- ating animals) to the true digesting stomach. If this process is not completed, as is frequently the case iu the horse, from the manner he is frequently driven before the digestion is completed, or from other causes, it is found that the food which is not sufficiently broken down is not completely acted on by the organs of digestion, which is most obviously the case with regard to grains, and the animal, in a relative pro- portion, derives so much the less nourishment from it. For I cannot agree with those who suppose that if seeds or grains are taken into the stomach the animal derives nourishment from it. The nutritious matter is a tangible substance ; it is palpably abstracted from the food, and we can trace it through the lacteal vessels into the ' circulation : and I am therefore the more surprised to find any one suppose it could yield nutriment unless being digested, more especially so eminent a physiologist and pathologist as Dr Mason Good, who, in the Physiological Proem of the first volume of his ' Study of Medi- cine,' page 11, second edition, states that " there are many substances which are so hard and intractable as to sustain the action of the digestive organs without any other change than that of being softened, or otherwise partially affected, instead of being entirely subverted and reduced to chyme or chyle. 110 COOKING FOOD FOR HOKSES. Such especially are the seeds of plants ; and it is well worth observing, though it has not yet been noticed by physiologists, that while birds or other animals derive from this kind of food a very valuable nutriment, it passes through them without being completely digested. The seeds themselves that are thus acted upon derive also a reciprocal benefit in many instances, and are hereby rendered more easily capable of expanding in the soil into which they are afterwards thrown as by accident, and have their productive power very greatly increased. The olive-tree has, till of late years, only been raised in the south of France by cuttings, or wild plants obtained from the woods. It was remarked by an attentive inhabitant of Marseilles, that, when produced naturally, it is by means of kernels carried into the woods and sown there by birds which had swallowed the olives. By the act of diges- tion," he further observed, " these olives are deprived of their natural oil, and the kernels hence become permeable to the moisture of the earth, the dung of the birds at the same time serving for manure ; and perhaps the soda which the dung contains, by combining with a portion of the oil that has escaped digestion, still further favouring germination. Follow- ing up this fact, a number of turkeys were made by the expe- rimenter to swallow ripe olives ; the dung was collected con- taining the swallowed kernels ; the whole was placed in a stratum of earth, and frequently watered. The kernels thus treated vegetated easily, and a number of young plants were procured ; and in order to produce upon olives an effect simi- lar to that experienced from the digestive power of the stomach, a quantity of them were afterwards macerated in an alkaline lixivium ; they were then sown, and proved highly productive. " Most of the plants found on coral islands, and in various other places, are propagated by the same means of passing through the digestive canal ; and it is probable that the seeds of many of them are equally assisted by the same process; And even when they are completely disorganised and digested, COOKING POOD FOR HORSES. Ill the material to which their refuse is converted, and which, combined with the animal secretions that accompany it, is called dung, very powerfully contributes, as every one knows, to render the soil productive ; so that, in the wisdom of Providence, animal digestion and vegetable fructification are equally dependent on each other, and are alternately causes and effects." The fact, however, is, that the birds he alludes to derived not their nourishment from those seeds which passed through them entire, but either from the pulp with which the seeds were surrounded when they were swallowed, or from the seeds which were broken down in the stomach of the animal ; and in the case of the turkeys it is evident that, at least in regard to the olives, the pulp with which the kernal was surrounded was sufficient to nourish the animal, whUe the excrement, when the seed escaped, would serve well the purpose he has noticed. There was, however, a striking fact which occurred about six years ago, and which I recollect meeting in the 'Glasgow Courier' newspaper, that places what I have advanced beyond a doubt. The ' Coldstream' East Indiaman, before leav- ing Calcutta, took on board, as is usual, a number of poultry, which were put up in the hencoops, and plenty of barley given them. Soon after getting to sea it was found that they became sickly, got poor although their crop was filled, and before reaching Madras forty dozen had died. A fresh supply was taken on board, and before they were long at sea they also began to fall off and die in the same manner. The loss of what was to serve for fresh provisions now excited serious attention, and the surgeon, by repeated dissections, discovered that they had all died with their crop and gizzard fuU of whole barley ; and from this it at once occurred that the fowls, being put up in their coops, and not having been allowed any sand or gravel to grind down the food, were thus prevented from deriving nourishment from it ; but how to get sand or gravel at sea, in an ocean of unfathomable depth, was a matter of some difficulty, and it was only after a long search in the hold 112 COOKING FOOD FOR HOUSES. that a stone was found, which being brolcen down and given to the fowls, they soon began to recruit, and recovered their health and strength. I therefore conclude, that before the food can properly yield nourishment to the animal, it is neces- sary that it be minutely broken down and cooked, either naturally or artificially, before digestion can take place : and I further conclude, that the more completely we do this, the more readily and completely will the nutritious portions which the food contains be taken into the system, and thus, by avoid- ing almost the possibility of waste, the animal will be sup- ported in the same condition at a less cost to the owner. A considerable time has elapsed since the practice of cutting hay and straw and bruising oats was first recommended ; but it has never as yet been, in my opinion, sufficiently prac- tised, and the benefits of it have not been sufficiently appre- ciated. Some cannot see the advantages to be derived from such a practice ; some will not take trouble ; some find their men will not attend to it ; some think their horses won't eat it ; some think they won't thrive ; and some are afraid it won't agree with them — that horses will purge and get soft, if they are so fed. These, however, are all imaginary evils, which a fair trial would soon dispel. Mr Croal, the extensive and spirited coach - proprietor, informs me that he finds by cutting his hay he requires to give only 8 lb. per day, along with 16 lb. of oats, and his horses are in excellent condition ; and he observes that it is a saving in his establishment of about £150 per annum. Mr Isaac Scott, whose experience on turf affairs entitles his opinion to considerable deference, allows his post and job horses, which are rather of a larger size than Mr Croal's, 10 to 12 lb. cut hay, with 16 lb. of oats, and they are in excellent condition. But the advantages of preparing food for horses have been pursued still further by Captain Cheyne, late of the Civil Engineers, who now holds a share in the posting establishment with Mr D. Wright. COOKING FOOD FOR HORSES. 113 Finding each horse consuming above a stone of hay per day, at Is. 4d. per stone, the straw 6d. per stone, and being con- stantly annoyed witli the careless waste which daily occurred, he determined to give only cut hay, and he soon found that none of the horses reqxiired, or were able to eat, the former quantity; he therefore gradually reduced it, bruising the oats also, and mixing all together. Observing the benefits accruing from this practice, he directed his attention further to the subject, and gradually reduced the quantity of hay, and added a quantity of cut straw. He then began to consider the quantity of nutritious matter in, and cost of, the various kinds of grain, and at length changed the system of feeding to the following. Each horse was given 15 lb. of the following mixture : — 10 bushels cut straw, 90 lb. 6 do. bruised oats, 29 lb. per bushel, 174 1 do. bruised beans, 59 323 lb. Or, of Oats, 8 lb. Beans, • 2i Straw, • 4i 15 1b. to each horse. And at night, in addition to the above, about 25 lb. of the following mixture : — One boU of potatoes at 7s. 6d., 5 cwt. (steamed) £0 7 6 560 lb. Pine barley-diist, lOd. per stone, . . 2 1 36 Cut straw, at 6d. per stone, . . 1 40 Salt, at 3s. per cwt., . . . 2 6 The cost for each horse was therefore about 5d. for sup- per, and about Is. for daily forage and cooking — in all, about Is. 5|d. During grass each horse got about 10 lb. grains, 20 lb. grass during day ; and at night 35 to 40 lb. of grass were put into their racks. On this feeding, however, they rather lost flesh, but they had been doing more work than on the former diet. Lately he has been using bruised barley and beans, with H 114 COOKING FOOD FOR HORSES. cut hay, as the hay is now cheaper than the straw. A man is constantly employed in preparing the food and serving it out, whose wages and the expense of fire are included in the above expense of feeding. With such feeding most people would have supposed that the horses would have been unable to do fast or severe work. It would have been expected that they would not have run a stage without being fatigued ; they, however, have kept their condition, and have been improved by the feeding : and although, when Captain Cheyne proposed first to try the experiment, the post-lads insisted the horses would not be able to do their work on such soft feeding, and thought they would purge and become washy, they soon found their fears were imaginary ; and experience has now so fully convinced them of the advantage of such feeding, that their only anxiety now is to obtain a greater quantity of the mash at night. There is here, then, a striking fact, which goes far to disprove the correctness of the notions which so generally prevail regarding hard keep being requisite to good condition. The various kinds of food upon which the horse is fed, possesses different proportions of nutritive matter. Of these, it is stated in the " Treatise upon the Horse," in the ' Library of Useful Knowledge,' as extracted from Sir H. Davy's ' Agri- cultural Chemistry,' that wheat possesses the nutritive pro- perty in the greatest abundance, there being in 1000 parts, 955 of nutritive matter ; in barley, 920 ; in oats, 743 ; pease, 574 ; beans, 570 j potatoes, 230, &c. Now one would suppose that the best food, from this view of the matter, would be wheat. But it is found that wheat does not suit so well as we might expect, from the quantity of nutriment which it contains : it either purges or deranges the stomach ; and barley is found to have a similar effect. Oats and beans a,re therefore resorted to, as they have hitherto been found to suit best the digestive organs of the horse. The cause of this is commonly supposed to arise from oats, beans, and pease possessing a certain degree of astringency, which prevents the food from passing through the bowels COOKING FOOD FOR HORSES. 115 with the rapidity with which the wheat and barley does. Whether those grains have any laxative property, is perhaps a matter not so fully determined as some suppose; for although bran, the coating of wheat, has some such effect, still the fact may be, that these grains possess too large a proportion of nutritious matter, and that they therefore excite the increased action of the bowels. The digestive organs of the horse, like the ox, &c., are very capacious, and are evidently intended to take in a large proportion of matter containing a small propor- tion of nutriment. And if the food, therefore, upon which they are made to live is of too rich a quality, there is, by the excitement produced, an increase of the peristaltic motion, in order to throw off the superabundant quantity which has been taken into the stomach and bowels. It is necessary to give, therefore, a certain quantity or bulk, to separate perhaps the particles of nutritious matter, that the bowels may be enabled to act properly upon it. A horse could not live so well on oats, if fed entirely upon them ; as when a portion of fodder is given with them a certain bulk is required. But this may be carried too far, and the animal may have his bowels loaded with too large a quantity of unnutritious food ; and nothing less than such a mass as will render him incapable to perform any active exertion, will be sufficient to afford him even a scanty degree of nourishment. A horse living on straw in a straw-yard becomes pot-bellied. Hence it is that a proper arrangement in the properties and proportions of his food becomes a matter of important consideration. Horses, like other animals, do not always content them- selves with just eating what is necessary for their proper support ; they are apt to indulge in anything they find agree- able to their palate ; and there is an immense variety in their food, if we look to the various grasses which are to be found in good old pasture; and by that indulgence they expose themselves to various diseases, and for the time render them- selves unfit for any active exertion. If a horse's bowels are loaded with clover, or any kind of food, we know he could 116 COOKING FOOD FOE HOUSES. not gallop any great distance without injuring himself. If lie has been fuUy fed, and is allowed to drink freely of water, and afterwards started on a journey at a smart pace, the almost invariable consequence is, that lie begins to purge, he is soon fatigued, he perspires from the weight he is carrying in his belly, he gets sick, and cannot go on. The natural action of the bowels throws off the load, and if the horse is not pushed on too fast, he is sometimes able to get well to the end of his journey ; but if his pace is increased he gets sick, the load and mass contained in the stomach and anterior portion of the bowels cannot escape, and as exercise prevents and suspends the digestive process, a chemical process is set up in its stead, producing rapidly various derangements, which is too fre- quently followed by violent disease or death. This occurs less frecLuently in well-regulated coaching-stables, where a regular and large allowance of oats is given ; because as in coaching- stables the quantity of oats is so large that little hay is eaten, the horses are therefore less liable to gorge themselves than under other circumstances ; but even there it is generally, nay, I may say invariably, considered necessary to turn the horses round in their stalls for half an hour before starting, in order that the stomach may have time to act in some degree upon what has been taken into it, and that it may have passed into the bowels. The animals are by this means allowed time to empty themselves, which they will generally be found to do as they leave the stable, or as they start with the coach. Under this view of the subject, it will be seen that a moderate proportion of nutritious food is only required, and that it is advisable to present it in as small a compass as will suit the nature of the digestive organs. But it would appear that a certain proportion of bulk is also necessary to the quantity of nutritious matter, to keep up the proper action of the bowels. If the food is too rich and too much concentrated, it deranges the stomach and bowels, and produces disease ; if too poor and bulky, it yields not the proper degree of support COOKING FOOD FOR HORSES. 117 to the animal, while its bulk impedes respiration, and its weight detracts, by its burdensomeness, from the capability of the animal exerting himself From these remarks it will appear obvious that the grand desideratum is to give food containing as much nutriment, and in as small bulk, as is consistent with the economy of the animal. If this problem is solved, it will follow as a corollary that it will be important to give that food which has been found best suited in its proportions, in such a state as is best suited for digestion. This is a point, however, worthy of considera- tion, and naturally suggests the question. How is the body supplied with nourishment by taking in food into the stomach? The common notion is, that much depends, as I have indeed before mentioned, on the hardness of the food ; and it is a common saying, in order to show off a horse which is in con- dition, " that he has plenty of hard meat in him." Now this is a very silly and erroneous idea, if we inquire into it ; for whatever may be the consistency of the food which is taken into the stomach, it must, before the body can possibly derive any substantial support or benefit from it, be converted into chyme, — a pultaceous mass ; and this, as it passes onwards from the stomach into the intestinal canal, is rendered still more fluid by the admixture of the secretions from the stomach, the liver, and the pancreas, when it becomes of a milky appearance, and is called chyle. It is then taken into the system by the lacteals, and in this fluid, this soft state — and in this state only — mixes with the blood, and passes through the circulating vessels for the nourishment of the system. The food, no doubt, when taken into the stomach, at once satisfies the animal's hunger ; but if the digestion is suspended by any means, it soon proves injurious, and weakens instead of supporting the system. Now, if the hardest of the food must in this manner be broken down and dissolved before it can really enter into the 118 COOKING FOOD FOR HORSES. system, it must appear evident that something approaching to this solution, if done artificially, would greatly aid the organs of digestion in this process, and that thereby much exertion might be saved to the system, and at the same time nourish- ment would be more rapidly conveyed into it. It is with this view that I would recommend the general adoption of cooking food for horses and cattle. "When the food is broken down by cutting the hay and straw, and bruising, boiling, or steaming the oats, not only is there less waste, by the whole being used as manger-meat, but much labour is saved to the animal in having the tough dried hay and hard oats masticated for him, and in a state almost pre- pared for digestion ; and as regards the oats, all the nourish- ment they can afford is really yielded to the digestive organs ; for not only may I refer to the fact already stated regarding the poultry on board the Coldstream Indiaman, but I may also observe the fact which we find, that unless the grain is broken down, or otherwise killed by boiling, it is not acted on, and will grow as readily after having passed through the horse, as the olives did after passing through the turkeys. Oats, like every other seed, is possessed of vitality, and it would appear that the organs of digestion and their secretions do not act upon bodies possessing it. Were it not for this exception, the gastric juice, which acts upon and dissolves every dead matter taken into the stomach, would act upon the stomach itself; but it is not possessed of this power. Worms are, from this cause, also allowed to live in the stomach, but when dead become acted upon like other dead matter. Hence we often find worms, when destroyed by medicine, disappear, although we have not observed them pass with the f^ces. It is therefore necessary to destroy the life of the food taken into the stomach before it can yield nourishment to the ani- mal. This may be done, as has already been stated, by brais- ing ; and the finer it is bruised the better, because it is capable of being more completely mixed with the cut straw or hay, and the whole is then more easily eaten. But as the experiments COOKING FOOD FOR HORSES. 119 of Captain Cheyne have shown, it may also be steamed or boiled, and given with the same advantage; and from what has been stated regarding digestion, it must be pretty obvious that this kind of cooking brings the food nearest to the state of being readUy dissolved and acted on by the digestive organs. The only objection which wUl at once occur I know is, that boiled or steamed meat will incline a horse to purge. This, however, is not so much the case as many without trial may suppose ; and where it does occur, it is perhaps owing to too large a quantity being given at one time, as indeed is almost invariably the case — for stablemen, when they give boiled food, always suppose it necessary, at least the practice is, to . give nearly double the quantity or more at a time than they would think it proper to give of raw food ; but if the rich cooked stewed food is mixed with a less nutritious and raw material, the whole of the boiled is taken into the system with- out producing the laxative effect. Nay more, it sometimes proves, in cases of horses which have a natural tendency to purge, that by a judicious use of soft feeding this is overcome. Captain Cheyne has a grey horse of this kind, and it was feared that he would not agree with the feeding; but it is found he now does his work better than ever he did, and with less ten- dency to a laxity of the bowels than formerly; and when I saw him a few days ago he was as fat on the rib as any horse in working condition ought to be. All horses on this restricted feeding are found to be light in their belly ; but while this is the case, the appearance of their coats, the quantity of fat on their ribs, and the manner they are able to do their work, show that they have sufficient nour- ishment, while (what is the subject of the most important con- sideration with me) their dispensing with the doctor shows that their health is most materially improved by it. In con- clusion, I shall only at present mention, that as I was passing Mr Croal's office two or three days ago, and observing a pair of horses, as fresh as racers, in one of the pair-horse coaches, he observed, what was worthy of notice, " There's condition for 120 COOKING FOOD FOR HORSES. you ; " and pointing to about two bushels of oats and cut hay on the coach, " this is their allowance for the night, and which is sent out regularly every day to the out-stages." If such, then, is the fact with regard to horses doing fast work, the advantages which might be obtained by a similar plan being adopted amongst farm-horses must be too obvious to require further argument. OlSr THE MECHANISM OF THE LIMBS, BY MEANS OF WHICH THE HORSE IS ENABLED TO SLEEP STANDING, WITH REFERENCE TO THE REMARKS BY DR GRAVES ON A PECULIARITY IN THE HOCK OP THAT ANIMAL. My attention was lately directed to an account of the discovery of a " peculiarity in the ankle or hock joint of the horse," by Dr Graves of Dublin, which was read before the Eoyal Irish Academy, and afterwards published in their Memoirs. It has since been reprinted in the 'Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal,' and has also been noticed in other periodicals. As this peculiarity seems, therefore, to have excited considerable attention, upon the supposition that it explains how a horse is enabled to sleep standing, and as I take a different view of the subject, it will, I think, be interesting to most of your readers if you will allow me space for a few remarks upon the mech- anism of the limbs of that animal, with reference to the means by which he is enabled to support himself with so little fatigue. The following is the account given by Dr Graves : — " Being engaged in the dissection of a horse," says Dr Graves, " on examining the hock -joint, I found that any effort to flex or bend the limb at that joint was counteracted by a consider- able resistance, which continued imtil the limb was bent to a certain extent, after which, suddenly and without the aid of any external force, it attained to its extreme degree of flexion. In attempting to restore the extended position of the limb, I found that a similar impediment existed to its extension until the same point was passed, when the limb suddenly, as it were, snapped into its extreme degree of extension at this joint. 122 MECHANISM OF THE LIMBS OF THE HOKSE. " At first I conceived that this phenomenon depended on the tendons of the flexor and extensor muscles of this joint; but on removing aU these muscles and their tendons it was not diminished, and it therefore became clear that it depended on some peciiliar mechanism within the joint itself. "Before I enter into the details of this mechanism it is necessary to remark that it is evidently connected with the power this animcd possesses of sleeping standing ; for it serves the purpose of keeping the hock-joint in the extended position, so far as to counteract the oscillations of the body without the aid of muscular exertion ; and in this respect it resembles the provision made to effect a similar purpose in certain birds — as the stork and some others of the graUse, which sleep standing on one foot. It will appear also in the sequel that not only is the effect produced the same, but the mechanism is in many respects similar, if the account given by Cuvier, and also by Dr Macartney in Eee's Cyclopsedia, article "Birds," be correct. Sheep and cows are not provided with ankle-joints of a similar structure, and it is well known that these animals do not pos- sess the power of sleeping standing. "The hock-joint is a good example of what is termed the htnge-hke articulation, and is formed between the tibia and astragalus, which latter bone presents an articulating surface, with a nearly semicircular outline, and divided into two ridges, including between them a deep fossa. The tibia is furnished with depressions which ride upon the ridges of the astragalus, and has anterior and posterior projections, which, moving in the fossa, are received into corresponding depressions in the astragalus at the moment the limb arrives at the greatest degree either of flexion or of extension. " The shape of the surfaces of the astragalus concerned in the articulation is not that of a given circle throughout, for towards either extremity the descent is more rapid, or, in other words, answers to an arc of a smaller circle. Hence, when one of the projections of the tibia has arrived at its correspond- ing cavity in the astragalus, which happens when the limb is MECHANISM OF THE LIMBS OF THE HOUSE. 123 either completely flexed or completely extended, the rapid curve of the articulating surface presents a considerable ob- struction to change of position. Thus the form of the artic- ulating surfaces, in itself, to a certain degree explains the phenomenon ; but its chief cause is to be found in the dispo- sition and arrangement of the ligaments. " The external malleolus of the tibia is divided by a deep gi'oove, for the passage of a tendon, into an anterior and pos- terior tubercle ; from the latter of which, and close to the edge of the articulating surface, arises a strong and broad ligament that is inserted into the os calcis. Under this lies another ligament, which, arising from the anterior tubercle, is also inserted into the os calcis. It is to be observed that the origin of the latter is anterior to that of the former, but its insertion posterior, so that these lateral ligaments cross each other in the form of an x . The external articulating protuberance of the astragalus, on which the tibia revolves, has, as has been already stated, a nearly circular outline, and the attachments of the ligaments just described are at points on the outside of the OS calcis, which would lie nearly in the circumference of that circle were it continued from the articulating surface ; so that each of these ligaments has one of its extremities fixed in a certain point of the circumference, whUe its opposite extrem- ity revolves during the motion of the joint nearly in the cir- cumference of the same circle. This observation applies like- wise to the two lateral ligaments on the inner side of the joint, which have nearly the same relation to each other, and to the general contour of the joint, as that just described ; so it is obvious that during the rotation of the joint, as the origins of these ligaments move along the same circumference in which their attachments are fixed, the Ligaments will be most stretched when they correspond to diameters of that circle. " Wow it is so arranged that this happens at the same time for all, and consequently the ligaments on each side correspond not merely as to direction, but as to the point of time they be- come most stretched, which is nearly at the moment that the 124 MECHANISM OP THE LIMBS OF THE HORSE. joint has no tendency to move either way; and at that moment it is to be observed that, although the ligaments are most tense, and of course react on their points of attachment vt^ith greatest force, yet this produces no motion, as the force is exerted in a direction perpendicular to the circumference ; but as soon as the tibia is moved beyond this point of inaction for the liga- ments, the latter, no longer representing diameters, by their contractile force evidently tend to accelerate the motion ; and as they all act in the same direction, and are assisted by the shape of the articulating surfaces, a sudden motion of flexion or extension is thus produced. " The preceding explanation supposes the ligaments of this joint to possess, contrary to the nature of ligaments in general, a certain degree of elasticity, which was evidently the case in aU, hut jMrticularly in the most deep-seated of those on the inner side of the joint, which therefore appears most con- cerned in producing the sudden motion, whether of flexion or extension." Such is the account given by Dr Graves of the peculiarity alluded to, with reference to which I would in the first place remark, that this peculiarity is not confined to the hock, but exists also in other joints in the limbs of the horse. We find it in the carpus or knee, and elbow-joint of the anterior extrem- ity ; and we find it in the stifle or knee of the hinder extremity. In these, but particularly in the elbow, it is equally as evident as in the hock-joint. And I am inclined to think that it is by no means a rare occun-ence in the limbs of other animals. It is equally manifest in the elbow of oxen ; and it appears to me to depend more upon the obliquity of the ridges and grooves in these joints than upon the ligaments ; because it will be found that if the ligaments of the elbow-joint in oxen be completely removed, still the same kind of jerking motion takes place, the bones being kept together by the form of ar- ticulation ; and the process of the olecranon forming a kind of hook, by which the joint is kept together. Indeed, if we exa- mine the lateral ligaments of all those joints, we shall find the MECHANISM OF THE LIMBS OF THE HORSE. 125 fibres cross each other either while in a state of rest or motion, which is a necessary consequence of their ofiice and attach- ment. And to show that the crossings of the ligaments are not the actual agents in the peculiarity which Dr Graves mentions, I would state that in the hock of the ox the internal lateral ligaments of that joint cross each other more completely than in the horse. Now, as we find the peculiarity described existing in the joints of the ox, which, as Dr Graves observes, does not sleep standing, it is evident that if it has anything to do in this matter in the case of the horse, it must be in a subordinate degree. When we reflect that there is a rapid descent to the extremes both of flexion and extension, and that at these extremes the muscles in action lose' the greater part of the mechanical advantage of the levers upon which they act, it wlQ appear that this peculiarity may in a like proportion, by the diminution of friction, make up for the disadvantage which the miTscles are thus placed under by this loss of leverage, and we are at once led to conclude that this peculiarity is intended more to enable the animal to move with ease, strength, and velocity, than for the simple purpose of enabling him to sleep standing. I do not mean to deny that the joints are well adapted for the purpose of standing ; but I contend that, although the peculiarity described may assist in a subordinate degree, it is more evidently connected with the power of movement. Had the inclination been merely to a state of extreme extension, we mio-ht have been led to consider it as intended to enable the animal to sleep in the standing position ; but as it has an equal inclination to the state of extreme flexion, and as the alternate change produces motion, I think we are bound to view it in that light. As the voluntary muscles, if kept continually in action, become fatigued, and as we know that the horse frequently stands even for years together, there must be some peculiar arrangement of parts, by which he is enabled to support 126 MECHANISM OF THE LIMBS OF THE HORSE. himself; and this we find depends on the combination, arrangement, and distribution of the bones, ligaments, and tendons. Fig. 6. Fore Leg. Fig. 7. Hind Leg. 1. Scapula or shoiUder-blade. 2. Humerus. .3. Radius and ulna. Elbow-joint between 2 and 3. Olecranon at upper end of 3. 4. Carpus or knee. 5. Metacarpus. 1. Femur. 2. Tibia. Stifle-joint or knee is the articu- lation between 1 and 2. Malleolus, lower end of the tibia. 3. Astragalus. 4. Os calcis. 5. Metatarsal bones. Common to both legs : — 6. Siiffrago or pastern-bone. 7. Coronal or small pastern-bone. Fetlock between 5 and 6. 8. Pedis or coffin-bone. To render the preceding remarks which I have made, as MECHANISM OF THE LIMBS OF THE HORSE. 127 well as those of Dr Graves, intelligible to those who do not possess an accurate knowledge of the mechanism of the limbs of the horse, I have here given diagrams of these parts, with a reference to the names of the different bones and joints which are mentioned in this paper. In the diagram of the fore leg, fig. 6, it will be seen that a weight resting upon the top would produce a tendency at least for the limb to give way or bend at A, B, and C. But the tendency to bend which appears from this arrangement of the bones is one of those means by which the whole is fixed. For when the foot is placed upon the ground, it becomes the fixed point, and holds the rest above, the tendon of a muscle rising at a and running to 6, others running from cio d and e, and a ligament from d to C. Now, having fixed the toe F upon the ground, by placing a weight upon the top of the limb the pastern will run back and form a lever F C. Under this passes a tendon, which ascends and becomes connected by a ligament at the back of the leg at g, and then ascends and becomes fixed to the humerus above the joint at c; others pass down and become fixed at d, and pass on below C. Now it will be seen that the pressure downwards of the fetlock at C will force down the tendon, and it will therefore pull back the knee. And as it extends upwards over the elbow-joint above c, and is fixed there, it wUl extend that joint; and having thus acted upon these joints, the shoulder-blade is prevented from bending upon the humerus at A, because the tendon arising at a is fixed at its lower extremity at h by the extension of the elbow-joint, and the foot is farther extended by these parts resting upon the muscles arising at the pos- terior part of the inferior head of the humerus. These muscles send off a tendon or ligament at the outside of the knee, which, passing down, assists to keep the parts extended. The fasciae and tendon, covering and intermixing with the muscles which arise from the humerus, and extending down the leg, support the weight when the muscular fibres are at rest, and prevent them from being fatigued. 128 MECHANISM OF THE LIMBS OF THE HORSE. In tlie diagram, fig. 7, representing the liinder extremity, it will be observed that there is a still greater apparent danger of the leg bending under the superincumbent weight than in the fore extremity, from the several bendings which it makes at H, I, and J. But the angles thus formed by the bones, aid, as in the fore extremity, the actioa of the ligaments and ten- dons ; so that, instead of being weakened by such an arrange- ment, they are in fact thereby strengthened. The animal having placed his foot upon the ground, and thi-own his weight upon it, makes it the fixed point upon which all the rest depend, and by which all of them are regulated, as in the fore extremity. The tendon of the per- forans is inserted into the cof&n-bone, having passed down from K over the back of the joints at I and J, and is connected with the back of the leg by a ligament j, as in the fore extrem- ity; so that by the inclination of the fetlock backwards the whole weight seems to rest upon this tendon. But besides this there is another muscle which arises from L, passes over the point M, and runs down to be inserted into the back part of the coronary bone at N. This muscle, being peculiarly intermixed in its substance with a large proportion of tendin- ous fibre, seems to act more as a ligament than as a muscle, and is extremely analogous in structure and properties to what is called the suspensory ligament, which powerfully aids and supports the fetlock -joints in all the extremities. But as the weight thus thrown backward would at once produce flexion of the stifle-joint at H, it is also necessary to have some means of fixing the fore part of the limb ; and accord- ingly we find that there is a tendon or ligament (for it may be considered as either the one or the other, as it acts as both), which rises from the outer anterior condyle of the femur at D, and, running down to P, becomes inserted there. By this means, when the lower part is fixed, the stifle or knee is also held in a fixed state. By the arrangement, then, of these parts, we see that, as the different joints of the limbs are acted on and fixed in a state MECHANISM OF THE LIMBS OF THE HORSE. 129 of rest by tendons and ligaments, and as both ligaments and tendons possess bnt a small share of sensibility, and are con- seqvrently but little susceptible of fatigvie, we are enabled to explain how a horse is capable of supporting himself, both asleep and awake, with a less degree of exertion or fatigue to himself than is the case with most other animals. From this arrangement of parts, too, it will also appear that the horse is ena.bled to stand independent of the peculiarity Dr Graves points out. And as the peculiarity alluded to exists in the joints of animals which have not the power of sleeping standing, I think I am warranted in concluding that this peculiarity which exists in the joints is intended rather to facilitate motion than for retaining the parts in a state of rest. ON A SUPPOSED DISEASE IN CATTLE CALLED THE TAIL-SLIP.'" It is an acknowledged fact that ignorance is the occasion of many absurdities; and the more abstruse and difficult the subject is, the more readily will such ignorance be displayed by those who are mere pretenders. But of all the subjects with which the uninitiated interfere, and of which they make displays of their ignorance, there is none so common as in that of medicine, whether as it is applied to the human species or the lower animals. Upon the latter, however, the empiric is allowed a greater scope than upon the former, because the patient is never able to tell * [The following letter, addressed by Mr Robert Thomson, V.S., Beith, to Professor Dick, will serve to show the ideas which existed at that time in the country regarding "tail-ill." "We are not quite sure as to the precise date of Mr Thomson's letter, but from other circumstances believe it was written about 1832 or 1833, and that it refers to Strathearn, Perthshire, of which district Mr Thomson was a native. The belief in "tail-ill" is by no means exploded in some parts even at the present day. — Ed. ] "There is here a supposed disease in cattle which has made dreadful jirogress in this part of the country, and has baffled all my skill, eloquence, argument, and art to stop its progress, but it has only increased the disease. To such a dreadful height has it arisen of late, that it threatens to expel every rational means for the recovery of these unfortunate animals that happen to have the supposed malady. This disease is called the ' tail-ill ; ' but, as far as I can learn, it only made its appearance here a, fewyears ago, was accidentally dis- covered by some cow-doctor, and has continued to increase ever since. The symptoms are as follow : — If a cow or ox has had any disease which lasts for perhaps six or more days, a softness is felt in a part of the tail, owing to the disease assuming some chronic form, as it is rarely felt in the acute stage of any disease. This softness of the tail is in consequence of a languid state of the circulation in not propelling a sufficient portion of blood to the extremity of the tail. This is evident from some of the tails dropping off altogether, and when cut into, no blood flows from the part, or very little. The cartilages must, of course, be softened and produce that appearance by want of proper TAIL-SLIP. 131 with an audible voice (and the empiric can understand no other, if he can even understand that) the situation of the part affected. The diseases of animals have not been suffi- ciently studied, and the treatment of their maladies is there- fore generally left to the care of their ordinary attendants ; need we then be surprised if we find diseases of the greatest danger overlooked in some instances, while imaginary ones are conjured into view in others ? And such is the fact. For although the veterinary surgeon will tell you that he never finds a case of hypochondriasm amongst his patients, he has sometimes to prescribe for that disease in the owners them- selves. But while the rage for quackery exists in so great a degree in the treatment of the diseases of man, and more so of horses, still, from the great attention which has been paid to the diseases of the human subject, and the increasing atten- tion which the diseases of that noblest of animals, the horse, continues to receive, many ignorant prejudices have been overcome. As little attention has, however, been paid to the nourishment. I have opened several animals that have died Iiaving this disease, and supposed to die in consequence. They all had some chronic disease of the lungs, liver, bowels — it does not matter what ; still it is the tail that has the occasion, and the remedies are all applied there. " ' It's a strange thing,' the old wives say, ' that your braw man in Edin- burgli ye tell us so much about kens naething about the tail-ill. If ye would take our advice we would learn you to cure it. ' ' Weel, gudewife, I sail do it. ' ' Ah, very weel ; just gang to the gardens and get garlic. Ye maun shear it sma' wi' a knife next, and then yell slit up the saft part o' the tail. There you will find a white thing like a worm in ye middle ; this is the thing that makes it saft. Ye maun dress it wi' salt and garlic mixed, tie it wi' a tar clout and scarlet thread, and there is nae doubt but the cow will comiC round if it be not owre lang gane on. ' " You may laugh at this plan of treatment, but it is established, and my efforts to overturn the system have completely failed. So Mr Ferguson's advice to use no quackery has caused me to lose more money than enough. The fact is, I get none to cure of that malady, because they say I do not understand it. " It is not a month ago Mr Bannerman had a stot seized with inflammation of the liver. The animal was getting better, and began again to feed. A butcher and cow-doctor happened to see the animal ; the disease was imme- diately detected by them, the cure applied ; so I lost the honour of curing the animal after he was recovered. "RoBT. Thomson." 132 SUPPOSED DISEASE IN CATTLE diseases of cattle, or at least few works have been communi- cated to the public on the subject, a wider and wilder range may be expected to be found amongst them for the preten- sions and practice of ignorance and quactery. Of the vast train of absurdities and prejudices which have been propagated, there is perhaps none which it will be of greater use to expose than the errors connected with what is called the tail-slip, or tail-ill, in cattle. If a cow or ox become affected with a chronic disease of any of the internal organs, with loss of appetite, of flesh, of vigour, or of strength, the tail is examined, and the disease is pronounced to be the tail-slip. Are the secretions of the lac- tiferous glands diminished or suspended ? — the disease arises fronr the tail-slip ; has paralysis of the extremities commenced ? — it is produced by the tail-shp ; is the animal hide-bound ? — it is all the effect of the tail-shp ; nay, even if the cow has been witched, it is known by the tail-slip. Let us, then, in- quire into the progress or nature of this disease. We are in- formed that the disease affects the tail ; that unless something is done it soon passes along the cow's tail to the back, and the animal must then lose the use of her legs ; she falls off in her appetite, the milk ceases to flow, and she will soon die unless some remedy is applied for the tail-slip. And what is that remedy ? Why, cut off the cow's tail, to be sure, and you then get rid of the disease and the part affected ! Some, how- ever, less cruel or more scientific in their treatment, simply make an incision into the under surface, allow the wound to bleed freely, and then bind up the part, filling the wound with a mixture of tar, salt, &c. But in some parts of the country, others, not content with this treatment, and supposing that in all these cases there is vAtchcraft, besides the cutting and dressing, have recourse to some charm. This consists commonly in binding on a small piece of the rowan-tree to the extremity of the tail, and making a black cat pass three times round the cow's body, over her back and under her belly, which (if it happen to be CALLED THE TAIL-SLIP. 133 a strange cat, as is often the case from the necessity of the colour being black) so enrages the cat that she mews and scratches with all the fury to which she is so easily excited, until she escapes from the hands of the necromancers, leaving them convinced that the devil has got into the cat ; while the cow evinces sufficient proof, by the manner she is roused, that, by the madness of the operation, the cat's claws, and the cutting of her tail, she is now sufficiently convinced that the devil is either in the cat or her tormentors. I have been told of cases of this disease in which the extremity of the tail has come away in a person's hand. I have been told, too, of many striking cures performed by cutting the tail, and these by persons upon whose veracity and candour I could place complete reliance, and to whose opinion upon any other subject I would be inclined to pay the greatest deference. I do not indeed mean to deny that the tail of a cow or an ox may become affected with disease, as well as other parts of the body ; but this I will advance, that of all the cases I have been shown of what is termed tail- ill, I have never yet been able to discover any marked altera- tion in the parts, or any unnatural appearance, as I shall afterwards endeavour to show. The disease, in ordinary cases, is said to consist in a soften- ing of the bones about the extremity of the tail {mollities ossium), and is to be distinguished by the point of the tail being easily doubled back upon itself, and having at this doubling a soft and rather a crepitating kind of feel ; but let us inquire what is the healthy state of this organ, and what is its use, before we proceed to pronounce upon this supposed disease. Almost all the lower animals are furnished with this organ, in some adding much to their grace and symmetry, and in all being an organ of greater or less utility. In the kangaroo we find it an organ so powerful in aiding progression, that a traveller has fabulously described it as enabling the animal to dart along at the rate of five hops a mile. In some of the ape tribe it is capable of suspending 134 SUPPOSED DISEASE IN CATTLE the whole body from the branch of a tree, allowing the animal to use its hands and feet at pleasure ; in birds and fishes it forms the principal organ of progression, and by which they are enabled to direct their course ; while in some it is given as an ornament — in the peacock and others it gives both gran- deur and beauty. Among quadrupeds, again, we find it per- forming similar functions. In the greyhound, for example, we know if his tail is amputated he is unable to take the sudden turns which enable him to catch his prey; his balance is lost, and he is overturned. The hare, however, is not so provided, and yet she is enabled to double upon her pursuer, and frequently to escape his murderous fangs by the facility with which she wheels. In her there is another provision : the great length of her posterior extremities enables her to throw the centre of gravity towards the fore part of the body, and this rendering the posterior part of the body a lever, she wheels, as it were, upon a pivot, and is enabled to turn in an instant : but provide her with the tail of a greyhound, and the disadvantage would be at once obvious ; she would be retarded in the quickness of her turn, and would at the same time be swung out of her intended course by it and the centri- fugal force acquired by the velocity with which she moves. But if we have seen that the tail adds to beauty, and be- comes an organ of progression when such aid is required, we find it in other cases becoming also an organ of defence. In the larger animals their bulk and tendency to become fat render it of importance that they should be lightly clad, either in warm climates or in the hot seasons of more temperate countries ; and accordingly we find that animals are bounti- fully provided with a thinner covering when the heat of the season requires it. But this change of covering would subject them to great annoyance were not other provisions made for their protection; because the increase of temperature and salu- brity of the seasons bring with them other grievances which, unprovided for, become as burdensome as the oppression of the heat of summer to animals covered with their winter's coat. CALLED THE TAIL-SLIP. 135 But the Author of nature, with the bounty which He so largely bestows, provides for those which require it an organ of defence to ward off the attack of those insects which seasons and situ- ations produce, and which would otherwise so annoy them as to prevent them from fulfilling the purposes for which they are evidently intended — namely, the provision of support to man. The ox, being strictly an herbivorous animal, is provided with a digestive apparatus capable of extracting most com- pletely the nutritive properties of the herbs and grass upon which he feeds, and therefore he acquires a degree of nourish- ment from them which is yielded to no other class of animals but the herbivorous ; but if his digestive process were sus- pended by the irritation of insects, he would be unable to obtain the benefit of the food which is provided for him, and thiis the fruits of the earth would be consumed without that increase which was intended. He is therefore, like other herbivorous animals, provided with an organ of defence, a tail, against the attacks of those insects which are their common enemies. The tail is lengthened out to the exent of about three feet, and is formed like a common whip. Towards the extremity the bones terminate gradually, becoming insensibly smaller as they approach to their termination. At this part is found a soft space, which is said to be the seat of this disease — the tail-slip ; beyond this, again, a firm swelling cartilaginous por- tion is found, covered with hair, to brush off the flies within its reach. Now, why have we the long column of bones, the termination with a soft space of a few inches, and this thick- ened hard cartilaginous part at the very extremity, and that extremity covered with hair ? — why, but with a view to form a whip to drive off, with the greatest possible effect, the insects which wound and torment the animal. Here the column of bones forms the shaft or handle of the whip ; the soft part (the connection between the handle and thong) the couple ; while the thickened extremity may be easily recognised to represent the thong, and the hairs to form the lash or point. They have 136 SUPPOSED DISEASE IN CATTLE thus a whip to drive and a brash to whip off their enemies as these make their attack ; and so complete a whip it is, and so readily wielded, that one is led to think that even Coachee him- self has borrowed a lesson from its flourishes. Had the tail been firm throughout its whole extent, the small quantity of hair with which it is covered would have had but little power in driving off the insects with which it is attacked, and a full sweeping tail like that of the horse would therefore have been required; but the flowing tail of the horse, instead of giving grace and beauty as in that animal, would, by the laxative tendency and extreme comminution of the food of the ox (which is inseparable from his economy), render it an object of disgust to our view, and a burden to the animal by an accumulation of filthiness. We therefore find an organ suited to his wants and economy. But it will perhaps be asked, after what I have stated of the facts previously mentioned. Do I deny the existence of the tail- slip ? I answer. Yes. But if I am again asked. Is the tail not liable to disease ? I answer. It is ; but these diseases, or rather injuries, are only those common to other parts. The softness at the extremity is not a disease ; it is the natural structxire, intended to allow a free and extensive motion ; and although in some cases mortification may have attacked the extremity of the tail, ought we not to ascribe this to some common cause — some external injury — or might it not perhaps become frost- bit by exposure to cold ? As the great distance from the centre of the circulation (the heart) renders it the more exposed to such effect by the languidness of the chculation of that part, I am the more inclined to urge this as an explanation of those facts which have been opposed to my views, because I have seen even a portion of the leg of a horse drop ofl' from this cause. On the 29th of January last I was called to see a mare belonging to Messrs Spears & Co., coach proprietors in Edin- burgh, and found that, two days before, she had been in the coach. It had been an intense frost ; her heels were somewhat CALLED THE TAIL-SLIP. 137 cracked, and on coming to the stable that night she was rather lame. A hot poultice was applied, and repeated next morning, and these were continued until I was called. When I visited her I found a separation taking place at the fetlock -joint ; a line was seen extending round the joint, opening in many parts ; and in two days this line of separation was so complete that the foot became entirely detached at the fetlock, leaving her standing upon the stump. Now, if the foot of a horse may be detached from the leg in this manner, is there anything surprising in a portion of the tail of a cow being thrown off from a similar cause ? but who would ever think that the dis- ease by which the leg of this mare was detached arose from the ilexibility of the fetlock-joint ? and why, therefore, should the flexibility of the one part be considered a disease more than the other ? In the next place, it may be asked. If the disease does not exist in the tail, how does it happen that cows are frequently relieved at once by cutting their tails and applying the dress- ings commonly used ? To this I would answer, that the ox, and more especially the cow, is naturally of an indolent habit, and if but slightly depressed by derangement of appetite, or from any other cause, ordinary stimulants sometimes fail in rousing or making it get up ; but the stimulus of the knife is not so trifling a matter ; the cow at once springs to her feet, and if little is wrong with the animal (as is often the case in such circumstances), she begins at once to feed, and appears quite well ; or perhaps, if much blood is allowed to escape, relief is given, as it would have been by blood drawn from any other part. If, then, this disease be only an imaginary one, and if the tail be a member so useful in the animal economy, how cruel it must be wantonly to cut it off ! We can form no excuse for this operation in cattle, as we do iu regard to the horse ; even the most ingenious imagination would have a difficulty to conceive that the docking of a cow was an improvement in her appearance. 138 SUPPOSED DISEASE IN CATTLE "When the horse is docked, we say he looks so much smarter — he is improved in his appearance ; it is even supposed to be an improvement upon nature, and to increase the strength of the animal's back. But I should like to know if ever an experiment has been made as to whether it injures him in his movements. Has a horse ever been run with his tail at full length, and afterwards had it cut completely off, and a comparison made of his speed and action in these different states ? Were it not digressing too far from my avowed object, I might here offer some objections against the practice of even docking the horse : and I am the more inclined to such digres- sion, because, in a late importation of Norwegian ponies, the quarantine laws seem not to have been put in timely effect to protect the horses of this country from a plague as harassing, although not quite so fatal, as cholera morbus. I was not a little surprised to find, one day after one of these ponies had left the forge, that a horse which had been standing near it became very unruly; and this, I soon observed, arose from a pecuKar species of gad-fly which had fixed upon his flank, and seemed so determined upon its prey that it was caught with but little difficulty. On examination, I found it considerably shorter in the body than the common gad-fly of this country ; its abdomen was much like a tick in form, and at the posterior parts three small spots were observed. At the termination of each limb there were two small hooks which could be dis- tinctly observed with the naked eye, and by which it could take a firm hold of the skin of the finger, producing all the sensation of such a connection. Its proboscis was sharp and pointed, and had considerable power and strength. It appeared principally to attack the posterior parts of the animal. I was at once convinced, by the strange appearance of the fly, that it had come with the pony ; and this opinion was soon con- firmed, for I afterwards found, on inquiry at the Eoyal Menage, that, soon after it had gone to the stables, the same CALLED THE TAIL-SLIP. 139 kind of flies attacked the other horses so furiously, that it was found necessary to destroy these insects, which with a little trouble was completely effected, and the horses became quiet. It unfortunately happens that I am unable to give a more particular account of the fly, because the specimen I caught, and put aside for minute examination, was accidentally destroyed, and I was unable to get another. I may observe, however, that it differed in appearance from all those repre- sented in the plates of Mr Bracy Clark. To prevent the importation of such an insect, it will either in future be neces- sary to have a careful examination of these ponies previous to landing, or we must allow the horse to retain his tail as a defence against such intruders. But I must now return to the original subject of this paper. If the tail of cattle is constructed in the manner I have described, then the disease, if any exist, will at once be found by careful examination of a number of individuals of the same age, sex, and condition ; and if such an investigation is made, I have no doubt but that any rational man will be at once convinced that no such disease exists. By this means we shall be enabled to get rid of an absurd prejudice, which extends over a great part of the kingdom ; and not only will the prejudice be overcome, but at the same time, and as a necessary consequence of such a fallacy being detected, the owners of stock will have their attention directed to other sources for the explanation of the symptoms which occur in these animals ; they will thereby be enabled to ascertain the true nature of those diseases which have hitherto been over- looked, and a more efficient treatment will, of course, come to be adopted ; and instead of trusting to the cutting practised upon the tail, bleeding freely from the neck will be had recourse to ; and instead of the nauseous rowan-trees or black cats, such remedy as the disease requires wUl fall to be administered. 140 DISEASE IN CATTLE CALLED THE TAIL-SLIP. In conclusion, I have only to state, that if these remarks fail in calling attention to some more efficient means of relieving these animals — such as bleeding from the neck, the administration of purgatives or such other medicine as the symptoms suggest — we can only look to Mr Martin's Act as a means of putting a stop to the progress of such barbarity. ON THE IMPROVEMENT OP THE BREED OF HORSES. It is a daily remark that the breed of horses is rapidly degenerating, and those who have the best opportunities of observing it are the most decidedly convinced of the fact. If we inquire at a dealer, on returning from any of the great fairs, what kind of show there has been, we are told it has been the worst he has ever seen. But this tale he has perhaps so often repeated, and it corresponds so much with the stock brought from the market, that one is almost led to consider it as one of the tricks of the trade, and to suppose that he can only have brought the worst sorts to our quarter. But if, not satisfied with the stock produced, we proceed to the great marts ourselves, we find there is indeed a remarkable scarcity of anything in the shape of a good nag ; it matters not for what purpose he is intended, whether for racer, hunter, carriage, hack, or heavy draught, the difficulty of making a good selection for either of these purposes is the same. There may be thousands in the market, but how few in the eye of a judge will be even passable for any purpose. There must therefore be something radically wrong in our breeding system — some cause for the acknowledged degeneration of the stock for which Britain has been so long celebrated. It will be found on inquiry, that good horses have been becoming gradually scarcer in our fairs for the last twenty years ; and we find that many of what was considered the most useful sort have now entirely disappeared. The breed is quite extinct. Where, for example, do we now find the fine short-legged handsome cob, whose action and strength enabled him to go any pace, and to carry any weight that could ride ? 142 IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. How few of the splendid carriage-horses which were met with fifteen or twenty years ago are now to be seen ! Nay, how few of anything really good is there to be met with ! Let it not be supposed that I mean to advance, that twenty years ago the breeding of horses had arrived at the acme of perfection — that there was then nothing farther to be done — that nothing conld then have been wished in the improve- ment of our various breeds; for even then we were far enough from perfection. Yet it is an undeniable fact that good horses could have been got with a little looking out. But now, where are they ? There appear to have been two causes operating during the time I have mentioned, which have mainly contributed to pro- duce the effects in question. The first, and perhaps the chief cause, has been exportation. Since the peace, scarcely a fair has passed which has not been visited by foreigners, who have never failed to take with them the best of the horses and mares found in the market. What the actual number thus taken out of the country may have been I am not prepared to state ; but I have the strongest reasons to believe that the total number since the period to which I have alluded far exceeds the conception of those who have not attended to the subject. It may at first sight appear that this exportation of our horses must add to the wealth of our agricultural commu- nity, by the increased price, the consequence of an increased demand, for the produce. Such might have been the case had the exportation been confined to inferior kinds of stock ; but it unfortunately happens that into this market has been sent the best of these animals ; and as the demand exceeded the supply, and as the best always brought the highest price, the market has been drained, not only of the produce, but also in a great measure of the original stock. And as my friend Mr Catley says, in writing on this subject in No. 31, vol. iii. p. 378, of the ' Veterinarian,' — " These, it should be remembered, never find their way back again ; and this is no IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OP HORSES. 143 like exporting a piece of manufactured goods, for we are here parting with the raw material, and by so doing we should recollect that we are not only giving foreigners the means of manufacturing themselves, but are at the same time shorten- ing our own production." But not only has this new and suddenly-opened-up market drained the country of the best of our strong and useful well-bred horses, but, by the scarcity thus produced, has tended to diminish the numbers in another important manner. The high price and scarcity of good horses have produced a demand for what was formerly considered a less valuable stock ; and as geldings are not to be obtained in sufficient numbers for the supply of the army, mares are taken to fill up the regiments of cavalry. Mares have also obtained a place in the London market ; and as the best is in all cases likely to meet the readiest customers, another means of drain- ing the best of our stock out of the hands of the breeder has thus been brought into play. While the ports were closed and the army and London market refused mares, these, as a matter of course, remained in the breeders' hands, and were selected, both from necessity and choice, as the fittest to rear stock; but as many entertain too loose notions in regard to the advantages to be derived from the proper selection of both sire and dam, little attention has been paid to the subject ; and any kind of a mare, when rendered useless for every other purpose, has been thought good enough to rear a foal. This laxity of opinion exists more especially in regard to half or three parts bred stock, and also in regard to those of heavy draught. The consequence is now apparent in the general deterioration of the horses both in Scotland and in the north- ern counties of England. The breeders, having parted with their best mares, are now under the necessity of employing those which remain. For these, perhaps, they look out for a good horse ; but whatever may be the good qualities of the sire, the produce will, in a greater or less degree, receive the impression of the dam. If 144 IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. she want size, or is defective in her formation, it is a hundred to one if the foal does not exhibit many or most of her defects. The stock, however, is reared, and may, it is thought, turn out a good horse ; and certainly we are sometimes agreeably sur- prised in the progress towards perfection which some bad- like foals make, but in general we are disappointed. Yet what is the consequence ? The foal is reared : it is sold by the breeder at perhaps half the sum it costs in rearing ; it never pays for half the food it has destroyed, and the breeder is continually crying out that breeding does not pay. How much less will it repay him for the risk he runs ! For it is not like a bullock, which will seU even if it has a lame leg, a badly-formed leg or joint. No ; if any accident befall it (and to how many accidents and diseases are foals liable !) it is rendered good for nothing. But the loss does not stop with the breeder ; the purchaser has his sorrows to commence. He gets his horse put in condition ; he is mounted a few times, but it is found that he is unable to carry his rider either with pleasure or safety ; his spindle shanks give way, he knocks the one against the other ; he cuts, he falls, he is sprained, has curbs or spavins, is washy and delicate, and, in shoii:, more plague than profit. After some time he is sold at a loss, and, passing from one hand to another, proves to each a similar annoyance. But the matter is of still more importance in a public point of view : for if we suppose that there is in the country per- haps not less than 1,500,000 horses, and if we suppose that one-tenth of these are not worth half what they consume in food, the loss to the community is immense. Say, for example, that an ordinary-sized horse costs £25 in rearing till he is four years old ; suppose him one of those nondescript kind of beasts to which I have been alluding, and what is then to be got for him? He is dear to any one as a present; but we shaU suppose him to bring three-fifths of his cost, and the owner glad to get rid of him. Even at such a loss, what is the total loss to the public on the number of those we have IMPEOVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HOESES. 145 been supposing to be losing stock ? Why, it will amount to the enormous sum of £1,500,000 completely lost to the country, even under the supposition of his then becoming worth his meat. The loss, however, does not stop here. If he passes at four years old from the breeder's hands, still he continues to consume the produce of the country ; and it must not be supposed that the consumption is in favour of the farmer, because the unproductiveness of such animals recoils upon him. The purchasers who, in making their bargain in the expectation of deriving from their new purchase a source of pleasure and recreation, become disgusted with the trouble attending and the utter worthlessness of such brutes, and after a few similar experiments give up the idea of keep- ing a source of so much annoyance, instead of deriving the pleasure they expected, and thus the steady market is cut off. There is one fortunate circumstance, however, connected with these malformed animals, which is, that from their defective organisation they are unable to endure the degree of fatigue to which they are exposed, and hence they are cut off at a premature old age. In one point of view, therefore, the expenses attending them are saved ; but even this kind of saving only leads to the recurrence of the former experiment, and the loss is continued. The second — or perhaps I should rather have placed it as the first — cause arises from a change in our blood-stock. With the exception of our heavy draught-horses, almost all our other breeds partake of a greater or less portion of blood. It has been owing to the attention paid to our thoroughbreds that our horses have been so much prized. Their properties have been diffused into all the crosses in the country ; and it was with a view to the keeping up these improved breeds of horses that horse-racing has been so much encouraged. But as a change has gradually taken place in the nature of our races, the blood-stock has been modified accordingly. The grand point in view now is speed : strength and endurance K 146 IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. are little thought of. Our racers are put to the trial of their speed at an early age ; and if they can only go, their strength and form are of the less moment, because we are told they can go in all forms. Here lies the root of much evil to our more useful stock. It were a matter of little moment if the form was sacrificed to the speed in the thoroughbred only ; but it commonly happens, if a horse is successful on the turf, that he is afterwards turned to the stud, and mares of all sorts put to him in proportion to his celebrity as a racer. Their shapes, however, are overlooked, because, as has already been stated, they can go in all forms. Again, thoroughbred mares, if they happen to prove bad runners, are frequently put to half-bred horses, because, being too small, they cannot be trusted to breed racers. It is expected that such a cross will have plenty of strength ; and as the blood is good, it must be a good foal. This, however, is not always the case. Too much stress has been laid upon the blood. It is well to attend to the pedigree of our thoroughbred horses, if it be true that, with the slightest flaw in the pedigree, the cocktail is unable to contend in the race with the thoroughbred ; but I doubt whether, with the same mechanical formation, a slight cross would have any weight against the speed and endurance of the cocktail. But although we will admit for the present that for racing it is an advantage that the animal should be thoroughbred, we are not on that account to overlook and sacrifice the mechani- cal arrangement of the animal for other purposes on account of the breed. How absurd it is to hear people extolling a half or three parts bred horse because his sire was a particular horse, or because the dam was got by some other horse of celebrity ! how foolish it is to be deceived by the qualities of one of the progenitors, if the animal himself is reaUy defec- tive ! Give me a good horse, and it matters not what is his pedigree ; he can soon get a dozen of pedigrees manufactured. One advantage supposed to be derived from the pedigree is, that the sire is famous for the goodness of his produce, and IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. 147 from this character it is inferred that all his future produce will inherit the like properties. Before proceeding farther, however, it may be well to reflect upon what is meant by the term hlood as applied to the horse. By the term blood-horse, everybody knows, is meant one which is thoroughbred— that is, one whose pedigree can be traced in the stud-book to Arabian or Barbary origin. But why call them blood-horses ? Is it because it is supposed that blood of a superior quality circulates in their veins ? Such seems to be the idea connected with the term blood ; to a physiologist, however, this idea seems incorrect. The blood is the vehicle of nourishment to the system in all animals : it derives its nourishment from the food taken into the mouth, or rather it is a fluid, the product of the food and drink after having undergone the process of digestion. This fluid is regulated in its qualities by various circumstances, by the kind of food from which it is derived, by the quantity as well as quality ; and the water which the animal drinks exerts a material change upon the fluid, both with regard to its quantity and properties ; the air which the animal breathes modifies it also, and it varies by the exertions the animal makes. If, therefore, the " blood is the life " in the sense it is commonly supposed, then the life must vary according as the blood varies in its quan- tities and qualities. But this is not the case; and we there- fore infer that although the blood is a living fluid, and the vehicle of nourishment to the system, and is in this sense " the life," yet, in the sense in which the term is used in regard to the horse, it conveys an improper idea of thorough- bred. If the blood, or thoroughbreeding, possesses any advantage, it is more owing to the vital energy which the animal pos- sesses than any superior quality in the circulating fluid. It will be stated that even the nervous system derives its nour- ishment from the blood ; but such a statement induces me also to advance, that although there is a reciprocal action, stiU the nervous energy is the cause which predominates. The 148 IMPROVEMENT OF THE BEEBD OF HORSES. latter power commands and puts in motion the organs under its control; the other is regulated to a great extent by its influence. The advantage, if advantage there is independent of the mechanical formation, therefore, of the purity of the thoroughbred over the cocktail, appears to depend more upon the noble spirit, the superior degree of vital energy, with which he is animated, than to the blood which circulates in his veins. But whatever may be the degree of vital energy by which he is animated, however pure his blood, were it not that his frame is so modified as to permit the full exercise of his powers, the speed and powers which he possesses could not be displayed. The body of an animal is a piece of mechanism, the moving power of which is the vital principle, which, like the fire to the steam-engine, sets the whole in motion ; but whatever quantity of fire or vital energy may be applied, neither the animal machine nor the steam-engine will work with regularity and effect, unless the individual parts of which the machine is composed are regularly adjusted and fitted for the individual purposes for which they are intended ; or if it is found that the machine does move by the increase of the original moving power, still the motion is irregular and imperfect, — the bolts and joints are continually giving way, there is a continued straining of the various parts, and the machine becomes worn-out and useless in half the time it might have lasted if the proportions had been just and accur- ate. Such is the case with the animal machine. It is not enough that it is put in motion by the noblest spirit, or that it is nourished by the highest blood ; every bone must have its just proportion, every muscle or tendon its proper pulley, every lever its proper length and arrangement, every joint its most accurate adjustment and proper lubrication; all must have their relative proportions and strength before the motions of the machine can be accurate, vigorous, and durable. In every machine modifications are required according as the purposes vary to which it is applied : and as in the inani- mate, so also in tlie animate. The heavy dray-horse is far IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. 149 from having the arrangement necessary for the purposes of the turf, while the thoroughbred is as Ul adapted for the dray. Animals are therefore to be selected for the individual pur- poses for which they are intended, with the modifications of form proper for the different uses to which they are to be applied; but for whatever purpose they may be intended, there are some points which are common to all in the adjust- ment of the individual parts. If the bones want their due proportions, or are imperfectly placed, if the muscles or tendons want their proper levers, if the flexions of the joints be interrupted by the defectiveness of their mechanism — the animal must either be defective in motion or strength; the bones have irregular pressure, and, if they do not break, become diseased; if the muscles or tendons do not become sprained or ruptured, they are defective in their action; if friction or inflammation does not take place in the joints, the motions are awkward and grotesque. As in every other machine, the beauty of the animate, whether in motion or at rest, depends upon the arrangement of the individual parts. From what has been stated it will be inferred that there is a necessity to endeavour to obtain those animals for breeding which approach as near as possible to perfection in their mechanism ; for if " like produces like," we can only expect to obtain an improvement in the breed by such means. In making such selections, various circumstances are to be attended to, as the kind of produce wished for, and the situa- tion where it is to be reared. In all cases size and strength in proportion, combined with the greatest possible action and mildness of temper, are indispensable qualities required in both sire and dam ; and the nearer they approach each other in these respects, so much the better ; for although I have already endeavoured to show that the blood of horses is of less moment than is generally supposed, I am far from recom- mending that unnatural and violent crosses should be made. All horses, I assert, arise from one common stock ; but the influence of cLLmate and other circumstances have, in a succes- 150 IMPROVEMENT OF THE BEEED OF HOESES. sion of generations, served to divide them into various families or classes. The animal economy is endowed with a power of accommo- dation, by which the individual constitution is suited to the situation in which it is placed ; nay, this law is not confined to the animal economy alone — we find it pervading the whole face of Nature, linking aU together in one harmonious whole. In the deserts of Arabia, the warmth of its climate, the scanty herbage, or the detachedness of its luxuriant patches, would have been iU adapted as the original birthplace of the horse, had every individual been a London dray-horse ; hut there we find a form of animal adapted by his frame and constitution for the situation in which he was placed. There is a lightness of form, an activity and durability, which, with the fineness of his coat, enable him to display those powers of speed for which he is celebrated, and which are necessary for his exist- ence in the situation in which he was originally placed. But if we remove him from his native deserts to the luxuriant pasturage of Flanders, or the fens of Lincolnshire, or turn him adrift on the bleak and barren mountains of Shetland or of Wales, we find him, on the one hand, gradually acquiring the most gigantic dimensions, from the nutritiousness of his diet, and the triiiing exertions required in procuring it ; and, on the other, shrinking to a mere dwarf, from the uncongenial- ness of his situation, and the scantiness and innutritious nature of his provender : like the stately oak, flourishing in the valley, but gradually diminishing at the summit of the mountain to an insignificant shrub. The Arabian horse, imported like some rare exotic plant, has been nourished and naturalised in the hothouse of our racing stables with a care which has assimilated this climate to his own, and rendered it so congenial to his constitution as to enable those of this country's growth to vie with and surpass those of their native climate. But if so much has been done by care and domestication, that very circumstance shows the necessity and advantage to IMPROVEMENT OP THE BREED OF HORSES. 151 be derived by proper attention to the subject ; and although we have of late allowed an unfavourable change to take place, it may yet, with a little care, be remedied. It is the capability of changes being effected by domestica- tion ' that demands our attention. If natural processes were uncontrollable by art, our interference would be of little importance; but when we find so much under our control, the greatest attention is necessary to direct our efforts in a proper channel. When we look to animals in a state of nature, we perceive a striking uniformity in form and colour. In the domesticated state how various are they ! and why ? The answer is simple : they vary according to our capricious interference. One individual, giving a preference to what he considers perfection in some particular form, sacrifices every other point to obtain this form, while another preferring a different form pursues it ; and thus various species of mons- trosities are in fact produced. In heavy draught-horses the scarcity of a superior stock arises from the circumstance of the foals of this description being castrated at an early age, by which few stallions are left for us to choose from, and these few are selected from some fancy of the breeder ; many fine colts are emasculated before their value is discovered ; the few left entire are frequently very defective. I have often been surprised to find such defective animals shown for prizes as are commonly brought forward for competition. To remedy these evils, I would recommend to those agricul- tural societies which are in the habit of giving premiums, with a view of obtaining the best horses, to recollect that, when they have procured a horse to their mind, they have then only done half what is wanted ; they ought also to select the best mares in the district. Without attending to this point, they will never obtain the beneficial results which would otherwise accrue from their labours. This, however, is a difficult task. Every subscriber supposes, when he has paid his subscription, that he is entitled to send his mare to the 152 IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. prize-horse ; and he, at the same, considers that he is a better judge of her qualities than any other person, and none thinks it worth his while to contradict or oppose what is considered to be entirely the interest of the owner of the mare. This I consider to be a false view of the case ; and as a remedy for the evil, I would recommend, at least as an experiment, that some agricultural society should offer as a premium, say for a draught stallion, such a sum, perhaps £100, as that the money from the mares should not be required as a remuneration to him ; and having made a selection of one of the best horses in the country, which the high premium would surely bring to the competition, let the society then appoint a committee of the most approved judges, to whom those mares intended to be bred from should be submitted ; and let only such as are approved of by this committee be allowed to be served by the prize-horse. The produce of such an experiment, if judiciously executed, I am certain, would be attended with the most successful results ; and the repetition of the experiment would show the advantages to be derived from it, by producing in a few years such an improvement in the class, that from these again might be obtained subjects for a still greater advancement in the breed, till, by reiterated experiments, such an improvement might be made as would show the animal in the highest degree of perfection ; and thus, by directing the attention of all those interested in breeding in the neighbourhood of the experiment to the advantages of making a proper selection both of sire and dam, great benefit would accure. The experi- ment might be made upon any class of horses ; but in making it the strictest attention would be recLuired in objecting to the defects of the sire and dam, bearing in mind that the less violent the cross the greater chance would there be of the stock resembling their progenitors. The consequences of such experiments would be, that, while they practically pointed out the means to be adopted, and the kind of animals proper for breeding, they would, at the same time, stir up a spirit of IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. 153 emulation and attention to the subject, which could not fail both to afford profit and instruction to all who engaged in them. It would be essentially necessary, in conducting an experi- ment of this kind, to choose animals of the particular classes adapted for the climate and locality of the place. Were the experiment to be made in the Lothians, where a strong Clydes- dale breed of horses is preferred for agricultural purposes, and where the climate is congenial to them, it ought to be made in that class of horses. In lighter soils, a lighter breed might be tried. I saw, for example, while at the grand cattle- show of the Highland Society last year at Dumfries, a number of good carriage-stallions, but the mares of that class, of a superior stamp, were few; but if such an experiment were made, there is no doubt that a number of good mares would appear, and thus a valuable breed of carriage-horses might be speedily produced. There is one obstacle in the way of such experiments, and that is an important one : wherever there is a body of men having individual interests at stake, as would be the case in this experiment, there is a danger of a jealousy taking place amongst them which might destroy the whole scheme ; but although these district societies might fail, at least in some instances, in carrying such a project into effect, it would be worth the consideration of some noblemen to try the experi- ment amongst their tenantry. Let their tenants have their mares served gratuitously, or for a moderate fee, after having been submitted to the inspection of the judges who ought in this case also to be appointed, and of whom there ought at least to be three ; and no mare should be allowed to be put to the horse but such as were approved of by the judges, and on their heads should rest the responsibility of the experiment. Count Eumford attempted an experiment to improve the breed of horses in Bavaria ; but however judicious it appeared, it failed from causes which excited a degree of distrust and J 54 IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. jealousy, which cannot exist in that which I have recom- mended. The following is his account of it: — "A number of line mares," says the Count, "were pur- chased with money taken from the military chest, and being marked with an M (the initial of Militaria), in a circle upon the left hip, with a hot iron, they were given to such of the peasants, owning or leasing farms proper for breeding good horses, as applied for them. The conditions upon which these brood mares were given away were as follows : — " They were, in the first place, given away gratis, and the person who received one of these mares is allowed to consider her as his own property, and use her in any kind of work he thinks proper ; he is, however, obliged not only to keep her, and not to sell her, or give her away, but he is also under obligations to keep her as a hrood mare, and to have her regularly covered every season by a stallion pointed out to him by the commissioners, who are put at the head of this establishment. If she dies, he must replace her with another Irood mare, which must be approved by the commissioners, and then marked. If one of these mares should be found not to bring good colts, or to have any blemish, or essential fault or imperfection, she may be changed for another. " The stallions which are provided for these mares, and which are under the care of the commissioners, are provided gratis, and the foals are the sole property of those who keep the mares, and they may sell them, or dispose of them, when and where, and in any way they may tliink proper, in the same manner as they dispose of any other foal, brought by any other mare. " In case the army should be obliged to take the field, and in no other case lohatevcr, those who are in possession of these mares are obliged either to return them, or to furnish, for the use of the army, another horse fit for the sei-vice of the artUlery. "The advantages of this arrangement to the army are obvious. In the case of an emergency, horses are always at IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. 155 hand, and these horses, being bought in time of peace, cost much less than it would be necessary to pay for them, were they to be purchased in a hurry upon the breaking out of a war, upon which occasions they are always dear, and some- times not to be had for money. " It may, perhaps, be objected, that the money being laid out so long before the horses are wanted, the loss of the interest of the purchase-money ought to be taken into the account ; but as large sums of money must always be kept in readiness in the military chest, to enable the army to take the field suddenly, in case it should be necessary, and as a part of this money must be employed in the purchase of horses, it may as well be laid out beforehand, as to lie dead in the mili- tary chest tni the horses are actually wanted, consequently the objection is not well founded. " I wish I could say that this measure had been completely successful ; but I am obliged to own that it has not answered my expectations. Six hundred mares only were at first ordered to be purchased and distributed ; but I had hopes of seeing that number augmented soon to as many thousands ; and I had even flattered myself with an idea of the possibility of placing in this manner among the peasants, and conse- quently having constantly in readiness, without any expense, a sufficient number of horses for the whole army — for the cavalry as well as for the artillery and baggage ; and I had formed a plan for collecting together and exercising, every year, such of these horses as were destined for the service of the cavalry, and for permitting their riders to go on furlough with their horses ; in short, my views went to the forming of an arrangement, very economical, and in many respects similar to that of the ancient feudal military system ; but the obstinacy of the peasantry prevented these measures being carried into execution. Very few of them could be prevailed upon to accept of these horses ; and in proportion as the terms upon which they were offered to them were apparently advan- tageous, their suspicions were increased, and they never would 156 IMPKOVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. be persuaded that there was not some trick at the bottom of the scheme to overreach them. "It is possible that their suspicions were not a little increased by the malicious insinuations of persons, who, from motives too obvious to require any explanation, took great pains at that time to render abortive every public undertaking in which I was engaged. But be that as it may, the fact is, 1 could never find means to remove these suspicions entirely, and T met with so much difficulty in carrying the measure into execution, that I was induced at last to abandon it, or rather to postpone its execution to a more favourable moment. Some few mares (two or three hundred) were placed in differ- ent parts of the country, and some very fine colts have been produced from them during the six years that have elapsed since this institution was formed ; but these slow advances do not satisfy the ardour of my zeal for improvement ; and if means are not found to accelerate them, Bavaria, with all her natural advantages for breeding fine horses, must be obliged, for many years to come, to continue to import horses from foreign countries." I have hitherto confined myself to general remarks, but after what has been stated, it will be naturally expected that I should point out in a more particular manner the degeneracy of which I have complained, and direct attention to those errors in particular to be avoided. In illustration, I shall state that Government have found it so difficult to mount the cavalry even in its reduced state, that, instead of giving only twenty-five guineas for troop-horses as formerly, they have now been obliged to raise the sum to thirty guineas. It is not necessary that I should enter at length upon what a horse should or should not be ; the radical qualities I have already stated are size and strength, in proportion with the greatest possible action and docility of temper. To strength and action we sometimes find attached such an untractable disposition as to render the animal useless. There is nothing follows more readily in the breed than the temper IMPROVEMENT OP THE BREED OF HORSES. 157 and disposition. In the selection, therefore, of breeding stock, a fine sound eye, a pleasant countenance, with the organ of benevolence (as the phrenologists speak) fully developed in the breadth of the forehead, is not to be overlooked as an indi- cation of mildness of disposition ; but the previous history, if known, is the best criterion to found an opinion on. The most conspicuous degeneration is to be found in the strength and due proportion of the different parts ; the limbs and body are not in harmony with each other, and in almost all there is want of strength. Let size and strength, therefore, be kept in view, but let all have proper proportion. In the form of the body we have a strong index of the constitution. On the form of the chest depends in a great degree the bottom and durability of the race-horse ; it is the essential of his wind. The exterior of the chest, the ribs and their muscles, and the diaphragm, are the active agents in respiration ; the lungs themselves are passive. Upon the mechanical forma- tion, therefore, of the ribs, depends in a great degree the powers of respiration ; they must be long, and circular at the posterior part, to form a large thorax. Unless the chest (thorax) be large and easily acted on by the muscles when the animal is making great exertions, as the blood is then flowing through the lungs with a velocity increased according to the degree of exertion, it must either pass through in an impure state, and be sent to the other parts of the system unfit to fulfil its proper office, thus allowing the body to become fatigued for want of due nourishment ; or otherwise, by the chest not being capable of sufiicient enlargement to admit of the free flow of the blood through the lungs, the animal becomes almost choked by the inability of the muscles to enlarge the chest sufficiently, and is thus on the point of being suffocated : here lies the connection between the blood and the mechanical formation. A capacious chest is, therefore, essentially necessary to enable the animal to continue any protracted and severe exer- tion. But there is a form also necessary for speed. In order 158 IMPEOVEMENT OF THE BEEED OF HORSES. that every part may contribute to the same end, we find in all well-formed animals for speed that the anterior of the chest is somewhat flattened on the sides, in order that the anterior extremities may be allowed to approximate, which is indispensably necessary in rapid progression. Without this arrangement there would be a constant changing of the centre of gravity during motion, and instead of moving in a smooth gallop or trot, the horse with a wide chest would be waddling like a duck. A natural ellipsis should be presented in the front view. On the other parts of the trunk I need offer few remarks. Of length we generally have enough, but the breadth is often scanty. The loins should be broad and muscular, in which case length is an advantage ; the whole trunk should describe a sweeping natural outline formed by two gentle curves, the posterior being the slightest, which is formed by the tail. Unless we have the tail well up, it is rarely well set; and animals with too low a set tail are never good goers. But we may see a well-formed trunk, and still find some important parts deficient ; we may see a well-made body with legs unfit to carry it. The legs and feet are the most important parts to be attended to in the whole machine. But it is these parts that are most frequently overlooked in breeding. There is a nicety of adjustment and accuracy of movement necessary in all the limbs of the horse which might apparently be dis- pensed with in some other animals. They ought, in the first place, to stand well, otherwise the motions are either unsafe or awkward, and there is an unnatural strain on some part or other. The principal power of progression resides ' in the hinder extremities; but for safety, and the conveyance of the speed acquired by the propulsion of the hinder extremities, we must depend upon the well-sloped, clean, and muscular shoul- der, the strong and lengthy arm, the powerful shank with firm tendons, the well-set fetlock, and sound foot ; without these the progression is deficient and weak. The most common defects in the formation of the fore-legs IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. 159 are, that either the toes turned too much out or too much in. If turned out, the foot comes in contact with the opposite leg, and bruises it ; the pasterns are at the same time generally too long, rendering the strain great upon the tendons, and rendering them liable to disease ; the action is almost invari- ably low, and the animals consequently unsafe ; the feet also, accommodating themselves to the position and form of the limb, become very liable to various diseases. If the toes be turned inwards, the animal is awkward in his action and is continually stumbling ; he is also liable to splints and injuries of the fetlock. To insure accurate motion the fore-feet should stand, in a front view, parallel with the sides of the animal's body. The feet should be sound ; flat ones with low heels are to be carefully avoided. But even where the hoof looks sound, if grogginess exists, the animals are by no means desirable to breed from. For safety, pleasure, and liberty of action we look to the fore extremities; but for the power of action our attention must be principally directed to the posterior extremities of the horse. I would not, as some are inclined to do, deny that the anterior extremities are concerned in progression ; for if we cast our eye abroad upon the face of nature, we are at once struck with the wonderful accommodations to particular cir- cumstances in individual cases. In one the anterior extremi- ties are almost entirely laid aside as useless, while in others we find that they are the principal organs of motion ; but in others, again, more especially the horse, a combined and simultaneous action is required. We find the kangaroo, on the one hand, hopping at an immense rate upon its hind-legs, with the assistance of its tail, carrying its hands in its pouches, which are only used to support the head while feeding upon the ground ; but we observe the cameleopard, on the contrary, raised with his fore-legs to a height which enables him to nip the buds from the trees of the forest, his hind-legs nearly as short in proportion as the fore ones of the kangaroo. But 160 IMPEOVEMENT OE THE BREED OF HORSES. when the fore extremities are to be the organs of motion, they are in one case found bearing the eagle to the chambers of light, and in the other forming oars by which the monsters of the ocean are enabled to plunge through the mazes of the ■ fathomless deep. But although we have seen that, in particular circumstances, either the anterior or posterior extremities may become the organs of motion, and that in the horse all are required, stU] we must recollect that for power and rapidity of motion we must have in this animal well-formed hind-legs. In connec- tion with these, strength of loins and length of quarters are of the greatest importance ; but there is a variety in the form of the quarters which must be looked to in reference to the produce, because, for galloping, a form of the quarter, and indeed the whole leg, is required, which differs from that best suited or usually formed for trotting. For galloping, the lengthy horizontal or finely -turned quarter, with lengthy thigh, are best adapted for speed ; while for trotting there is a greater degree of sloping in the quarter, which is less pleasing to the eye than the galloping quarter, and a rotund muscu- larity well observed in all fast trotters. In aU, however, this muscularity indicates great strength and action, more espe- cially if it is observed, on viewing the animal from behind, that there is a fine arch from haunch to haunch over his quarters, and that there is such a swelling-out of the muscles of his thighs that, when measured across, there would be a greater breadth than in his haunches. The limbs should then gradually approximate each other, tapering with the diminu- tion of the swell of the muscles as they send off their tendons until they reach the hocks. To this point the eye of the breeder must be scrupulously directed, because there is no point of more importance in regard to action, and none so liable to disease ; these diseases, too, depending upon the for- mation of the part. Unless the hock is well formed, there cannot be durability ; and if there is sometimes speed with a badly-formed hock, it IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF HORSES. 161 is never for a long run. The most common defect which at present exists is a liability to curbs, such being denominated curby hocks ; these are seen, on taking a side view, by the smallness of the leg below the hock, by the great projection of the point of the hock, and by a bent-like appearance at the lower part of it, with a greater or less tuberosity at the back part ; these hocks are also more liable to spavins and other diseases of the hock-joint. There is also an opposite form of hock which is too straight ; this is connected with a great length of pastern, and is liable to thoroughpins in the hock, windgalls and sprains of the suspensary ligament at the fetlock-joiat. A well-formed hock, viewed from behind, shordd stand with the toe of the hoof and the fetlock in a line running parallel with the body ; or, if altered from that direction, the toe should incline a little outwards. The tendon forming the ham-string should stand clear and free from the back of the leg above the hock ; and the back part of the leg from the hock, viewed laterally, should descend from the point of it to the fetlock in a straight line, or if otherwise, rather scooped out below the point of the hock than in the opposite form ; the tendons should be clean and well marked, and the shank equal in breadth at the hock and fetlock, and the broader the better. The limbs can scarcely be too short, if combined with the qualities we have mentioned, but the shanks from the hock and the knees to the ground sliould be selected as short as possible ; and that these parts may be divided in due propor- tion, the fetlock should stand with the rest of the limb and the foot at an angle of 45 degrees, in which case it will be of a proper length and proportion. In addition to these remarks I have only to add, that, in breeding, it appears to me that although good horses of any description will always sell well and pay the breeder, strength and action are the strongest recommendations in every market. L ON CALCULI, AND THE MODE OF REMOVING THEM, IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS. When a disease is not of frequent occurrence, the pain and uneasiness which it produces great, and its nature obscure, the case, whether in man or in the lower animals, becomes extremely perplexing to the practitioner under whose care it may chance to fall. Of this description of disease in the lower animals are urinary calculi. And as diseases in these animals are only to be traced from a knowledge of the symp- toms which they produce, I presume that any apology for offering an account of the following case will be deemed unnecessary. On the 26th of September last, I received a letter from Mr Adam Pope, Tarvis, Aberdeenshire, of which the following is an extract : — " Two days ago," he says, " a farmer sent for me to attend a mare of his, affected with what I consider to be incontinence of urine. She is fourteen years old ; -she had a foal two years ago, and was again stinted in the end of June last. The owner informs me that he never observed that any- thing was the matter with her until after that time ; and he therefore considers that some injury has then been done to her. The poor animal is now in a distressing condition. Every ten or fifteen minutes, a small quantity of urine is suddenly eva- cuated, and so suddenly is she often compelled to eject it, that she is unable to place herself in the position which nature points out ; the consequence of which is, that the urine running down the thighs and legs has completely excoriated them. To-day (23d September) I saw her frequently making CALCULI, AND THE MODE OF REMOVING THEM. 163 painful and ineffectual efforts to void lier urine, and exhibit- ing every symptom of acute suffering ; and the urine which she has been enabled to void is tinged with blood. Until within these two days, she has continued to take her food and water as usual, but she now has a great thirst, and the disease is evidently increasing rapidly. I shall, therefore, feel extremely obliged by your favouring me with your opinion of her case. I have to-day bled her freely, and administered a dose of laxative medicine." To this letter I replied that it was, in my opinion, a case of stone in the bladder ; that the bladder, and other parts con- nected with it, which are situated within the cavity of the pelvis, should be carefully examined, by introducing the hand into the rectum, by which means the bladder would be felt resting on the lower part of the pelvis, under the portion of intestine into which the hand had been introduced. It would thus, I observed, be at once ascertained whether my opinion was correct or not : for, if a calculus existed, it would be felt hard, or if any other disease existed in the bladder, it would be felt with equal facility. If, by this means, it was supposed that a stone existed, a sound might be passed along the urethra, and it would crisp upon the calculus. Should this be found to be the case, there could then be no doubt on the sub- ject, and the stone would therefore require to be removed by an operation. This, I also observed, as the patient is a mare, might be effected, perhaps, by simply dilating the urethra. Having introduced the hand into the rectum, the stone, if a small one, might be removed by a pair of forceps, when it has been pressed towards the orifice by the hand in the intestine. The circumstances of the case should, however, direct the proceedings ; and that, from the shortness of the urethra in females, there would perhaps be little difficulty in the operation. I further stated that as there might be a good deal of dis- ease induced in the bladder, from the long continuance of the calculus in it, the simple removal of the calculus might not 164 CALCULI, AND THE MODE OF EEMOVING THEM, perhaps remove all the effects which had been produced. I suggested, therefore, that it might be necessary to inject some- thing afterwards into the bladder, to wash out any particles which might remain, or to allay the irritation produced by the long continuance of a foreign body in the part ; for which pur- pose warm water might be used, or if there seemed to be much pain, a solution of opium, or a diluted tincture of the same, might be found of service. On the 19th of October I received a letter again from Mr Pope, saying, — "You were right with the case of the mare about which I wished your advice. There was a stone weigh- ing eight ounces in the bladder, which I removed according to your instructions, ten days ago. On introducing my hand into the rectum, and pressing downwards, I was surprised to find a large hard tumour, and having satisfied myself of its nature, I proceeded with the operation, by introducing the left hand into the rectum, and with it pressing the stone towards the open- ing of the urethra. I had thus a full view of the orifice ; but finding from the size of the calculus that it would recLuire an uncommonly large wound to allow of the extraction of tlie stone in one piece, I merely dilated the urethra by making an incision about an inch and a half in length ; and then intro- ducing a pair of forceps, I took hold of the stone, and broke it down. This was the more easily effected from the circum- stance of the stone being of a conglomerated texture. I then gradually removed the substance piecemeal, which, when collected together, weighed upwards of eight ounces. After the operation was completed (which was done while the animal was standing), 1 injected a quantity of warm water into the bladder, to wash out any little particles which remained, and afterwards injected a very mild solution of sul- phate of zinc. There remained, however, a good deal of irrita- tion of the bladder, to correct which I gave small doses of the tincture of cantharides twice a-day. Opium was afterwards used with benefit." I am now informed by Mr Pope that the mare, when he IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 165 left her in November, was again quite well, and at work. The natural action of the parts is restored, and she seems to enjoy all the benefits of good health. The greater portion of the calculus was transmitted to me, which I put into the hands of my friend Dr Murray, Lecturer on Chemistry, for the purpose of having it analysed. By the analysis, 100 parts were found to be composed of — Carbonate of lime, about ..... 40 Animal matter, apparently mucus of tlie bladder and albu- men indurated, ...... 60 100 This, indeed, appears to be the composition of almost all the calculi which are found in the lower animals, though it is rare that they attain to the size of the one in question. Calculi in the bladder frequently occur in bullocks ; and as small pieces of them occasionally pass with the urine, they are sometimes found to obstruct the passage, and threaten the life of the animal. The animal will then be seen to stretch himself out, for a few minutes, making ineffectual attempts to void his urine, stamp his feet with pain, and kick his belly as if suffering from colic. Unless he is at this time relieved, the pain rapidly increases, inflammation of the bladder foUoM's, and it becomes ruptured either by over-distension, or from its own effort to force out its contents ; the urine escapes into the cellular tissue, or the cavity of the belly, producing inflam- mation of the peritoneal coat, which is followed by dropsy and death. When the operation is to be performed on an ox, the chief circumstance to be attended to is this : On making the inci- sion on the part where the calculi is retained, it is advisable to draw the skin a little to one side before making the incision through the skin, and, having done this, the urethra may either be raised out from its situation in the loose cellular membrane with which it is here surrounded, and the incision 166 CALCULI, AND THE MODE OF REMOVING THEM, made into the canal while it is thus raised ; or, if it can be done with readiness, the incision may be continued through all the parts while they lie in their natural position. This latter operation, however, requires more dexterity than the other, and is also more apt to lead to untoward consequences ; because, if the incision is not made freely, and at once through all the parts into the canal, the repeated incisions produce more or less laceration of the parts; and there is a consi- derable degree of danger that, from this cause, some of the urine, as it escapes after the opening is made, will flow into the ceUular membrane, and produce a troublesome if not a dangerous degi'ee of inflammation and infiltration of the tissue. After the bladder has completely emptied itself of urine, the parts may be allowed to resume their natural situation. The skin, having been drawn to one side before the operation was performed, will now be drawn over the opening in the urethra, and thus the wound in it will be closed. After the bladder has been emptied, the urine will not again pass along the canal for a short time, and thus the parts will have so far reinstated themselves by adhesion and a deposition of coag- ulum, that the urine will at next evacuation flow along the natural passage, and the animal feel but little the effects of the operation. I have in my possession several calculi removed from oxen by Mr Laing, veterinary surgeon at Banchory ; and Mr Pope has also several times performed this operation. Where the disease exists in herbivorous animals, the small calculi which are found passing along the urethra indicate a tendency in the constitution of the animal to favour their pro- duction ; and as it happens that where one makes its appear- ance, others generally follow, it is a matter of some importance to know how they are to be easiest removed. Now, from the composition of the calculi in these animals, they may be dissolved in the bladder, and discharged in a fluid state. This may be done by employing muriatic acid, which, having a strong affinity for Hme, will, by the administration of a IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 167 sufficient proportion of it, dissolve the calculi, and discharge them with the fluid. And this would in some cases be the more readily effected, as it sometimes happens that the cal- cular deposit remains in a semi-fluid state for a considerable time in the bladder, of which I once met with a remarkable instance. A bladder was sent to me for examination from Fife, which, with its appendages, contained the enormous weight of about 14 lb. of a mass of nearly the consistence of lime in a state of mortar. Wherever, therefore, a case occurs in which circumstances may render such an operation as above detailed inexpedient, or where, for example, the calculus is situated in the pelvis of the kidneys, muriatic acid should at once be employed ; and if the calculi in our herbi- vorous animals are always composed of the same materials as given in the above analysis, the operation itself may be entirely dispensed with. A weak solution of muriatic acid might even be injected into the bladder, either in the male or female, by which the substances would be dissolved with great rapidity. I was recently shown, by Mr Jerdon junior of Bonjedward, a calculus taken from the urethra of a pig, which in its com- position much resembles those which are found in the human subject. The external surface, presenting a beautiful white crystallised appearance, was composed of a triple salt — the phosphate of magnesia and ammonia ; the interior, a dark- brown portion, also in a crystallised state, was composed of uric acid in combination with these phosphates. It thus appears that the pig, like man, being an omnivorous animal, has consequently a greater variety of chemical combinations in its calculi than herbivorous animals. ON THE DISEASE IN THE UDDER OF COWS. The diseases of the lower animals, like those of man, fre- quently produce effects in the body which medicines cannot remedy, and which often prove a source of irritation and disease in other parts of the system which nothing but the com- plete removal of the primary diseased part will prevent. With this view the most formidable operations have been performed on the human body as the means of assuaging pain and prolong- ing life ; but as animals are in general useless unless perfect in all their members, many of these operations are not per- formed on them. The following case, however, is one of some importance, because the disease for which it was performed is not of uncommon occurrence, and by it the animal was restored to health, and although not fit for one purpose, became quite so for another. On the 1st of March last I received a letter from Mr Andrew Bowie, veterinary surgeon, Hawick, in which he states that, having been requested to attend a cow in July last belonging to a neighbouring farmer, he " found her labouring under extensive disease of the udder, which had arisen three weeks after she had been allowed to go yeld and was turned to grass." Her health and condition had rapidly declined, and when he saw her, her udder had assumed a very hard state, and she was unable to rise. As the owner had given up all hopes of her recovery, he was told to try any experiment he thought proper, and therefore resolved to make an amputation of the udder. The operation succeeded, the wound healed rapidly, and she is now fit for the butcher. From the success attending the above operation, it may be of DISEASE IN THE UDDEE OF COWS. 169 importance to point out the manner of performing it ; but as in every case amputation is the last resource, it may be advis- able to consider the nature of the diseases of the udder, in order to avert as far as possible such an operation. In proceeding to make this examination, it is necessary in this, and indeed in every case, before we proceed, to inquire into the morbid state of any viscus, to be able to know some- thing with regard to its healthy structure. I shall therefore first observe that the udder is formed of those large glands which are so well known as the characteristics of a milch cow. The mammae or lactiferous glands are found throughout a great number of animals, and enable naturalists to form one of their classifications. All animals giving suck are said to belong to the class mammalia. But of all the mammiferous animals none is so useful to man as the cow. The Author of nature, in the formation of this animal, has provided her with the common organs for the nourishment of her offspring ; but it would also appear that she has been destined to fulfil another purpose, and to be the instrument of contributing to supply the wants, or rather to increase the enjoyments, of the human race. The cow ceases not to yield her milk long after her offspring have been removed, or even although she has never enjoyed their society ; nay, she will continue for many months to supply a whole family with animal beverage, while other animals refuse to yield it in a few days after being parted from their young. This peculiarity, however, seems to render this animal more liable to disease in the mammiferous glands than others, because the peculiarity exposes them to the capricious inter- ference of the human race. The calf is prevented from unloading the udder of its dam with the regularity which its wants produce, and which the reciprocal sympathy of the dam supplies. This process is then carried into execution by the hands of the dairymaid ; but unless the labours of the milker are analogous to the sucking of the calf, the udder, as it con- tinues to secrete the milk, will be apt to become diseased by 170 DISEASE IN THE UDDER OF COWS. the overloading of the vessels, and inflammation and all its consequences may follow. Much, therefore, will depend upon regularity in milking to prevent this disease ; but regularity alone is not sufficient; the operation of milking must be properly performed ; and, simple as the operation may seem, there is a certain knack in it which is not always acquired by the milker. The dairymaid must borrow a lesson from the calf, the lamb, or the foal, or indeed from any young animal, before she can perform the operation even of milking scienti- fically ; and this will be explained as we examine the struc- ture of the parts. The udder of the cow is made up of two principal divisions, which may be again divided into two quarters, each of which parts are made up of small granules united by cellular mem- brane, and which have ducts that terminate by successive unions in ducts of considerably larger size, and which ultimately terminate in one common duct, the teat. In this progress, however, it is worthy of remark that there is some pecu- liarity of structure which must not be overlooked. These lactiferous ducts do not exactly proceed from smaller to larger ducts by a gradual and regular enlargement, as might be inferred, because it would not have been proper that the secretion of milk should escape as it was formed, and there- fore we find an apparatus adapted for the purpose of retaining it for a proper time. I have stated this because I have alluded to the sympathy which exists between the mother and her offspring. To this there may appear exceptions, but these must be referred to disease, and cannot be allowed to interfere with the natural working of the parts. This apparatus is to be found both in the external and internal construction of the udder. The teat is a curious structure ; it resembles a funnel in shape, and somewhat in office, and it is possessed of a considerable degree of elasticity. It seems formed principally of the cutis with some muscular fibres, and it is covered on the outside by cuticle, like every other part of the body ; but the cuticle here not only covers DISEASE IN THE UDDER OF COWS. l7l the exterior, but it also turns upwards and lines the inside of the extremity of the teat as far as it is contracted, where it terminates by a frilled edge, the rest of the interior of the teats and ducts being lined by mucous membrane. But as the udder in most animals is attached in a pendulous manner to the body, and as the weight of the column of fluid would press with a force which would in every case overcome the resistance of the contractions of the extremity or prove oppressive to the teat, there is in the internal arrangement of the udder a provision made to obviate this difficulty. The various ducts, as they are united, do not become gradu- ally enlarged, so as to admit the ready flow of milk in a continued stream to the teat, but are so arranged as to take off in a great measure the extreme pressure to which the teat is exposed. Each main duct, as it enters into another, has a contraction produced by which a kind of valvular apparatus is formed in such a manner as to become pouches or sacs capable of retaining the great body of the milk. In conse- quence of this arrangement it is necessary that a kind of movement upwards, or lift, should be given to the udder before the teat is drawn, to force out the milk. By this lift the mUk is displaced from these pouches and escapes into the teat, and is then easily squeezed out ; but these contractions assist even this in another manner, because the contraction or pouches resist to a certain extent the return of the milk into those sinuses again. It is the contraction I have pointed out which requires the young calf or foal or lamb to jerk up his nose into the udder. The operation of milking is performed differently in various parts of the country. In some the dairymaid dips her hand into a little milk, and by successively stripping the teat between her fingers and thumb unloads the udder. This plan, however, is attended with the disadvantage of irritating more or less the teat and rendering it liable to cracks and chops, which are followed by inflammation extending to the rest of the quarter. This accounts for the disease occurring more 172 DISEASE IN THE UDDER OF COWS. frequently among the cows under the charge of one milker than it does in those under the charge of another ; and as this practice is more common in some parts of the country than in others, it also accounts for the disease being more common in these parts. This plan of milking, where the irritation is not sufficient to excite the extent of inflammation to which I have alluded, frequently produces a horny thickening of the teat, a consequence of the cracks and chops, which renders it more difficult to milk than when in its natural state, and at the same time predisposes to inflammation when any cause occurs to set it up. These effects may be and are almost entirely avoided by the more scientific plan of milking adopted in other parts of the country, where, instead of drawing down or stripping the teat between the thumb and fingers, as I have stated, the dairymaid follows more closely the principles which instinct has taught the calf. She first takes a slight hold of the teat with her hand, by which she merely encircles it, then lifts her hand up so as to press the body of the udder upwards, by which the milk escapes into the teat ; or if (as is generally the case when some hours have elapsed between milking-times) the teat is full, she grasps the teat close to its origin with her thumb and forefinger, so as to prevent the milk which is in the teat from escaping upwards, then, making the rest of the fingers to close from above downwards in succession, forces out what milk may be contained in the teat through the opening of it. The hand is again pressed up and closed as before, and thus, by repeating this action, the udder is completely emptied without that coarse tugging and tearing of the teat which is so apt to produce disease. From what has been stated regarding its structure, it is evident that a dairymaid may leave the udder in some measure loaded with milk if she is not an expert milker ; but this, although not a good practice, does less harm than that which arises from improperly allowing the whole milk to accumulate in the udder, as is frequently done when cows are sent to market, with a view of making them appear greater DISEASE IN THE UDDER OF COWS. l73 milkers than they really are. The consequence of this hefting, as it is termed, is a distension of the vessels which produce pain, and it is frequently followed by inflammation, which either attacks the glandular structure, or the cellular substance by which it is united. In the first case the disease generally attacks the whole of one quarter, or it may extend to the half or whole of the udder, and is always sudden in its attacks, rapid in its progress, and dangerous and obstinate in its effects. The quarter or whole of the udder becomes suddenly hot, painful, and hard to the touch ; there is a degree of symptomatic fever present ; the secretion of milk is partially or completely suspended ; and if any is formed, as sometimes occurs in mild cases, the milk is either mixed with curd, is like whey, is bloody, or instead of either there is pus ; these different states of the secretion varying according to the intensity of the inflammation or the length of time it has existed. The disease, however, has other causes than those which I have stated, for there is a close sympathy existing between the udder and the uterus, and from this sympathy disease or derangement in the one is apt to be followed with disease of the other. The retention of the placenta is, there- fore, amongst the causes which excite disease in the udder ; and derangement of the organs of digestion is not without a powerful influence in promoting disease in this viscus. Inflammation of the udder may arise from external injuries, as when the cow travels soon after calving with the udder loaded, from wounds, blows, bruises, or cold, or from lying on a rough, hard surface, or from cow-pox. In aU cases, with perhaps the exception of the last, the great object we must have in view is to obtain resolution of the inflammation, which is the most favourable termination of it in almost every part; but we frequently find that the violence is so great that, instead of subsiding, mortification rapidly ensues, while in other cases abscesses form in various parts of the udder. It will be found advisable, when the udder becomes in- 174 DISEASE IN THE UDDER. OF COWS. flamed, to abstract a quantity of blood from the animal, say from four to six quarts. This may be either taken from the neck or from the mammillary or milk veins, as they are termed, and which run so conspicuously along the surface of the abdomen as they proceed from the udder. A pound or a pound and a half of Epsom salts should also be given, and the dose repeated if a full effect is not produced iu from twelve to eighteen hours, and fomentations of hot water as constantly applied as possible ; and a sort of suspensory bandage would be found of service to relieve the pressure and weight, and may be used during the fomentations. An emollient poultice may be applied at night, composed of bran and linseed meal ; or if the pain is great, decoctions of chamomile flowers may be used with the fomentations, and a hemlock poultice at night; and should these means not seem to afford relief, some cooling lotion may be tried, as nitre and common salt, each 10 oz., dissolved in a quart of water, or 1 oz. Goulard's extract of lead, half a pint of vinegar, and a quart of water; or, when the more active inflammation has subsided, some discu- tient lotion may be used, such as ^ oz. muriate of ammonia dissolved in water, ^dnegar, or spirits of wine, each 8 oz., and applied twice a-day. In these severe cases the bleeding and physic should be freely repeated, and the poultices and fomen- tations continued until the inflammation is subdued, the wounds have assumed a healthy appearance and well healed up. It often happens that the disease is materially increased by the irritation arising from milking while the teat is chopped, or has cow-pox on it, and is in a state of inflamma- tion ; but although this is the case, the contents of the ducts must be removed if there is any secretion, because when the secretion accumulates it distends the parts, and thereby increases the disease. It is, however, often difficult to extract the fluid from the teat, more especially in those cases where it is sore, and from which probably the whole mischief has arisen, because the swelling interrupts the passage ; or if the inflammation has DISEASE IN THE UDDER OF COWS. 175 not completely suspended the secretion, it produces a morbid one ; and instead of a uniform fluid, there is a mixture of coagulated milk, or coagulum from the blood, which, from its thick curdled consistence, cannot pass through the opening of the teat, and which therefore serves to plug up the passage, and neither can pass itself, nor allow the thinner part of the secretion to pass. To remedy this, I have been informed that it is sometimes the practice to cut off the extremity of the teat ; but this, while it may in some measure serve to relieve the inflammation of the quarter of the udder, evidently pre- cludes the chance of a useful recovery of the part. It is therefore better to make a perpendicular incision in the teat, by which the matter may be discharged, and there will then be a chance of the teat healing up and fulfilling its function, should the secretion be restored. But as the inflammation is not in all cases alike active, it will be found that sometimes the curdled matter may be removed through the opening of the teat with sufficient readiness to answer all the purposes required, and this may be done either by introducing a small silver probe or a canula. With the probe the coagulated matter may be drawn down through the opening, and the milk can then be taken away in the usual form, or by the canula the milk is allowed to escape with a slight pressure upwards of the hand against the udder; or if the ducts are much loaded, a great quantity will escape by merely introducing the tube. Indeed, in cases where the teat is sore, it is perhaps the best plan which can be adopted to prevent the udder becoming diseased. The teat canula is a small silver tube, about the size of a crow-quill, closed at the extremity, and rounded to prevent injury to the teat in passing it into the duct. Near the extre- mity, however, it is perforated by a number of openings, to allow the fluid to enter the tube, and nearer the middle of it is a little swell, to cause it to remain in the teat, and at the other extremity is a shoulder, to prevent it escaping within the duct. A small eye may be made in this shoulder, to 176 DISEASE m THE UDDER OF COWS. whicli a small cord may be attached, and passed round the body of the cow, to prevent it from being lost. It, however, often happens, even with the greatest care, that the disease extends into the glandular structure ; and although the disease has been in a great measure overcome, it is apt to leave the quarter useless, and incapable of again secreting milk. In such a case, however, it is often found that the dis- ease assumes an indolent form, and that some stimulants are required. For this purpose soap liniment, applied over the surface, is found of service ; but what is still better, is a quan- tity of iodine ointment, rubbed in twice a-day. Iodine may also be given internally Avith advantage, in doses of half a scruple twice a-day. When the disease subsides, and the quarter of the udder ceases to secrete milk, it is then consi- dered a blind quarter, or bKnd pap. This may, however, be considered the second-best termination of the disease ; for when complete resolution does not take place, or if the inflam- mation does not subside, and leave the udder in the state to which I have just alluded, it then either terminates in morti- fication and rapid death, or destroys the animal in a few hours by the violence of the symptomatic fever which it has induced. If the animal survives the onset of the disease, the constitution is at length destroyed by the continued irritation of the morbid state of the udder, and the animal at length sinks by the continued discharge of matter from the sinuses which have formed, or falls a prey to the other diseases which this has induced. Under such circumstances, the only chance of saving the life of the animal, and of rendering her fit for the butcher, is by such an operation as that which I have mentioned as having been performed by Mr Bowie. The operation may be performed either for the removal of the whole or half of the udder. If the whole is to be removed, two elliptical incisions must be made, so as to include the teats, removing a sufficient portion of skin just to allow the edges of the wound to come properly in contact. When the udder has been taken away, and having aiTanged this, the skin DISEASE IN THE UDDER OP COWS. 177 must be dissected back on each side, so that the whole of the diseased mass may be at once removed. If the operator then cuts down on the mammillary arteries, which he will find pretty close together, entering from behind, and running for- ward into the udder, in the direction and above the perineum, and having exposed and secured these vessels, he will have little difficulty in proceeding with the operation, as the glands may be very easily and cleanly dissected off from the abdo- minal muscles. There will be a few vessels which may require to be stopped, but most of these may be secured simply by torsion, which is easily effected by taking hold of them with a pair of forceps, and twisting them round a few times. The edges of the skin must then be brought together by a few sutures and a few strips of adhesive plaster applied over the wound, or, what is perhaps fully as effective, a f bandage applied, the tail of it being divided so as to admit of its being passed up between the hind legs, and attached to the cross portions, which have been tied over the spine ; the split tail of the end should be tied just above each haunch. The sore must be treated as a simple wound, by keeping clean and dressing with fine tow. If the half of the udder only is removed, the incision must be made accordingly, a less portion of the skin removed, and adhesive straps so placed as to pass roiind the other half of the udder, and keep the skin in contact with the other surface until adhesion takes place ; the T bandage will here also be required. "When the diseased parts have been removed, and the wound healed up, the cow will rapidly regain her health, and feed as well as any other. The disease is much less frequent in mares than in cows, and I have not met with a case which would have required removal. But in the bitch, disease of the mamma is frequent, and assumes a more malignant form than even in the cow. On these animals the operation is frequently performed, and if this is done before the constitution has been deranged and destroyed, it generally succeeds in restoring the animal to perfect health. M ON A CASE OF FISTULA IN THE WITHERS OF THE HORSE ; AND ON CASES OF DISEASE IN THE HEART OF CATTLE ARISING FROM THEIR SWALLOWING NEEDLES AND PINS. In a letter lately received from Mr John Steel, veterinary surgeon, Biggar, my qiwndam pupil, is an account of some cases, which I am inclined to think may interest your readers. The one case shows how much may be effected by persever- ance and attention, while the others as clearly illustrate that " to prevent is better than to cure." The first is a case of fistula of the withers, which had occur- red about the 1st of May, in a four-year old mare, the pro- perty of Mr Charles Johnston, farmer, Candeyburn, Skirling, county of Peebles. The disease had originated from a simple bruise with a riding-saddle, and had been treated as such by the owner, until it appeared well, when the mare was turned out to grass. No attention had been paid to her until the end of July, when it was observed by the owner that the withers had become very much diseased. The mare was thus shown to three of the neighbouring farriers, who would have nothing to do with her. Mr Steel was then called, and he states that he found it one of the worst cases imaginable, the parts being enormously enlarged, and sinuses running downwards in vari- ous directions, between the scapula (shoulder-blade) and the spinous processes of the dorsal vertebrae (the withers). As matter was confined in the sinuses by their position, and as the interior of them had, by the long continuance of the dis- ease, become indolent and callous, " I introduced," he says, CASE OF FISTULA IN THE HOESE, ETC. 179 " setons, so as to make dependent orifices, and continued these until the beginning of September, injecting, during that time, a variety of stimulants, to promote a healthy action, but with- out effecting any improvement. I therefore determined upon lajdng open the part freely, and in course of the operation dis- sected out the diseased portions, which were pretty extensive. From this time the wound assumed a healthy appearance, and continued to improve until about the middle of October, when, for some cause which was not very apparent, an immense abscess formed between the scapula (shoulder-blade) and the chest, and burst out at the anterior part of the shoulder, pour- ing forth a large quantity of acrimonious matter, resembling in appearance moss-water. On enlarging the opening, so as to allow the introduction of my hand, a great quantity of detached portions of the muscles, tendons, &c. was found in the cavity, which, when removed, resembled rotten flax. The cavity extended from the top of the withers downwards fifteen inches, separating at the upper part of the shoulder from the trunk, exposing on the one side the cartilage and bone at the superior part of the shoulder-blade in an extensively diseased state ; and on the other side of the wound the spinous pro- cesses of the vertebra in a similar condition. From the time of laying the part open until the beginning of December, the progress was slow, but at the latter period it began to improve rapidly; but about the middle of January the mare was attacked with catarrhal fever, during the continuance of which the wound made very little progress in healing. After her recovery, howeA'er, the wound again began to improve, and with the exception of two or three backward turns, went on well until the end of July, when it had completely healed. Since that time she has been kept at constant work, and the parts have continued quite well." The treatment consisted chiefly in making dependent orifices, cleaning the wound, and dressing with stimulating washes and digestive ointment ; and although some surprise may be excited at the length of time required for the cure, still, when the extent of the wound, the 180 CASE OF FISTULA IN THE HORSE, AND complicated nature of the parts involved in the disease, and, con- sequently, the obstinate nature of the disease itself, are considered, I am sure it will at once be allowed that Mr Steel has much merit in the skill and perseverance he has shown in the cure. In the second part of his communication to me, he has detailed an account of some cases of disease in cows, arising in the heart from wounds by needles and pins. The first he mentions is the case of a cow belonging to Thomas Fairley, weaver, Biggar, " to which," he says, " I was called on 11th June last, and found her labouring apparently under inflammation of the lungs, and treated her accordingly, but, as will be seen in the sequel, with little success. On first seeing her I found her pulse 80, the breathing rather labo- rious ; she had been observed a little unwell for some days prior to my being called, but was not thought very ill. On the 12th, symptoms rather increased, pulse 85, breathing rather quicker. 13th, toward evening getting still worse ; was seized with a shivering fit, which lasted half an hour, after which she seemed somewhat easier, and ate a little food. On the 14th the pulse had risen to 95, her breathing still quicker; she was again seized with a shivering fit, which lasted somewhat longer than on the preceding day ; there was a strongly marked expression of anxiety and alarm in her countenance; she generally stood with her fore extremities wide apart, and she inclined to lean forward on the stake with her shoulder, lying down and rising frequently up, showing considerable uneasiness. On the 15th the pulse was 100, the other symptoms much the same as on the preceding day; had another shivering fit about the same time, and of similar dura- tion. On the 16th, the symptoms somewhat easier, the pulse 96 ; she took a little food, and was not observed to have any shivering fit that day. On the ITth the disease had consider- ably increased, the pulse 110, small and wiry, and she had another shivering fit. 18th, a great deal worse, pulse 122, with a strange fluttering feel ; she became paralysed in the extremities, and died on the 19th. DISEASE IN CATTLE FROM SWALLOWING NEEDLES. 181 " On examining the chest I found a wire-needle, about six inches in length, which had penetrated into the left lung, and it at the same time wounded and penetrated the substance of the heart ; and, from the appearance of the parts, seemed to have been in that situation for a considerable time: but although this had been the case, there was nothing more than a little discoloration and puncturation for half an inch around the wound which had been made in the heart by the play of the needle : the wound which had been made was about half an inch long by one-eighth of an inch wide ; the left lung, into which the wire -needle had penetrated to the extent of five or nearly six inches, was in a state of gangrene, while the right lobe of the lungs remained quite healthy. " On the 29th of June I was called to a cow belonging to Mr Cooper, Welston, in which I found symptoms precisely similar to those I haA^e already detailed in the last case. She died on the 4th July, and was examined by the owner accord- ing to my directions, and it was found that the heart was in a dreadful state, with a needle, about two inches long, stuck into it, in a nearly perpendicular direction. On seeing the needle, a woman recognised it as one she had used to pin up some part of her dress when she milked or tended the cows, and which she had lost some considerable time before. She knew it, because it wanted the eye, and was otherwise remarkable. " On the 6th of July I was next called in great haste to a hull belonging to Mr Gray of Cairusod, but ere I reached the place the bull was dead. On dissection I found the heart very much diseased, and a needle sticking in it ; but the only description I could get of the previous state of the animal was, that he was observed to be unwell for several days before his death. " Soon after these, another case occurred in a cow belong- ing to Mr Maclean of Greenshiels, and in her the symptoms were similar to the first -mentioned case. She lingered for 182 CASE OF FISTULA IN THE HORSE, AND several days, and died witli two large pins (called here Willie Gossar Pins) sticking in her heart. " The next case I met with, and in a short time after the last, was in a cow belonging to Mr Eussell of Greenshiels, next house to Mr Maclean's, where the last-mentioned case occurred. With similar symptoms the cow died after a few days' illness ; and on dissection I found a needle in the heart. " Again, a cow belonging to Mr Blacklain, Skirving, died after several days' iUness ; and on dissection I found a needle in her heart. " In other cases which I have been attending, I have had strong reason to suppose that a similar cause of the diseases exists ; but not having been able to examine them myself, or to obtain correct information about them, I am unable to speak decidedly in regard to them. It is, however, a well- known fact, and which has been observed by many farmers and graziers, that numbers of such stock die from a similar cause." It is therefore a matter of some importance to avoid the cause which thus so surely destroys the lives of such valuable animals ; and this, as Mr Steel observes, might be easily accom- plished, if the owners of cattle, and more especially of cows kept in a dairy, would recommend that their milk-maids should use hooks and eyes, buttons or strings, to fasten their clothes with, rather than needles and pins. These latter must always be liable to burst from their hold, and fall out when- ever any exertion is made by the person using them. Trifling as this remark may appear, it is a serious matter when the use of what is considered a necessary accompaniment of the female toilet affects the lives of valuable animals. Mr Steel had not finished his letter to me, when he was called to another case, in a cow belonging to Mr Eobert Black, Biggar, which, from the statement of the owner, had been in a backward state aU summer ; and that a few days prior to his visit an enlargement had appeared on the abdomen, which DISEASE IN CATTLE FROM SWALLOWING NEEDLES. 183 was found, by the person who was examining the nature of the enlargement getting his finger pricked, to arise from a long needle, generally used for mending worsted stockings, and the point of which was protruding through the skin. It was of course drawn out, and the cow has since been doing well. These are unfortunately not solitary cases, for similar ones are to be met with in every part of the country, and they well deserve attention. I have taken a score of pins from the paunch of a cow, and have met with many more cases, both in my own practice and that of my friends in the country. On one occasion my father extracted a large needle from the tongue of a horse, which was brought to the forge here, because it was said to have given up feeding. On introduc- ing his hand to examine that nothing was wrong with the teeth, the needle was found almost entirely imbedded in the tongue. When it was taken out, the horse was at once relieved. These cases are useful in a twofold point of view ; first, in pointing out the source from which this evil springs, so that the prevention of the evil is in the power of every one. "We cannot suppose cows to swallow needles or pins but by acci- dent; but if they were not carelessly placed within their reach, the cows could not obtain them to swallow. We need not wonder at these accidents to animals, when we find that sometimes even human beings will so far forget themselves as to allow such bodies to pass into their stomachs. There is a case of this kind mentioned in the eighth volume of the ' Lancet,' p. 240, in which it is mentioned that " three hun- dred and ninety-five needles were taken from different parts of the body of a woman." These must all have been swal- lowed, for ixpon no other supposition can we account for their being in the living body. In the second place, they wiH serve to explain to the vete- rinary surgeon the nature of such cases when they occur, for Mr Steel observes that he found in all those mentioned that the nature of the disease was well marked by the daily attacks 184 CASE OF FISTULA IN THE HORSE, ETC. of shivering, and the occurrence of paralysis a short time prior to death ; the other symptoms also indicating more febrile action than acute pain. It has been suggested to me that pieces of wire falling away from the riddles made of wire, which are very commonly used in some parts of the country for the cleaning of grain, may be inadvertently thrown upon the dunghill with the refuse from the barn, and there picked up by the cattle in the court. ON TUMOURS IN CATTLE. About three years ago, my opinion was requested regarding a disease to which the cattle on the farm of Inver-Brora, in Sutherlandshire, were particularly subject. The follow- ing account of the disease was given by the owner, Mr Hood :— " I have had the farm eleveu years, during which time I have had an annual loss by this disease ; but till the summer of 1828 I had not above six or eight attacked in a year. In that season I had about twenty, and in the following year thirty-six. I have often cured them by cutting out the excres- cence, but that operation has become more difiBcult the last three years, owing to its being deeper in the neck ; indeed, it is often at the very root of the tongue, and in one or two instances the tongue itself was affected. They are sometimes on other parts of the animal — viz. the flank, back, &c. — but in nine cases out of ten they are in the throat. The cattle I keep are generally purchased at eighteen months old, and I dispose of them in August or September following. I have got them from all parts of the counties of Sutherland, Eoss, and Caithness, and find them indiscriminately attacked with it ; and when I breed any at home, they are the most unfor- tunate, having last year lost six otit of seven. The months of May, June, and July are the fatal months, though I have sometimes had a few attacked sooner. The manner in which they were kept in the winters of 1827-28 and 1828-29, was upon straw night and morning, in a dry and well-sheltered fold-yard, and for several hours in the middle of the day they were put to a field where they got as many turnips as they 186 TDMOUKS IN CATTLE. could eat, from the end of October till the first week in May, when they were put to grass. " The situation of the farm is cold, and exposed to severe gales of wind from the west ; but the soil is particularly dry, being a sandy loam, and producing excellent artificial grass. Last year I bought fourteen cattle in the month of May, nine of which were seized with the distemper ; indeed, I find little difference in their being wintered on this farm or otherwise. I should state, however, that these fourteen were in very poor condition when I purchased them. The cattle have at all times a fuU supply of water — in winter, that of which I sent a specimen to Mr Lawson, which I believe you have seen ; and in summer, the Eiver Brora, of which all the cattle in the neighbourhood drink. " An intelligent drover remarked to me last season, that he suspected I gave the cattle too many turnips, as small cattle did not thrive by being too much pampered. I have followed his suggestion so far as to give them less this winter, and shall wait the result. Upon the whole, I am of opinion that it is something in the grass that causes the complaint, but what that is I can form no idea. I may add, that some of my neighbours have occasionally a beast or two affected in the same way — the Marquis of Stafford had sometimes eight or ten in a season at Dunrobin, but since 1822 it has completely disappeared from thence.'' In addition to the above account by Mr Hood, the following description was given of the disease by a medical gentleman in that neighbourhood ; — " In the summer of 1828 my attention was directed to a number of young cattle which were affected with Encysted or Honeyed Tumours, situated in the throat, at the superior angle of the lower jaw. When I first observed them, they were superficially attached to the cellular membrane of that part, and, of course, were easily removed by excision (which is the only treatment I have found of the least use); but now they have assumed a more malignant appearance, being firmly TUMOURS IN CATTLE. 187 attached to the root of the tongue and cartilages of the tliroat, so much so as almost to render their removal impossible. The effects of the tumours are an immediate falling off in condi- tion, and great oppression of breathing ; and when the disease is allowed to take its course, the cattle generally die within four or five weeks after its commencement." Besides these, the opiidon of an eminent agriculturist was sent me, who, after an attentive consideration of the case, is of opinion that the disease is caused by some insect. " My own opinion," he says, " is, that it is caused by some insect, and the only way to find a remedy is by a most minute and careful examination of the part, to try and find out what insect it is. Of course this is to be done both by cutting out the diseased part of the beast when alive, and also examination after death. Having found out what the insect is, the cattle might be removed to high ground, lea, or an open muir, while the insect was in the winged state. The common carrion-fly, and a few others, do not continue to be injurious in the winged state longer than three or four weeks, and the cattle would only require to be that time removed from the pastures. Though I may be wrong in supposing it to arise from the bite of an insect, still it would be greatly for the good of the cattle to be shifted to high ground for some time during the heat of summer, as, on their return to lower pastures, they would find the grass fresh and free from the tainted smell which they much dislike in grass which has been trodden and breathed on by themselves. I would also strongly advise salt to be given, as a thing which can do no harm ; and if it be some- thing in the blood, as it is vulgarly called, which occasions those tumours, it may be of great benefit. An ounce and a half to a beast of 35 stone Dutch per day is enough, and less according to the size of the cattle. I think it might be useful to clip away all the hair as soon as the tumour appears, and foment three or four times a-day with very warm water, using blanketing or some such thing, and fomenting for twenty minutes each time. I would wet the place all over with a 188 TUMOURS IN CATTLE. little laudanum. Let the cattle get plenty of good water at all times, and attention should be paid to the state of their bowels." Notwithstanding these and some other communications on the subject, I was unable to ascertain satisfactorily the cause of this destructive disease. But as it appeared to me to depend upon some local cause, and as the case was one of considerable importance, and seemed rather mysterious, I resolved to visit the place, in order to make particular investi- gation, and satisfy myself upon the subject. Having arranged that Mr Hood should inform me when the disease made its appearance, and having received notice that two had become affected, I set off to Sutherlandshire in June 1832, enjoying, as far as the unfortunate circumstance of a wet day on a stage-coach would allow, the beautiful and romantic scenery with which the Highlands abound, and which is, at that season of the year, the most richly adorned. Leaving Inver- ness with the mail, in passing through Eoss-shire I was kept awake by the interest which the delightful appearance that county exhibits ; the richness of the soil, the luxiiriance of the crops, and the highly cultivated state of the lands through which the road passes, almost induced me to believe that I was still in the Lothians. Nor was I less surprised to find the high state of agriculture in some parts of Sutherland- shire, and not a little astonished to see the immense efforts which were made to improve the waste lands, and the success with which those efforts had been crowned, where the improve- ments had been completed ; but with the means and inclina- tions which the late Duke of Sutherland possessed there is no end to the improvements which may be made in the country. Leaving Golspie, where I was kindly met by Mr Hood, and passing along the road towards Brora by the fields which are connected with Dunrobin, I still found the same healthy and luxuriant state of vegetation which had been so conspicuous in the latter part of my journey ; but when I had gradually emerged from the shaded and more sheltered parts, I had then TUMOURS IN CATTLE. 189 before me a country of somewhat different aspect — a pretty- extensive tract of flat ground, closed to the right by the sea, to the left by hills of considerable altitude, running in a south- west direction, and before me hills extending from the north- east to the south-west, the whole enclosing a triangular-like space, almost a dead flat. The hills in front approaching each other formed Glen Brora to the west, from which the river Brora runs into the sea at Brora. The farm of Inver-Brora stands nearly in the centre of this flat, which is perhaps not a hundred feet above the level of the sea, and is thus exposed to the chilling wind from the sea on the east, and to the concentrated blasts which sweep down Glen Brora on the west. In one part of the farm there is a bank, which in a great measure shelters the field next it from the sea-breezes, but at the same time it exposes it in a great degree to the western gales, which Mr Hood informed me were extremely severe. Another field or haugh was protected from both ; but from the richness of the soil, this part of the farm is kept always in tillage, and the cattle therefore derive no protection in it. There is not a belt of wood on the farm to afford pro- tection from any wind that blows. The farmsteading, as Mr Hood states in his letter, was good and commodious, the situation dry ; the soil light and dry ; the water slightly inclined to a mossy tint, but sufficiently good ; the grasses on the farm had been examined by an excellent practical botanist, and nothing unusual or noxious was found, but still the disease continued to prevail amongst the cattle on the farm. There were two of the cattle affected with the disease, and Mr Hood placed them entirely at my disposal. The one was immediately destroyed, for the purpose of examining into the nature of the disease, and I proceeded to attempt the removal of the tumours from the throat of the other. On dissecting the first I found the tumours presented a somewhat malignant character, being what is usually called medullary sarcomatous tumours ; but these I found varied in their character, and in some cases proceeded to form an abscess, which, when laid 190 TUMOURS IN' CATTLE. opeu, frequently healed up kindly, and the animal afterwards did well ; while in other cases the tumours remained in an indolent state for a time, and then increased in size, without, however, proceeding to a- free suppuration, but continued to increase until by their bulk they interrupted inspiration, prevented deglutition, and destroyed the animal by the con- tinued irritation they kept up. The lymphatic glands of the throat seemed to be the parts most liable to be affected ; but the disease occasionally attacks other parts of the body. In some cases these abscesses form, open, and discharge pus for a time, but gradually falling into an indolent state, the matter becomes unhealthy, and sinuses are formed which fall into a chronic disease ; while in others the abscesses, after forming a considerable length, stop short, the matter becomes partly absorbed, and the whole assumes a chronic character, with the medullary-like appearance I have already noticed. I may here remark that there is in cattle a strong tendency to this form of disease, under every circumstance in which a part is either inflamed from internal derangement or from external injury. There is, in fact, it appears, a weakness of constitution in cattle, from which their diseases have a strong tendency either to run rapidly into putridity, or to sink into the chronic form of disease now in question. The constitu- tion of their blood has a tendency to lead to this supposition, for in cattle there is never to be found, so far as I have seen, that separation of the constituent parts by which what is termed the huffy coat is made to appear. Hence, with such a constitution, cattle exposed to any cause or causes which keep up a continued action on their system, must have a strong tendency to the kind of disease to which we allude. In the case of Mr Hood's cattle, the cause appears to me to be the want of proper shelter ; " driven by the wind, and battered by the rains " for the greater part of the year upon an open flat, without either natural or artificial shelter that they might have recourse to when necessary, their constitution is unable to bear up against it, and this form of disease is the TUMOURS IN CATTLE. 191 consequence, which, like strangles in horses, seems almost exclusively to attack young animals. Indeed, it appears to me to be an analogous disease, for at Inver-Brora it had long been remarked that milch cows were not liable to the disease. To this general remark, however, there are some exceptions, because in the part of the country around Edinburgh it has occasionally made its appearance among milch cows as well as young stock ; but of course the proportion of young to old cattle in this part of the country is very small when compared to what it must be in a grazing district. In alluding to this view of the subject, it is necessary to remark, that although the disease has not to my knowledge shown itself to such an extent on any other individual farm, I was at once convinced, when I saw the cases at Inver-Brora, that it was not so rare a disease as I at first imagined, and I found on inquiry that it had been observed in some parts of that neighbourhood. At Dunrobin it had occasionally occurred, as stated in Mr Hood's letter, but had almost now disappeared. This circumstance, however, had only served to confirm me in my opinion of its cause, because I saw that belts of fine thriving plantations had been gradually rising up, and now formed a complete shelter to the cattle which pasture there, more especially sheltering them from the sea-breezes, while the hiUs defend them from the land-winds. Mr Hood found, too, that a change of situation had often an effect in checking the progress of the disease, or of effecting a cure. In some instances he drove his cattle to another farm, where, although a higher situation, there was more imeven ground, and, of course, more shelter. This circumstance is of itself sufficient to show; and from what I have stated, it must be evident that the disease is pro- duced by local causes, and that those are what I have alluded to. Mr Hood states that his cattle were kept in a well-sheltered straw-yard from October to May, but that they were put to the fields for several hours a-day. Now, is it probable that, from the circumstance of the straw-yard being comfortable, the cattle would be thereby rendered more susceptible of injury when 192 TUMOURS IN CATTLE. turned out from it to the cold and exposed fields in which they received their turnips ? That the disease arose from atmos- pherical causes seems also evident from the circumstance of a disease very analogous having prevailed this summer amongst horses in several parts of the country, in which the lymphatic glands of the throat seemed to be the parts most conspicu- ously affected, and this disease has undoubtedly arisen from the state of the atmosphere. The disease, when it occurs in the southern parts of Scot- land, is commonly known by the term dyers in the throat, and seems to be very analogous to strangles in horses. The treatment, however, is somewhat more difficult in cattle than in horses, and its effect more fatal ; for, as I have already stated, there seems to be a weak or depressed state of the system connected with it, and the disease, from this cause, instead of proceeding to suppuration and forming an abscess, which bursts and discharges itself freely, as in horses, often assumes an indolent state and discharges but a little from different points, and afterwards forms sinuses, or the matter is partially absorbed, and a tumour is formed. I have been informed by eminent farmers, that cattle bred in-and-in are very subject to clyers in the throat, after they have attained their first year. These clyers affect their breathing at all times, but do not prevent their feeding till the act of degluti- tion is rendered painful by the enlargement of the tumour. Young queys are most susceptible of this disease, which, of course, renders them unfit to be kept for breeding. This fact still corroborates my view of the disease, for it is a well-known circumstance that breeding cattle in-and-in renders their con- stitution very delicate ; and were the facts correctly ascer- tained previous to the symptoms of that disease appearing, I have no doubt they will be found to have arisen from injurious exposure to the weather. From this view of the disease, it becomes necessary to attempt the cure, by confining the animal in a comfortable byre or shade, and increasing the strength of the system by a nutri- TUMOURS IN CATTLE. 193 tious diet, combined with tonic medicines, such as the sulphate of iron, in doses of two drachms to a middle-sized two or three year old, once a- day, in a little gruel, or five grains of iodine in gruel night and morning. The tumour should be laid open if matter is to be felt; but if not, a blister should be well rubbed into the surface of the swelling, and repeated until there is either absorption of the tumour or the formation of an abscess. Should this plan not answer in raising an energetic action in the tumour, iodine in the form of ointment, two drachms to four ounces of lard, should be well rubbed into the tumour every day until absorption of the tumour takes place. If it is still found that the tumour resists these remedies, it should be freely cut into with a lancet (as there is always some mat- ter in the tumour), and a little tow put into the wound, twice a-day smeared with blistering ointment, or dipped in a strong solution of sulphate of copper. In the early stages of the disease in those animals which seem to have a more robust constitution than is generally the case in those attacked with the disease, it may be worth while to try what can be done to stop the progress of inflammatory action by bleeding and purging ; but it will in general, I think, be found that this plan is not to be put in competition with the one I have already recommended. Where the disease seems to rage to the extent it has done in Inver- Brora, some means of preventing the disease is pre- ferable to curing it ; and as I think I have shown that it depends so much on the want of proper shelter, it will become worth the consideration of the proprietor or farmer in such situations, where no other plan to insure the same success can be attempted, to try the slow but sure remedy of belts of planting, so disposed as to protect both the cattle and the crops, and thereby improve the farm for every kind of agri- culture. N ON ACUTE DYSENTERY IN SHEEP, AND ON INFLAMMA- TION OF THE ABOMASUM OR TRUE STOMACH IN CATTLE. Lately, one of my old pupils, Mr Chalmers, now in practice in the village of Tarves, Aberdeenshire, wrote me, requesting my opinion regarding a disease which had made its appear- ance in a flock of sheep belonging to a farmer in his neigh- bourhood ; and as I am persuaded the case is not a solitary one, it occurs to me that his letter, from the correct manner in which the disease is described, and the account given of the post-mortem appearances, may prove interesting and use- ful to the readers of this Journal. At the same time, I shall take the liberty to offer a few remarks on the disease described, and its treatment. Mr Chalmers writes thus : — " You will confer upon me a very great favour, if you will furnish me with your opinion upon a complaint among sheep, which has fallen under my observation within the last week or fortnight (11th August 1834). I am not aware that there is any good account of it in the works which treat of the dis- eases of cattle and sheep. The disease, of which I am about to attempt a description, broke out upon a large farm within the range of my practice ; the number of sheep at pasture on the farm I suppose to be between 700 and 800, consisting partly of English, but the greater part Highland or black- faced, sheep. Within the last week fifteen of them have died, the whole of which were of the blackfaced kind. I have not yet observed a single instance of the complaint among the English sheep. It may be necessary to mention that a few of INFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH IN CATTLE. 195 the sheep have died annually of ivater in the head, and a good many more are affected with the rot. A small proportion of the pasture grows upon a mossy or marshy bottom ; the greater part of it, however, is quite dry. The sheep brought down from the Highlands do not become affected with the rot until they have been pastured about a year and a half. The symp- toms which present themselves in the present complaint are nearly as follows : — When a sheep becomes affected it is observed to be dull and heavy, to separate itself from the flock, and to fall behind the rest, when they are moving in search of pasture. There is a raising up of the back by which an indi- vidual can be detected, though surrounded by a mass. Soon after these precursory symptoms the sheep is observed purg- ing : the first discharges are black and thin ; afterwards they are more of a greenish hue ; in the last stage, the stools are mixed with blood. The sheep is remarked often to make ineffectual efforts to empty the intestines, as if it were suffer- ing from tenesmus. The animal dies within sixteen or twenty hours after it is first seen to be ill; some linger out a few days, and if they survive this period they generally get weU. I have made several post-mortem examinations. The follow- ing are the most prominent appearances : — The paunch and the rest of the apparatus for receiving the food (with the exception of the proper stomach) are in a natural condition ; the stomach is extensively diseased. The inner or mucous coat is thickened, soft, and pulpy ; the farther or pyloric extremity of the stomach is more diseased and thickened than usual. Over the whole inner surface, but principally in the end next the small intestines, there are reddish or reddish-purple spots, and fine arborifications of small blood-vessels. The arborifica- tions are in the upper and the purple spots in the lower end of the stomach, where the disorganisation is more complete. The small intestines are loose in texture, easily torn, and might almost be said to be rotten. The vessels running in the folds of the mesentery are larger and more numerous than usual, and filled with purple-coloured blood. The contents in 196 DYSENTEEY IN SHEEP, AND the small intestines resemble in every way the matter dis- charged by the rectum. The substance of the liver is soft; the edges of the lobes are of a dark-purple hue. The gall-bladder is enlarged — in one instance it was more than twice the natural size ; it is always full of bUe, the colour and consist- ence of which I can compare to nothing which so well ex- presses it as black beer. The spleen is also soft and enlarged, and, when broken with the fingers, resembles very much a mass of grumous blood, surrounded with a firm membranous capsule. I have not carried my examinations much farther. In the last case inspected, the bladder was contracted to about the size of a hen's egg, and the brain presented nothing un- usual. By whatever name we distinguish the disease, whether we call it looseness, dysentery, or any other name, the mucous membrane of the stomach and small intestines seem to be its principal seat, and its character seems to be inflammatory, or a compound of the congestive and inflammatory. I think the two may exist together, and I cannot conceive how anything but inflammation can produce such extensive derangement of the structure. Does the disease arise from a common cause ? Is it epizootic ? Is it contagious ? Or may it not be a pro- duction of all three ? — I have lately heard of other sheep being afl'ected in the same manner.'' In the observations I am about to offer, I would first remark, that several authors seem to be well aware of this disease, though they have met with it apparently in a less virulent form. The disease may be epizootic or endemic, but there is no proof of its being contagious; and I am of opinion that it arises from some local cause, and think that a careful perusal of this letter leads to this supposition. The blackfaced or moun- tain sheep are those alone, he says, which are liable to this disease. This appears at first somewhat surprising ; but there may be some cause producing the predispositon in their sys- tem, which our unacquaintance of all the facts regarding it involves in mystery ; or the circumstance of the disease may be INFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH IN CATTLE. 197 purely accidental. But there is one natural cause which may operate, which is, that should the marshy part of the pasture send up a rank aftermath, it may stimulate and excite the mucous coat of the bowels too much. The probability of this being the true cause of the disease in this particular case is strengthened from the nature of the weather during the last summer, and immediately preceding the date of Mr Chalmers's letter. In May and June the drought was so severe in many parts of the country that the pasture was withered up, parti- cularly in dry situations ; but in marshy or boggy situations, the heat produced an extraordinary degree of vegetation. And I believe it is found, that sheep coming from a poor walk to a rich pasture, which is the usual course of manage- ment of blackfaced sheep when removed directly from the hills, will be more liable to the disease than sheep which have always been accustomed to such pasture ; and after such a sudden change of food, there is no part of the animal economy so likely to be affected as the bowels. In the present instance, I firmly believe the marshy pasture to be the immediate cause of the disease. The sheep ought therefore to be allowed to browse but sparingly on such pasture. The treatment I would recommend in such a disease is, to remove the irritating matter from the bowels by some mild laxative, and combine it with an opiate, to allay the pain in the bowels. For this purpose, from one to two ounces of castor or linseed oil, or one or two ounces of Epsom salts may be given with from thirty to fifty drops of laudanum ; and if these do not allay the pain and stop the purging, half a drachm more of laudanum, with two drachms of chalk, may be admin- istered in a little milk, or starch, or oatmeal gruel, and repeated till an effect is produced ; but frequently sweet milk alone, or that mixed with a little chalk, will prove sufficient. The Epsom salts, however, are more to be depended upon, espe- cially in cases which run their course rapidly. It will also be advisable to house the affected sheep for a day or two, and feed them upon hay if they will eat it ; if not, to give them 198 DYSENTERY IN SHEEP, AND oatmeal or starch gruel. When the sheep suffer much pain, fomentations of hot water should be frequently applied to the beUy. In the particular case mentioned, the progress of the disease seems to have been more rapid than is usually noticed. The principal chance of curing it will therefore depend upon its discovery at an early stage. If this is done, little other treat- ment than a dose of salts will be necessary ; but in ordinary cases of dysentery, the disease lingers about the animal for several days, and even weeks, when a different treatment may be required; — a continuation of astringent medicines must then be persisted in before the disease can be subdued. The preceding case shows the injurious effects of certain kinds of food, or rather perhaps the injurious effects of food grown under particular circumstances. Many sheep-farmers can too dearly testify, even in the present season, to the truth of this remark, by the loss which has been sustained by sick- ness of from four to six in the score in a short period. Sick- ness is a disease which there is every reason for believing arises from the strong after-growth which springs up from rain after dry weather in autumn, producing sudden derangement of the stomach and bowels. Although sickness is not characterised by all the symptoms in the preceding case, it is still an affec- tion of the bowels, differing only from the other in some of its symptoms, perhaps from the rapidity of its progress, or the particular part of the stomach or intestines which is affected by the inducing cause. That a sudden change in the condition of the food, or in the food itself, has an effect upon animals which feed upon it, is a fact which none wiU deny, but which the following cases appear to me strongly to corroborate and illustrate. Last year, 1833, Mr Hardie, Balbegie, about three miles north from Kirk- caldy, in rifeshire, turned out fifteen cattle, mostly of the Fifeshire breed, about the beginning of May, to graze in a field which had been laid down in the preceding year with rye-grass and clover, and which yielded a good rank crop of grass. On INFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH IN CATTLE. 199 the third day after the cattle had been put out, a heavy rain fell, the weather having been previously very dry for a con- siderable time. There was no water in the field except in a small pond and some ditches, and it was extremely disagree- able and brackish to the taste. The land was poor, and had been lately taken into tillage. On the evening of the third day, one of the cattle was taken ill, and on the following day five more were similarly affected, and the day after that other two. The remainder were immediately removed to another field, where they all throve well, being unaffected with the disease. Those which were taken ill were bled, as soon as observed, to the extent of about a Scotch pint from each, and a large dose of castor-oil given, but which did not operate. Blisters were also applied to the head, but in the course of four or five days they all died in a state of delirium. About the same period this year, Mr Hardie turned out into the same field, and the one adjoining, which had come into ' pasture, twenty-six cattle, one and two year olds, of the same breed. For the first fortnight they were housed in the straw- yard at night, but were afterwards allowed to remain con- stantly in the field, and they continued to thrive and were quite healthy until the night of the 10th June. For a con- siderable time previous to this the weather had been very dry, and the grass almost withered up, or at least it contained much less succulence than is usual at that season of the year. Dur- ing that night a considerable quantity of rain fell, but the weather was mild, and continued so for some days afterwards. On the morning of the 11th, one of the stots was found dead, and many of the rest unwell. The latter seemed dull and some- what stupid, their eyes having a fixed appearance, and glassy. AU the cattle were immediately removed from that field ; those which were well were put into another field, where several of them in succession became similarly affected. The sick ones were taken into the house and bled, about two Scotch pints of blood being taken from each, and a quantity of molasses and salts given as a purge, but which did not 200 DYSENTERY IN SHEEP, AND operate. The eight which had been first afflicted, and thus treated, died. I was then sent for, and found that the disease arose from inflammation of the true stomach, producing a degree of affec- tion in the brain similar to stomach-staggers in the horse. Those which were still affected, seven in number, had the pulse varying from 80 to 100, and small, and they had a strong inclination to press forward with the head against anything that came in their way, but especially in a corner. Others were at times in a state of high delirium, scrambling upon the walls with their fore feet, their respiration rather hurried, appe- tite gone, bowels inactive. I recommended repetitions of the bleeding even to faintness, and large doses of purgative medi- cine to be given in large quantities of gruel, and cold water applied frequently to the head, — and these all recovered. But the object of my being sent for was as much with a view to ascertain the cause of the disease as to cure those already affected, as it was generally believed that they had been poisoned. Those which had died had been examined, and in all the four the stomach had been found in a state of inflammation, and the villous coat much thickened. I was unable to learn any farther particulars as to the post-mortem appearances, as I had not an opportunity of examining them myself. I could not, however, see how or why they should have been poisoned, and therefore went and took a survey of the field. I first examined how it was supplied with water ; this was done by means of a small pond, which collected the surface-water from one or two drains or ditches by the hedge- side. The heat of the season had dried up all the drains and ditches, and there was no water anywhere except in the small pond, although there had been several showers between the time the cattle had been taken ill and when I visited them. The water which was in the pond was certainly the worst I ever tasted, having the flavour of being exposed to the smoke of coals, and very brackish. Indeed so disagreeable was it, that I am sure that the cattle must have been almost perishing INFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH IN CATTLE. 201 for thirst before they could have drank it, and the drinking of it would have produced a contrary effect to allaying thirst. The cattle had not been thriving for some time, which was attributed to the failing of the grass by the heat; but this did not appear to me to be the cause, for although the soU was poor, and the grass thin, it neither appeared to have been eaten too bare, nor overstocked. From the circumstances which I have stated, it appears to me that the disease had arisen from a sudden change in the condition of the grass. The agreeableness of moist food to a palate parched with thirst I need not stop to describe ; and if the cattle were circumstanced as I have described, and of which there cannot be a doubt, is there any effect so likely to be produced on them as the injury from the food being in the condition in which I have stated? That moist grass will produce derangement of the stomach and bowels I need not tell any agriculturist, dear-bought experience having feelingly demonstrated to him how readily hoven is produced in cattle by wet clover, and how speedily inflammation of the stomach or bowels will take place in horses from the same cause. But the case of Mr Hardie's cattle is of itself sufficient, to my mind, to illustrate this point ; for as soon as rain fell after dry and hot weather, the disease attacked the cattle both this year and the last. To this view of the case some may say that although the disease may have depended upon the change of weather, it did not necessarily depend upon the change pro- duced by the weather upon the food, but in all probability upon an immediate effect on the bodies of the animals. To this I would reply, that I have seen other examples of this disease having been produced by a sudden change of food. Five years ago about two hundred head of Highland cattle were bought to feed at a distillery in this neighbourhood, and when tied to the stake were immediately put upon draff and dreg, with a small allowance of straw for food. In a few days a considerable number were attacked by the same disease as that which seized Mr Hardie's cattle. Three died at the commence- 202 DYSENTEKY IN SHEEP, ETC. ment of the disease, and the rest recovered by effecting a gradual change from their former food to the dreg, upon which they afterwards fattened as well as cattle usually do on that kind of food. Sudden changes of food, or in the condition of food, is attended with considerable danger, and we ought therefore to look rather to those circumstances, and endeavour to rectify them, than to harbour suspicions which the peculiar appear- ance of such diseases might excite. ON THE PREVAILING DISEASE IN CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE ; BEING A LETTER BY PROFESSOR DICK, AD- DRESSED TO HIS PUPILS. In consequence of numerous inquiries from many of my former pupils regarding the murrain, and the difficulty of devoting a sufficient portion of time to answer every indi- vidual at length, I have been induced to give the following statement as a general reply to the questions which have been put to me. I am glad to be able to state that the murrain is a less formidable disease than has generally been represented. At least such has been the case with it in so far as it has fallen under my notice. It appears to be a slight influenza or catarrh, attended with blisters about the nostrils, upper lip, tongue, and gums, some- times also upon the teats, and about the heels, and especially at the interdigital space in front, above and between the hoofs. The blisters break in about twenty-four hours. In the mouth the cuticle peels off, but is reproduced in about three or four days ; on the other parts the serum contained in the blisters escapes, and a dry scab is soon formed, which, when the animal is properly treated, falls off and leaves the skin healed beneath, and the animal is quite well in about a week. There is little, if any, fever, the pulse commonly ranging from 50 to 60. The respiration is not affected, but the appetite is considerably impaired — more, however, appar- ently from the state of the mouth than from any functional or structural derangement. 204 PREVAILING DISEASE IN In some cases there is a tendency to constipation of the bowels, and in them the pulse becomes increased in frequency, rising to 80 or upwards. When the teats are blistered, great care is necessary in milking, so as not to draw them too much, and thus excite active inflammation, which may extend to the udder and produce serious disease. I have met with one case of this kind, in which the inflammation was caused by the dairymaid introducing straws into the teats to draw off the milk. In almost every other case the parts have soon got well by simply anointing them with a little lard or palm-oil. The hind feet are most commonly affected, which seems to arise from their being more exposed to filth and moisture ; and unless these causes are avoided, the parts are apt to become much inflamed, and deep and extensive sloughings (even to the extent of casting the hoof or sloughing of one or both the digits) win be almost certain to occur. These effects prove extremely troublesome and tedious, produce considerable fever, and may even prove fatal. Sloughing sores are perhaps sometimes produced by bathing, or rather scalding, the parts with too hot water during the first stages of the disease (and such causes must be avoided), or by the application of too powerful escharotics when there is much inflammation or soreness about the feet. When this occurs, poultices of bran should be applied, or a lotion of blue vitriol (sulphate of copper), half an ounce to a quart of water, or of white vitriol (sulphate of zinc), one ounce to a quart of water, and a little resinous ointment. If there is much active inflammation, a lotion consisting of one ounce of acetate or sugar of lead to a quart of water may be mixed with the poultice. When the disease first makes its appearance, I have found a dose of one pound of Epsom salts, with four ounces of sulphur, given at once, and half the quantity of each the next morning, if the first has not operated, and repeated in twelve hours with a drachm of croton cake, one of the best remedies which can be employed. If the pulse rises, two drachms of antimonial powder, with four of nitre, may be given night and morning until it is CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE. 205 reduced. If the bowels again become constipated, another dose of salts and sulphur should be administered, as the most important object is to produce a healthy action of the bowels. In some cases, slight symptoms of red-water make their ap- pearance, but these are soon removed by laxative medicine. If the pulse falls, from four to eight drachms of sulphate of iron given in gruel as a tonic night and morning are of service. The mouth may be gargled two or three times with a solution of alum (one ounce dissolved in a quart of water) ; and a lotion of sulphate of copper (half an ounce to a quart of water), may be applied to the feet twice a-day. Bleeding is seldom if ever necessary, as the disease is rather inclined to a typhoid character, and the debility induced by bleeding increases the tendency of the disease to assume this character, and causes the blisters to ulcerate and slough. Moreover, from the weak state to which the animal is reduced, in con- sequence of the tenderness of its tongue and gums preventing it from taking food for one, two, or three days, it is evident the bleeding is not admissible, unless active inflammation occurs. On the contrary, great care is necessary in nursing the animal with gruel and soft food, which, if warm, should not be given above blood-heat. Eaw turnips should be given in thin slices, and it may be necessary to put a slice a few times into the animal's mouth to induce it to eat, which, when it has begun to do, it will generally continue without further trouble. Care must be taken to keep the animals standing clean by giving them plenty of clean dry straw, and removing the dung as often as possible. Unless care is taken in this respect the sloughing of the feet extends, and the animal, especially when tied to the stake, is very apt to bruise its knees and other parts of the body, which is often followed by extensive sloughing of these parts. In such circumstances, if due precaution is not used, and the animal is not allowed more freedom, there is some risk of these injuries proving fatal by the irritation which they produce. These results, however. 206 PKEVAILING DISEASE IN are not to be referred to the disease itself, but are entirely the effects of neglect and mismanagement. The same treatment is required for sheep and pigs ; the dose of the medicine for them being about one-sixth part. It is impossible, in many places, to get a large flock of sheep into a sheltered situation, so as to keep their feet dry ; but if they were folded on a dry place, and a quantity of dry straw given them daily, it would be of great service. Swine are seldom so numerous but they may be got under cover and made dry. Upwards of fifty were affected in one establishment here, and they were put into a dry place and treated as recommended above, and all recovered in about a week. Prejudice has arisen here against the millc yielded by cows labouring under murrain, but, as far as I have seen, it is unfounded. I tasted some and knew no change in its percep- tible qualities, and although I drank off a large tumblerful I experienced no unpleasant feelings from so doing. In the cases where there is fever and much increase in the frequency of the pulse, there must be more or less alteration of the secretions both in quantity and quality. In those cases, how- ever, where, from improper treatment in milking, abscesses form in the udder, of course, whether there is fever or not, the diseased glands wiU produce a diseased secretion. In the generality of cases of this disease, however, I have already stated, there are scarcely any febrile symptoms present, and consequently there is little alteration in the state of the milk ; and I am very sceptical regarding the prejudicial or even fatal effects which have been attributed by many to this secretion. Two dogs were fed entirely, for some days, on the milk furnished by animals affected with the disease. They con- tinued in perfect health, and seemed to get fat. Cows do not give so much milk while they are ill, but that seems to be owing to their not being able to take food. As to the beef, it appears quite sound, and except the blistered parts about the mouth, there will be no other marked appearances observed. CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE. 207 As none of the animals under my charge affected with the disease have died, I am not able to say anything regarding the effects of the disease from post-mortem examinations. I rather think that the disease will be found in general so mild, that few will have an opportunity of examining the animals after death, if properly treated ; and, if not so treated, perhaps what is observed may be either the effects of mis- management, or arising from other disease previously lurking in the system. Note. — -A disease has also appeared among horses of a more dangerous char- acter, commencing with catarrh, but generally affecting the heart, and attended with considerable fever, requiring commonly bleeding in the first place — blistering the throat — very mild laxatives and sedatives, until the pulse is reduced ; after which tonics, and sometimes wine or other cordials. ON THE NON-CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. When the report that a contagious epizootic had attacked cattle to a great extent throughout the continent of Europe, and was rapidly approaching our shores, my attention was naturally directed to the subject; and, from what I could learn, I came to the conclusion that there was much unneces- sary alarm ; that the disease would neither prove so formid- able nor so dangerous as was supposed ; and that if ever it reached this country, it would be more manageable than it was represented to be on the Continent. The alarm was excited by the accounts in the newspapers of the highly-con- tagious character of the disease. On the first visitation of the cholera, I believe in 1832, while a general opinion prevailed that it was highly conta- gious, I showed that a similar malady had attacked horses and cattle ; I therefore inferred that the disease was an epi- demic, produced by atmospheric causes operating on local influences. The result has proved the correctness of that opinion. Before the Eczema epizootica, or vesicular murrain, which had prevailed on the Continent, made its appearance here, from the description I had read of it, and in consequence of numerous communications from old pupils, I wrote a cir- cular letter on the subject, showing that it was an epizootic, but one of comparatively small moment, and easily curable by a little care, cleanliness, and attention ; and that when it did break out in this country, its attacks were very sudden, and indiscriminately affected all the domestic animals except the EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 209 torse. Although it was found to be troublesome, and required a good deal of attention, it seldom proved fatal; and in those cases in which it did, this arose entirely from inattention and want of cleanliness. So simple, indeed, did it prove, that a veterinary surgeon was seldom called in. Its sudden appear- ance and rapid subsidence soon proved that it was not pro- pagated by contagion, for when a flock of sheep, or a herd of swine, or a byre full of cattle, was attacked, it generally affected the whole of the animals in a night's time ; aU seemed attacked at once, the disease being similar to the eruption about our hps from exposure to cold, called Herpes. It occa- sionally, however, attacked only one side of a byre, and in other cases almost everj'- alternate cow in the byre became affected, while the others escaped. The disease spread over a great part of the country, but after a time gradually disap- peared, its chief, injury having been throwing back in condition those animals it attacked, and in the case of sheep producing a species of foot-rot, gradually detaching their hoofs. When pleuro-pneumonia followed, it was confidently de- clared by some that it was the result of the previous murrain, and that it also was highly contagious ; very few, however, who have any knowledge of the disease practically, now believe in its contagious character. It has, however, prevailed to a very great extent, and for a number of years, as an epizootic, and I have no doubt will continue for a considerable time, unless proper means are adopted for its prevention. But what, it will be asked, are those means ? will not a careful separation of the diseased from the healthy do this ? Will not a strict quarantine prevent its being communicated to healthy animals ? I think not, because it is not, and has not been proved to be, contagious, as I shall endeavour to show. Still the disease prevails to a great extent throughout the country. How, then, is it to be prevented ? By attending to the real causes of the disease, and avoiding them. If the disease depended entirely on its contagious nature, the means adopted in Prussia and other Continental countries would speedily 210 NON-CONTAGIOCJS NATUEE OF extinguish it ; but that has not been the case. What, then, are the causes of the disease? They are atmospheric, pro- duced by the want of proper shelter in the field, or confining cattle in exposed situations in severe weather, or the want of proper ventilation and drainage of byres. As the seasons vary, different classes of animals become more susceptible of disease than others, and different forms of disease present themselves in the same class of animals in different seasons. In horses, for example, we have different types of disease : we found last autumn a kind of diabetes very general ; while during the previous winter and spring, influenza prevailed to a very great extent. In some seasons we find catarrhal fever prevailing ; and in others, again, pneumonia or pleuro-pneu- monia. Yet curious enough, although pleuro-pneumonia has been prevailing so generally throughout the country in cattle for a number of years past, that disease has not been common in horses, but lately has been affecting sheep on Mr Finnie's farm of Swanston. Distemper in dogs has also its seasons, and even rabies in various animals occasionally appears as an epizootic. All these have their seasons and localities, more or less extensive, according to local or general influences. They spring into existence from a combination of causes, which we frequently cannot recognise, but which are nevertheless the origin of these diseases. In such cases we are very apt to believe that the diseases are produced by a contagion, and think that this at once accounts for the appearance and spreading of the disease. But if contagion is the cause of the disease, whence its origin ? It must have at flrst been generated from some cause or causes other than contagion ; and if so, why may not the original causes be in operation, and be the sole means of propagating the disease ? Contagionists allow that it must have had an origin, but contend that when once generated it propagates itself by contagion. But why overlook the fact of its being originally generated without contagion? If in one instance, why not in another ? and if so, is it not of vast importance to EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 211 trace out accurately those causes, instead of wasting time and incurring great expense in adopting only means to prevent contagion, when in reality the disease does not arise from that cause ? It is a simple and easy explanation to say that the cause of a disease is contagion. Taking that for granted on the Continent, the various States attempt to stop the progress of disease by a summary process ; they not only destroy the dis- eased beasts, but all others who may have come in contact with them. But even this they find does not always succeed, as fresh cases constantly occur in other places, and they are likewise destroyed. By these means the apparent mortality of the disease is greatly augmented, aU those which are slaugh- tered being included in the number of the victims. Attempts have been made to show that if the beasts are not killed the disease spreads to a far greater extent ; but there are many fallacies in this view of the subject. Would all those that have come in contact with diseased beasts become affected ? I contend they would not. The number becoming affected would not be equal to the number destroyed, although, as a greater number would remain alive, a greater number would suffer from the disease as an epizootic. That atmospheric agency has a powerful influence on man is evident from the prevalence of diarrhcea for two or three months last autumn ; while its influence is strikingly exempli- fied in the sudden and general attack of disease in the potatoes. In the first, the long-continued heat of the season had excited the action of the liver ; while the latter, in all probability, was induced by the sudden changes of the weather, the deluging rains, and the surcharged state of the atmosphere with elec- tricity. Neither in the one example nor in the other can the cause be ascribed to contagion. Some may say that diarrhoea is dependent on the food used at that season of the year, which may increase the tendency to the disease, and may in some cases excite it ; but I think no one will affirm that the potato disease is not dependent on the state of the weather. That pleuro-pneumonia and potato-rot are dependent on nearly the 212 NOK-CONTAGIOXJS NATURE OF same causes is, I think, evident by the fact of their having appeared about the same time, and having varied in intensity nearly in the same proportion. Some will contend that animals affected with pneumonia must so far produce an effect on other animals standing in the same byres with them ; and I have no hesitation in saying that, in the advanced stages of that disease, where the breath has become obnoxious, and in badly-ventilated byres, the noxious breath will so far contaminate the air of the byre as to increase the liability of the others in such unhealthy byres ; but place diseased beasts in well-ventilated byres, and it will be found that no infection takes place — in proof of which I may state a case. Nearly four years ago, Mr Finnic of Swanston had pur- chased forty oxen, which were put up to feed in pairs, so as to be in contact in one long byre, and were chiefly fed on liquid food. The troughs were made with a slight inclination from one end to the other, in order to save labour by the whole being supplied from the upper end of the troughs, and thus so far the food must have been breathed upon by all the cattle as it passed along. After being put up to feed, some of them began to cough and fall off their feeding. I was called to see them, and found several slightly attacked with pleuro-pneu- monia, and advised that they should be sold. In all, twelve became affected out of the forty ; but it is a curious fact that, although they were arranged in pairs, no two in the same stall became affected ; and although, when those that had become affected were sent off, and their places filled up by closing up the ranks with those that remained in the next stalls, without any preparation, and without any more becoming affected, the remaining twenty-eight were kept in the same byre for nine months, until they were sold off fat, and in sound health and condition. As in this case no means were adopted to prevent infection, it must be allowed that if the disease is propagated by contagion, it took no effect in this case. The animals had perhaps been exposed to the causes of the disease before being purchased ; and although the byre was well ventilated and kept EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 213 clean, this was insufficient to prevent the development of the disease in those contaminated, though operating to protect those that were in sound health. In the year 1848, and early in 1849, Mr M'CaUum, a farmer within three miles of Edinburgh, who kept a dairy of between twenty and thirty cows, suffered severely from the disease, and notwithstanding everything that I could do, it still continued. The byres were badly constructed, being ventilated only by boles at the cow's head, and not drained. I was convinced that nothing but a reconstruction of the byres, with proper ventilation and drainage, would prevent the disease ; and having made a statement in writing, which was laid before the proprietors, my suggestions were carried into effect at a considerable expense, and for about eight years not a case occurred, although the disease had never left other byres in the neighbourhood. In the end of 1856, and beginning of 1857, the disease again made its appearance, and I was re- quested to investigate the cause. I was naturally much dis- appointed at the recurrence of the disease in a place where my siiggestions seemed to have proved so effectual. On visiting the steading, however, I perceived what appeared to me to be the cause. In one of the byres, where I found two cows re- cently attacked with the disease, there were three large ventila- tors with luffer-boards on the ridge of the roof; one of these I found had been stuffed up, while the tiles had all been care- fully pointed with lime in the end of autumn, so as to make the byre more comfortable during winter, and part of the roof towards the ridge, which had formerly been left open between the tiles to increase the ventilation, had been closed. On a level with the floor behind the cows there were two ventila- tors, one of which was closed, while the other was by no means so clear as it ought to have been. Added to this, the drain had become choked up, and thus the former state of the byre was in a great measure restored. But it is satisfactory to know that since attention has again been directed to the causes, and these removed, scarcely a case has occurred, and those chiefly 214 NON-CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF among the cows at grass — thus, as it were, demonstrating some of the causes of, and the means of preventing, the disease. I have already stated that exposure in fields without proper shelter may cause the disease. In like manner cows, standing in byres where there are strong currents of air or drafts through them, readily become affected, an example of which occurred about four miles south from town. Mr Bannerman entered to the farm of ]\Iuirhouse in 1844: the steading had been recently erected, with a byre for 40 cows. In March 1845 the disease broke out, and by the end of May he lost 24 cows, and during the next six or seven years he lost 150. As the new byres had proved unhealthy, I was requested to visit them, and consider what could be done to check the disease. I found the steading built on a northern acclivity, and the byres exposed to the north and east, the doors opening in these directions, and the windows all round ; the consequence of which was, that strong drafts of air were almost constantly blowing through the byre, so that a lighted candle was readily blown out. There were no divisions to check these currents, and the place was found to be very unhealthy. I pointed out what I believed to be the cause ; and by putting up partitions, dividing the byre into compartments for 16 cows in each, and regulating the ventilation, the disease was checked to the extent that he had only a few to send off, and these, it was considered, had been more or less affected by the state of the byres previous to the alterations. But he further found that, although much good was effected by the subdivision of the byre, even in that state, when filled, it was not free of the disease ; and having two empty cottages on his farm, he con- verted them into two byres, and by placing his newly-bought- in cows there for a time, and by not filling up the byres to the full extent, the disease was completely checked, and he is satisfied that, although he has lost in all 174 cows, the disease is not contagious. Circumstances having occurred to prevent his being able to attend to his dairy, he has given it up — not, however, from the fear of the disease. EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 215 Striking illustrations of a similar kind occurred in the case of Mr Davidson of Dean Park, who, during the autumn of 1845 and early part of 1846, and again in 1849, lost a great many cows. After I had tried what could be done by medical treatment, combined with temporary improvements and altera- tions in the byre, I satisfied myself that drafts were at least in a great measure the cause of the disease, and Mr Davidson at length made such improvements as have entirely prevented it. Mr Weir, a neighbouring tenant, in consequence of the ven- tilation not having been carried out in all parts of the stead- ing, lost 150 cows. He had his byres partially ventilated, and the disease was checked, but it has since in some degree returned. In his case there was too little ventilation. In Mr Davidson's byres there was too much, very clearly showing, as I have already stated, that the disease arises from exposure to drafts and currents of air, and to a want of proper ventila- tion and drainage ; and as I consider these cases are of impor- tance, as illustrating the causes of the disease, I have requested Mr Davidson to state in a letter his own account of the cases, which I subjoin. In this statement it will be observed that ' there are some points which would go to prove that the disease had been communicated by contagion ; but in my opinion they have an opposite tendency. It is stated that in 1845 he bought a cow in the Edinburgh market, which turned out to have pleuro-pneumonia ; that after lingering for more, than six weeks, without his being aware of the nature of the case, others became affected, and the disease rapidly spreading through his cows, in three weeks thereafter they were all affected. This, no doubt, at first sight looks as if the disease had arisen from contagion ; but when we consider the length of time the disease had existed in the byre before any effect had been produced, and when it is known that the disease had suddenly increased all over the country at that period, it will at once be seen that a strong degree of doubt is thrown over the subject. Then, again, it will be observed that Mr Davidson, for the next three years, had had occasional cases. These he considers 216 NON-CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF to be of spontaneous origin ; but it is evident that others may- infer that, notwithstanding all his precautions, the seeds of the disease had still existed in his byre, and that the disease was ordy arrested by sending off at once those cows that became affected. And then again, in 1849-50, another diseased beast was introduced into his stock, and the disease, after a time, spread so rapidly that he wa-s at length induced to try the effect of improved arrangement of the byres, with proper ventilation and drainage ; but I shall here allow him to give his own statement of his case. Dean Park, Balekno, IWi June 1857. Peofessor Dick. Dear Sir, — As requested, I proceed to give you tlie result of the alterations on my byres. My byre originally was 83 feet long and 9,-ih feet wide, inside measure- ment, and fitted up for 44 cattle, having an opening or hole opposite each double trivace or stall for the purposes of admitting food, light, and air to the cows from without. The byre stood longitudinally about north- east and south-west, having one door in the front to the south-east, one in the back to the north-west, and one in the end facing the north-east. The roof was closely covered with slates. There was a gangway up the centre of the byre, and the cows stood on each side of it with their heads to the wall. From there being so many openings in the walls, and none in the roof, there were many cross drafts of air ; and when the wind blew strongly from the south-west there was a current of air through the whole length of the byre. We had no pleuro among our cows previously to 1845 ; but there were frequent colds, and weeds or inflamed udders, occasional attacks of murrain, and that, too, without any traceable infec- tion. And when any sudden and severe change of weather took place there was an immediate falling-off in the supply of their milk — this falling-off telling, with almost barometric precision, the change in the atmosphere — and all plainly traceable to the cross currents of air through the byre to which the cows were exposed. About the year 1845 I bought a cow in Edinburgh market, which turned out to be affected with pleuro-pneumonia. It was a lingering case, lasting upwards of six weeks without my being aware of the nature of the disease ; and at the end of that period the disease attacked one or two of the other cows, and spread so rapidly that within other three weeks every cow I had was affected, and the whole either died or were sold off the premises, as I wished the byre thoroughly cleaned before buying in a new stock. The byre then stood empty some time, was thoroughly cleaned from the roof to the causeway, and repeatedly washed with hot lime and chloride of EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 2l7 lime. And after I thought all danger of infection was removed, a fresh lot of cows was bought in, not in public markets, but privately, and from stocks known to be healthy ; but, notwithstanding all our precautions — and we could trace no cause for infection — we had in the course of the next three years ten or twelve separate cases of pleuro, which, however, never spread among the stock, as the diseased animal was at once sold off on the disease showing itself. These occasional cases of pleuro, as well as the frequent colds and weeded udders to which the cows were then subject, I attribute entirely to the currents of air to which the cows were then exposed in the byre — together with, perhaps, a predisposal of their systems to tliis disease, as I knew it was not communicated by infection. About the year 1849 I agaia unfortunately bought a diseased cow, which stood undetected for some considerable time among the rest. Almost every beast I had took the disease, and I lost heavily. After again consulting with you, and trying the effect of a temporary subdivi- sion of the byre by straw partitions as you suggested, I resolved to try the effect of altering and subdividing the byre into four divisions or byres, completely separated from each other by stone partition- walls, each byre having one door and one opening window, and the whole being thoroughly ventilated by an opening on each side of the ridge of the roof, and extending the whole length of the roof, through which a constant stream of foul and heated air ascends, and a constant supply of pure and cool air descends, to the manifest comfort of the cattle, and at the same time without exposing them to any cross drafts of air. The drainage was also improved. Since these byres were so altered we have not had a single case of pleuro nor murrain, and very few cases of weeds or inflamed udders, and little fluctuation in the supply of milk from the changes in the weather. For the last eight years a fresh stock of cows has been every year bought in, not in the public market, but out of perhaps twenty different byres, over a wide district of country, and almost every one of them has been sold in prime health and condition. — Yours truly, George Davidson. In the end of October 1856, from 30 to 40 young cattle, belonging to different farmers, had been grazing during the summer on Irvine common ; one of them was seized with pleuro-pneumonia, and died. The owners were afraid of infection, and knew not what to do, as the time had come for taking the cattle home. After consultation, Mr M'Call, V.S., was requested to examine them ; he found them free from disease, and after they had been home not one of them became affected. In the same month, a person of the name of Ciimpbell, at 218 NON-CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF Irvine, kept three cows. One took the disease, and died ; another was seized, but recovered ; while the one standing between these two was never affected. I shall conclude my remarks on the contagion or non- contagion of pleuro-pneumonia by the following communica- tion from Mr Hunter, who gives his experience on the subject. The Hauqh, ISth November 1857. Dear Sir,— I beg, in accordance with your request, to send you a few notes of my experience of pleuro-pneumonia. The first case I ever saw occurred ahout twelve years ago in a lot of young cattle of my own breed- ing. They were grazing in a field by themselves, and had never at any time come into contact with any other stock. Where infection could pos- sibly come from I never could conceive, as at that time the disease was unknown in this district ; but one after another wa.s seized at short inter- vals, till three of them died. The others were kept on, and continued perfectly healthy. The disease made its appearance amongst my feeding stock in the ensuing winter, and during that and several succeeding sea- sons I suffered very severely. Curiously enough, my immediate neigh- bours had not a case for a considerable time after it got a footing here, whilst some others, at a few miles distance, were as bad as myself. From all I could observe regarding it, I became convinced that the disease was not infectious ; and acting upon this belief, when many of my neighbours were taking all manner of precautions — whitewashing, &c.- — some of them even going so far that they would not enter my coiirts for fear of carrying infection to their own, I continued to pursue uniformly the same course as I had done before it made its appearance. By-and-by, in spite of all pre- cautions, it found its way into the other stocks round about, and they suffered as much as my own had done. I never could say whether court or byre feeding was the more favoiir- able for its development, as it used to skip about from one to the other, up and down, both in a manner altogether inexplicable, sometimes confin- ing its attacks to one lot of cattle, and again wandering, apparently at random, through them all. Whenever a case was observed in the byre, the animal was sent off, and another put in its stall, without pre'i'ious fumigation, washing, or even removing the turnips the diseased animal had been eating. This I did very frequently, pretty much by way of experiment, and in no case could I ever trace any bad effects to having done so. One rather strong case I may mention, which much confirmed me in my practice. In 1846, a lot of cattle suffered so severely at grass that I determined to sell off the remainder, and when buying a lot to re- place them, the salesman told me that they belonged to a friend of mine, who was disposing of them because so many of them had gone with dis- ease, and he could not put them into my hands without warning me. EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 219 Thanking the agent for his candour, I bought the cattle, and put them into a court, with only a wall dividing them from another lot. I had not in either of those two lots a single case of disease. Its visits for some seasons past have been comparatively rare — occasionally a whole winter passing without a case. I generally graze from thirty to forty cattle at my farm on the Pentlands, and there of late I have had a few cases. This season I bought three lots, which were sent up at different times. One lot of ten became affected, and four of them were sent off, though grazing in adjoining fields, and occasionally mixed. None of the others showed any symptoms. The shepherd's two cows took decidedly ill, but both 'recovered. I have now upwards of eighty cattle of various kinds, all of which, with the exception of one more out of the ten above noticed, which has been sent away, have hitherto kept healthy. A small Shetland cow, which has been grazed quite alone all summer, I may mention, was very iU some time ago, but, with some medical treatment, was brought through. I wiU be glad to find that the preceding proves of any use to you ; and if I can furnish any further information, it is heartily at your service. As already stated, when the report of the new plague or cattle-pest reached this country, more than a year ago, my attention was directed to the subject, and from the various detailed accounts of it in the newspapers, I came to the con- clusion that it was an epizootic arising from some general cause or causes acting on the digestive organs of the cattle in the countries where it prevailed, and that, unless these causes existed in this country, the disease would not make its appear- ance here. As this cattle-pest had committed great ravages in the east of Europe, and was supposed to be approaching this country, and to be highly infectious, it excited great alarm amongst owners of stock. The alarm rapidly extended, and a proposal was made — by, I believe, the Eoyal Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland, which was afterwards fol- lowed up by the Eoyal Agricultural Society of England — to send a veterinary surgeon to the Continent to investigate the nature of the disease. The Directors of the Highland and Agricultural Society having been solicited to join in the pro- ject, I was requested to attend a meeting of the Board to give my opinion on the propriety of joining in the expense of send- ing Professor Simonds, who had been proposed by the English 220 NON-CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF Society. I stated that I considered such a mission to be un- necessary, as we could get every information regarding the disease from the veterinary surgeons on the Continent — a highly - educated body of men, -who had given the subject profound attention, and a translated precis of whose works would, it appeared to me, be more serviceable than any such mission as was projected. I moreover stated that I appre- hended Professor Simonds's journey would prove to be a kind of wild-goose chase, and that he would probably have to travel far and wide before meeting with a case. The correctness of that opinion is shown by the report now published. Professor Simonds having had to travel nearly 1500 miles before seeing a single case. I had been led to form such an opinion from the accounts I had received of the disease, and particularly from the information I obtained in a letter from the Vice- Consul at Memel, near to which the disease had approached. In that letter it is stated : — I covdd not be in a place more fitted to obtain for yon the information whicb yon desire, seeing tbat this celebrated cattle disease is at present ■within forty miles of ns ; and, moreover, the day after my arrival here, I was called upon by the Earl of Clarendon to answer the same queries, and obtain the same information as that now desired by you, and which I am now, of course, perfectly prepared to answer, having obtained the facts from the best and most authentic source. The symptoms of the disease are : The animal, when attacked, becomes extremely lively for a short period ; the appetite is lost ; the body trembles ; the gums become inflamed ; the eye becomes very dull, and discharges matter ; the hair be- comes very rough, and the glossy pile disappears. Towards the latter stages the animal suffers from severe diarrhoea, death ensues from eight to twelve days. On dissection the food will be found, in the third stomach, a powdery dry mass. The stomach of the healthy animal is rose-coloured, but when attacked by the disease it assumes a dark-red colour, and the veins become black. No cure is ever attempted for the disease in this district ; but I am informed that, in various parts of Russia, the animal has been subjected to a process of steam bathing (that is, placed under the influence of steam), which has in several cases proved successful. The only method adopted in this vicinity to stop the progress of the dis- ease is by immediately instituting a viilitary guard round the farm or estate where it appears, and neither man nor beast is allowed to pass this guard until the last vestige of the disease has disappeared. The disease is undoubtedly contagious, and may be conveyed from one place to an- EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 221 other by goats or sheep, or even human beings. I have asked permission from Lord Clarendon to visit the district where the disease is at present raging, -which, if granted, will enable me to give you more definite, although not more authentic, information. I shall be at all times happy to furnish you with any further particulars on the subject, if desired. The symptoms detailed in the foregoing letter are very con- densed, but they embody all those described by Professor Simonds. It specifies one prominent symptom, which has been in a great measirre overlooked. In the letter it is stated that the animal, when attacked, " becomes extremely lively for a short period." This is given as a general symptom ; but, with the exception of the second case which Mr Simonds de- tails, no mention of it is made. In that case, he says, " the countenance, however, was more animated than is generally seen, even in the early stages of the malady." But if the symptom referred to be one which is " generally seen," its omission in his other cases and general summary is the more remarkable. On the contrary, he says, " the expression of the countenance does not denote much acute suffering." Among the first symptoms given in the first case, it is stated, " there were tremors of most of the voluntary muscles." These " tremblings " affected the hind extremities most severely. The animal stood with back arched, and legs gathered under the body. The head was extended, ears lopped, and coat staring. She was remarkably duU, and greatly indisposed to move. On the second day she was dull and dispirited ; and on the third day the conjunctiva uninjected, but the eyes somewhat intol- erant of light ; and on the fourth day her head drooped, and her eyes closed as in a state of drowsiness. In the second case the animal stood with his back arched, his legs gathered under his body. There was a little turges- cence of the conjunctiva, but no intolerance of light. On the second day the eyes are heavy, and when he is down he appears sleepy. On the third day " the eyes are drooping, and a thick jelly-like mass, of a pale straw colour, has accumulated at the inner ano-le of the eyes, yet the vessels of the conjunctiva are 222 NON-CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF not turgid with blood. On the fourth day the discharge from the eyes and nostril is augmented in quantity ; on the fifth day, discharge from the eyes and nostrils the same. In the third case we have the trembling and spasms, with discharge from nose and eyes ; and in the fourth case the discharge was also present, and there was excess of fluid in the ventricles of the braiu and spinal sheath. In short, discharge of lymph or mucus from the eyes is generally present, as stated in the fore- going letter ; but we do not find in Mr Simonds's description any mention of the inflamed gums, or the redness of their appearance. The change in the appearance of the coat is to be expected ; and all agree that there is first diarrhoea, and then dysentery, producing death in from eight to twelve days. In Professor Simonds's general summary we find that the " loser durre," or hard impactment of the third stomach, though it may be often present, is as often absent. That such appears to have been the case in some of the few cases he has exam- ined, I have no doubt. In No. 1 he says there was no " loser durre." In No. 2, however, he says, "the contents of the omasum were rather dry from retention, but no structural change had taken place in the stomach itself." Would Pro- fessor Simonds tell us in how many of the " twenty other diseases," in which hard impactment of the third stomach takes place, he has found a structural change in the stomach itself ? In his third case he states that there was some " rather dry ingesta " in the stomach ; a similar state of things was met with in both the reticulum and omasum, but no true " loser durre." But he has forgotten to tell us what he means by true "loser durre." In the letter from Memel it is stated that " the food will be found in the stomach a powdery dry mass ; " and Professor Simonds says, that " we have seen men of ability, who have been called upon to make post-mortem examiaations, hesitate to pronounce a decided opinion of the existence of the pest when the third stomach has been found healthy." Professor Simonds says that hardness of the con- tents of the third stomach is not a specialty attaching to the EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 223 affection ; can he explain why the opinion so generally pre- vails ? As two out of the eight cases he examined had such a dryness of the contents from retention as to require notice, ■ the cause which led to that retention might have been investi- gated; and after having travelled 1500 miles, it is to be regretted that he did not extend his journey a little farther, and make inquiry as to the cause of the frequent suspension of the functions of the third stomach. The cases he gives are, in my opinion, anomalous ones ; and the absence of the impactment of the third stomach appears, in some of the cases, to have arisen from the spontaneous discharge of the contents by increased secretions from the stomach. It appears, from the imperfect information furnished, either that the experience of Professor Simonds has been limited, or that the disease presents a considei'able variety of forms. But whether there is impactment of the third stomach or not, I think Professor Simonds will allow that, from whatever cause it has arisen, the disease is one in which the digestive organs are chiefly affected ; and it becomes us, therefore, to inquire whence the irritation has arisen which acts with so much virulence on cattle. Professor Simonds says : " It is difficult to speak with certainty of the true nature of the Rinderpest ; but it is evident that the morbific matter on which it depends, having entered the system through the medium of the organs of respiration, soon acts upon the blood, by converting some of the constituents of that fluid into its own elements, and that, while this process is going on, the animal gives no recognisable indications of being the subject of the malady. This period constitutes the incubative stage of the disease." But suppose that, instead of the cause, or causes, entering the system through the organs of respiration (of which there is no evidence), it or they were taken into the stomach — or if the usual articles of food necessary for exciting the healthy action of the digestive organs were either not to be procured or were withheld — is there anything very mysterious in these organs becoming diseased, either in a chronic or acute form ? Is it 224 NON-CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF not most reasonable to suppose, that if the food of cattle is of an inferior quality, or deficient in quantity, that the organs of digestion should be the first parts of the body most likely to suffer ? Common-sense and every day's experience prove the fact. Infection, and infection alone, seems to be the leading cause — nay, the exclusive principle — referred to by Professor Simonds, to the neglect of every other cause, in explaining the origin and propagation of the Kinderpest. Almost nothing is said as to the kind of food on which the cattle he saw were fed, or the kind of exposures to which they had been subjected, or the fatigue they had undergone — in short, nothing like a description of the local circumstances under which the Rin- derpest seemed to originate. He seems to have relied too implicitly on the opinions of the people as to its cause. No doubt he admits that the disease is said to be of spontaneous origin in the steppes of Russia, from whence it is spread all over the east of Europe ; but in which steppe, or whether in all the steppes, he does not state. In the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' it is stated that in the steppe called Baraba, or Barbinska, a peculiar disease prevails called the Siberian plague. In this steppe some lakes are salt, and occasionally the surface of the ground is covered with saline efflorescence. This is a peculiarity which would account for the spontaneous origin of any disease with which the bowels of a herbivorous animal may be affected. The superabundance of saline mat- ter " occurring occasionally " would, as a matter of course, so impregnate the food, or would be taken in such quantities, as to cause an epizootic with all the symptoms and effects on the bowels described by Professor Simonds ; and hence, not im- probably, the spontaneous origin in the steppes — if such a condition exists in the other steppes. But this, it may be said, will not account for its spread over the other countries of Europe. There are, however, evidently many other causes, and among these especially, the kind, quality, and quantity of the food must be considered as exercising an important influence in producing the disease. It is said to have followed EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 225 the tracks of armies, and naturally so, not less from the destruction of food than the exhausting marches of a destroy- ing invader. Without adverting to its effects, Professor Simonds gives a fearful account of the destitution in Kamien- ica. He says : " In consequence of the occurrence of this case and of No. 1 in the same quarantine station, the commissioners determined to slaughter the rest, consisting of five head of cattle, reserving only the animal in question for our special purposes. This resolve was taken on May 8th, and was somewhat hastened by the circumstance that all the aniinals were in very loiu condition, and of little value." " The greatest difficulty also existed inprocuriny sufficient food for the animals; and poor women, the wives of the pivprietors, could be daily seen standing in the mountain streams for hours together up to their knees in icater, with scarcely clothing sufficient to cover their persons, washing couch-grass ivhich had been picked from off the land in order to feed these cattle. The step loas doubtless ren- dered necessary by the circumstances; it was nevertheless most painful to witness the la.mentations of the poor women on its being carried into execution." What were the circumstances ? I say tJie want of proper food ! Remove the cause and the effects will cease. Had the authorities ordered and enforced the importation of proper food, and given it to the animals, I have no doubt the disease would have subsided. No attempts, however, are made to effect a cure ; it is considered so highly contagious that it is thought that the only way to prevent the spread of the disease is to kill all the cattle that come in contact with a diseased one, and hence the number of victims are enormou-slyincreased. But it is evident that if the disease depends on the food, the destructive remedy, while it must prevent the spread of the disease by the great reduction of the number of its victims, is an absurd and erroneous policy ; for, if the view I have taken of the nature and causes of the disease be correct, it may both be prevented and cured. I have already observed that one of the features of the disease, as generally understood, is an impactment of the third p 226 NON-CONTAGIOUS NATTJRE OF stomach, the " loser durre " of the G-ermans, as described by my correspondent at Memel, but of which Professor Simonds seems to have met with no well-defined case, and the causes may be accounted for among the steppe cattle which are brought from Eussia. My opinion is, that those cattle which have been fed upon saline pasturages, and brought to other countries where that kind of food does not exist, suffer from the entire want of the condiment that they have been accus- tomed to, the change causing indigestion and deficient secre- tion in the third stomach, the chief feature of the disease. There is superinduced, in consequence, irritation of the whole organs of digestion, with the inflammation and slight ulcera- tion described. In the same manner, such indigestible matter as couch-grass, and other over-ripe and woody herbage, cannot fad. to act upon the digestive organs of cattle fed upon them, either by their acrimony producing diarrhoea and dysentery at once, as appears to have been the case with the cattle Professor Simonds saw — or, if they possess a less acrimonious property, by simply drying up the secretions of the stomach ; and this dry condition, after a short time, will begin to act as an irritant, producing diarrhoea and dysentery — the ultimate effect being nearly the same. The impactment of the third stomach frequently takes the same course in other diseases, as in red-water, depending upon the particular kind of herbage and the plants mixed with it destroying life by their action on the kidneys and digestive organs, and in which a diarrhoea almost invariably prevails in the early stages of the disease, while the third stomach will be found, on dissection, to present the true "loser durre." But other diseases occur in which the omasum is found to be aS'ected, and where most of the symptoms reported in the Einderpest are developed. Tn 1857 several reports reached me of cases of that kind ; one gentle- man in Dumfriesshire lost six oxen, in which the stomachs were so affected. Several recovered ; but as I only saw one of them, which was recovering, and soon got well, and as notes of the _ post-mortevi examinations had not been made, I can EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 227 oiily form an opinion in that case by the state 1 found the one which was convalescent. Mr M'Call, veterinary surgeon, when at Irvine in July last, wrote to me an account of some cases of an analogous disease, which tend to show the spontaneous nature of the Einderpest. He says : " On the 9th I was called to a case of a cow belonging to Mr Weir, Meadowbank, Dundonald, which had been ill for three days. The symptoms were : a staring coat ; back arched ; extremities cold, drawn under the body ; pulse all but imperceptible ; head and neck arched and drawn back, and a little to the left side ; apparent paralysis of the optic nerves ; twitching of the muscles, more especially of the facial ; general trembling of the whole body ; tongue hanging from the side of the mouth, but not paralysed ; throat and lips in constant motion ; mouth full of foam. The animal stands fixed in the same spot, occasionally moves the ears, but is unconscious ; bowels irregular, fseces dark-coloured and voided in small quantities, but smell inoffensive. On the following day the animal was down, unable to move ; head drawn to left side ; trembling and twitching of the muscles ; unconscious ; faeces fluid, dark-coloured, and slightly offensive in smell ; died that day. Post-mortem examination showed the contents of the stomach pulpy. In the two first, little ingesta, but the other too full ; in the fourth, here and there red con- gested patches, but no ulceration. Gall-bladder distended ; other viscera healthy. On the 15th July, at the same place, a second cow was attacked: respiration quick; wild look; stagger- ing gait; secretion of milk gone ; faeces fluid and dark-coloured; does not ruminate ; pain on pressure on the abdomen ; pulse sixty, and weak ; died on the 17th. Pos^morfem appearances the same as the first, but contents of the omasum hard. Third case at the same place recovered from the treatment adopted. "A fourth case occurred at Ardurmains, near Ardrossan. Cow milked at 7 A.M., but gave little, and appeared giddy and moaning a little, but was sent to the field with the others. At eleven o'clock was observed to be pushing with hind quarters against the hedge, bellowing and foaming at the 228 NON-CONTAaiOUS NATUKE OF mouth. She was taken with difficulty to a straw-shed. Saw her within half an hour ; her hind quarters were pressed back in a corner of the shed; back arched; head elevated, and thrown back towards the back ; general shivering and tremb- ling ; twitching of the muscles of the face and anterior extremi- ties ; coat staring ; apparent paralysis of the optic nerves ; bellowing, and foaming at the mouth ; died in half an hour. Post mortem : lungs slightly congested ; stomach, with the exception of the third, healthy; but between the layers of the manyplies the contents were hard and dr}', and so firmly glued to the coats that most of the mucous membrane came off attached to the caked food, and the rest left the impression of the papillary surface on the dried matter. Brain healthy, and not presenting the slightest trace of inflammation. " Other two cases occurred next morning early, with the same symptoms, but much mitigated, and they recovered under treatment in a few days. Another case occurred at a farm belonging to Mr Howie, Kilwinning. Cow had been off her feeding for two days ; had little passage in her bowels, and was bled ; pulse forty-five, regular, but languid ; grunting ; extremities cold ; coat staring ; abdomen rather tympani- tic, and pain with pressure ; bowels constipated. Was sent for six hours afterwards ; found her bellowing, foaming at the mouth, blind, trembling, twitching of the facial muscles, and indeed all the muscles of the body, but more especially those of the fore extremities; head drawn back; hind quarters pressed hard against the corner of the barn, into which she had been put. The whole body at times was in violent motion. She died in about an hour afterwards, and the post-mortem appearance was found the same as those already described." In what has been called Fardel-bound, the symptoms of the affection of the head seldom occur, but diarrhoea always ensues. Such cases as those related occurred in many parts of the country during autumn, and appeared to arise from the dryness of the season, causing a want of water and a withered woody condition of the herbage — a condition which very pro- EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 229 bably existed where the Einderpest prevailed, but of which, whether or not it did exist, we have no proper account. This condition of the herbage during last summer gave rise in many situations to what is commonly called stomach -staggers in farm-horses. Now, if we look back to the description of the cases as given in Professor Simonds's paper, and in the letter I have qxioted, it will be seen that the most prominent symptoms are trembling of the body and twitching of the muscles. These are also prominent symptoms in Mr M'Call's cases. The animals stood with back arched and legs gathered under the body ; the head extended, the coat staring : remarkable dul- ness, and indisposition to move. All these symptoms are also found in Mr M'Call's cases. The eyes were somewhat intolerant to light, and afterwards were closed, and the animals were in a state of drowsiness. In the cases at Irvine the eyes became insensible to light ; both cases, therefore, showing an affection of the brain, which was also manifested by the animal's coun- tenance "being more animated than is generally seen." In those cases related by Mr M'Call, the excitement of the brain is only a more prominent symptom, but which, by the report from Memel, is also always present. Hence we have all the symptoms of Einderpest shown, except the diarrhcBa and dysentery, in those cases of Mr M'Call's. The bowels, how- ever, were in a loose state ; and although diarrhoea did not occur, it was apparently only in consequence of the animal's having been cut off by the greater violence and rapidity of the disease. But diarrhoea and dysentery are nothing uncommon in this country, and are well known to arise from matters taken into the stomach. Hence these diseases, one of which is generally a consequence of the other, must have been pro- duced by the food on which the animals are fed, perhaps combined with other causes, such as fatigue and want of water, or water of bad quality. These affections of the stomach and bowels at once explain all the other symptoms and conditions. The kind of discharge from the eyes and nostrils, the state of the blood, the flakes of lymph found in 230 NOjSr-CONTAaiOUS NATURE OF the air-passages and elsewhere, and the ulcerations, extending through the digestive organs, are only the natural consequences of the depletion and consequent weakness invariably produced by diarrhoea and dysentery. From what I have advanced, as well as from the facts of the disease related by Mr M'Call, and which occur every dry sea- son in this country, I think it must appear that the Pdnderpest and the disease I have noticed correspond ; and as nothing like contagion has produced it in this countiy, neither can we be satisfied that it is so produced on the Continent ; and I believe that it will ultimately be found to arise from causes similar to those prevailing here, and that we have a much safer guar- antee against its being brought to this country than either the wholesale slaughter of the cattle, or the cordons drawn round localities where the disease may have appeared. Instead of merely looking to the means of preventing contagion, we should endeavour to prevent the spread of those general diseases (which I contend are all epizootic) by investigating their causes, and adopting proper means for their prevention or cure. In many of these cases the simple allowance of a portion of common salt in the food, and sufficient watek to assist diges- tion, will be all that is required, and ought to be generally adopted at the season of the year when disease is most apt to occur. Such a plan I recommended in the case of the cattle in Dumfriesshire, already mentioned, and, I am informed, with perfect success. It is a convenient and comparatively easy mode of account- ing for almost any general disease by imputing it to conta- gion ; but the measures taken, in consequence, may be very serious. In this country we have not, as yet, gone the length of destroying animals even suspected of taint, but very incon- venient restrictions were placed on various articles of produce, and at one time the farmer was threatened with an advance on the price of his bone-dust in return for an imaginary pro- tection against disease. About a year ago there prevailed in Ohio a most destructive disease among swine, exhibiting many EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 231 of the symptoms of Einderpest ; and because a corresponding disease broke out in some places in Scotland, as well might I, on contagious principles, attribute its introduction to the im- portation of hams made in Ohio, as suppose that the Einder- pest could be propagated by importing the hides, horns, and bones of cattle that had died of it in Germany. Let it not be supposed that this address is dictated by any desire to criticise Professor Simonds's Eeport. Though differing on the subject of contagion, I entertain a high respect for that gentleman; but I deem it my duty not only to direct attention to what, in my opinion, are the real causes of disease, but to allay, as far as in my power, an alarm, unfounded in itself, and inconvenient, commercially and otherwise, in its results. STOMACH OR GEASS STAGGERS. During the past summer and autumn [1858], a disease, known by the name of Stomach or Grass Staggers, has prevailed among horses, and to some extent in cattle. This disease had rarely- occurred, within my recollection, until the end of June 1846, when it appeared as an epizootic. It was, however, well known in England, more especially in the south-west, and in Wales, and could be traced back there to nearly the middle of last century ; and, as stated in White's ' Farriery,' it had frequently destroyed a great number of horses. He says that in " a letter he had received from a gentleman of Swansea, it is stated that a disease has many times occurred among the horses that work in the mines, resembling stomach-staggers, which he had described in his ' Compendium of the Veterinary Art,' but in a more violent form. It has been so destructive at times, that one proprietor lost more than a hundred horses by it. It uniformly proved fatal, and though it was carefully investi- gated, no satisfactory account could be given of it." Although generally considered to be contagious. White had doubts on that point, because it appeared also to depend on other causes. It occurred most commonly among horses going at grass in low wet pastures, where the grass was coarse and rank ; and it was also supposed to arise from their eating a plant pos- sessing, it was believed, poisonous quality called ragwort, or staggerwort {Senecio jacobcea), or some other poisonous herb, which grows most abundantly in the summer and autumn. It seems to have first attracted notice in the south of England, particularly in 1819, the summer of which was hot and dry. STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. 233 White also mentions that it occurred in the summer of 1787, which was also hot and dry, with a wet spring, and an abun- dant crop of grass. In 1800 the summer was also hot and dry, and the disease prevailed. It is said of horses which were fed on the hay made that year, that a number were affected with the disease in one farm, while those in the next farm escaped, they having been turned to grass the following summer. It is stated by White's correspondent, that, after he began to con- sider the disease to be contagious, he had all the horses that died of it buried with their skins, and that it did not reappear for five years. The disease is said to have presented different forms ; and although it almost always proved fatal, it was much more rapid in some cases than others. The same fatality appears to have prevailed both in cattle and horses ; but since it made its appearance in this country, although it has proved very fatal in cattle, it has not generally been so in horses. The recovery, however, has often been slow and protracted. I have been induced to direct the attention of agriculturists to this subject, because I think I can explain in some measure the cause of it, and the means of prevention which are in their power. On Saturday the 25th September last, I was requested to see a horse belonging to Mr Isaac Scott, which had been brought from St Andrews to Granton, where he was stabled, as he could not be got home to Edinburgh. On taking him out of the box on board of the Burntisland steamboat, he had fallen and bruised his head severely, and required to be steadied and supported along the pier to the stable. On my arrival at Granton I found him labouring under a severe attack of Stomach or G-rass Staggers, as it has of late been called. His head was pressed into a corner of a loose-box in which he was placed, and it was nearly impossible to get him pushed back. He seemed unconscious ; his pulse was about forty, full and strong ; he would take nothing, and his bowels were in- active. He was therefore bled freely, a dose of laxative medi- cine given ; glysters were administered, and cold water applied 234 STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. constantly to his head. He got worse during the night, and died on Sunday morning. On Monday we made a post-mortem examination, when there was found a considerable degree of congestion of the lungs, and extensive inflammation of the stomach. There was a degree of congestion of the brain, and a considerable quantity of serum in the lateral ventricles. The plexus charoides was large; the membranes generally were congested, and there was much injection in the nasal cavities. He had been taken ill at St Andrews on the 22d, and ought not to have been removed, as he got much worse on the jour- ney. With proper treatment he might have recovered, as most other cases had done ; but, in one sense, the death was of im- portance, by the opportunity it afforded for an examination of the post-mortem appearances, of which comparatively few had occurred. Another fatal case has since occurred in a two-year-old colt belonging to a dealer, which was observed to be aifected with the disease at Hallow Fair. He had been brought to the fair from grass, and when found ill was turned out again. Next morning he was lying unable to rise ; he was therefore put into a cart, and carried home to the owner's stable, where, notwith- standing active treatment, he got worse, and died in two days. On examination of the body, the only morbid appearance that could be found was a degree of inflammation of the stomach, with desquamation of the cuticular coat. The brain was rather congested, and the anterior commissure of the cerebrum seemed slightly softened ; but no other lesion was found. At the time of the occurrence of the preceding case, another horse was brought to the forge for shoeing, which had recovered after having been affected with the disease for nearly two months. In this case, on the 4th August, the groom observed that he had almost lost the use of his legs, and supposed that he had injured his spine : he was quite giddy, and had fallen backwards. His gait was very unsteady; he staggered like a drunken man ; but on the whole he appeared lively, and his appetite was little impaired ; his pulse was a little slower than STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. 235 natural, but rather full. He was bled, and had physic, after the operation of which, the pulse becoming feeble, tonics were then given night and morning. Por a time he improved, but afterwards became stationary, and again got worse. Two doses of physic had been by this time given, but they had little effect, and a more active dose was administered, which was again followed by tonics. His head was bathed with cold water, and he was kept on a mash diet. Previous to the attack, he had been fed on cut grass and oats ; his work was moderate. He was about eighteen years old. After the last dose of physic he immediately began to improve, and in a fortnight thereafter he was quite well. For a time he was unfit for exercise, and was therefore kept quiet ; but as soon as he was able, gentle exercise was given, and he rapidly regained his strength. I have already stated that the disease has prevailed to a great extent during this summer and autumn, also in 1857, and has done so more or less since the summer of 1846, when it appeared as an epizootic, depending on particular circum- stances connected with the conditions of the food and the season. When it first broke out in the end of June 1846, I was in some degree taken by surprise, because amongst the first cases I was called to see were three in the same stable, in the neighbourhood of Corstorphine. Two of them had fallen down, and were with difficulty raised, and supported by sling- ing. All the others in the same stables became affected in a few days, but the whole ultimately recovered. Numerous cases occurred all round the country, but the disease was attended with little fatality. It has rarely occurred until the month of July, and continues during August and September, prevailing almost entirely where horses are being fed on over- ripe rye-grass, whether they are in the stable or at grass. The disease occurs suddenly, and, from the partial paralysis, leads to the belief that the animal has injured his spine. The symp- toms are certainly very analogous ; indeed the spinal chord is more affected than the brain, as is shown by the animal being 236 STOMACH OE GEASS STAGGERS. generally lively, although the voluntary muscles cannot act with firmness and precision, from the functions of the motor nerves being deranged. The disease appears to attack young and old indiscriminately — I have seen it in a one-year-old, and in a case at eighteen, as already stated. It generally attacks several on the same farm, and sometimes all the horses in a steading are seized with it. Farm-horses are more liable than any others, but neither carriage nor saddle horses are exempt. Wliite, Percival, and Youatt are of opinion that the disease arises from over-gorgement of the stomach. Blaine, who at one time was of a similar opinion, changed his views to a certain degree, and considered it to arise from an irritation, producing a specific inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, and considers the apparent affec- tion of the brain symptomatic, and calls it symptomatic phren- itis. Some of the French veterinary writers call it abdominal vertigo. It should be observed that "White states that the disease occurred when the summer months were hot and dry, and the grass abundant, and I have noticed during the last twelve years that the same kind of seasons has produced the disease here ; and from what I have seen, and the dissections I have made, I have come to the conclusion that it is produced by the over-ripeness of the rye-grass, especially when horses are kept on it after it has become dry, tough, and hard in the fibre. Eough coarse grasses, which spring up luxuriantly on moist grounds in such seasons, appear also to give rise to it. The stomach is not only liable to derangement from the quality and condition, but also from the quantity, of the food, and the time and manner in which it is given, as also the suddenness of change from one kind of food to another ; and these effects vary under many circumstances, sometimes producing staggers, from inflammation of the stomach, or from over-gorging, or perhaps rupture of the stomach, perhaps founder. A farmer, living a short distance south from Edinburgh, called on 23d STOMACH OP. GRASS STAGGERS. 237 October to consult me regarding four of his horses which had become foundered within the preceding three days. He told me that he had changed his feeding, within a week, from hay and oats three times a-day to cut and bruised food with steamed potatoes at night, with other boiled food, a pailful of which was given to each horse for supper. This, I told him, was the cause of the whole mischief, and the means of prevention was, simply to divide the pailful into two halves, and to give the one half after returning to the stable, and the other half three hours later. By this means the disease was checked, and with proper treatment those affected speedily recovered. As these horses had been fed on hay and oats, nothing occurred among them till a change was made. On an adjoining farm, on one hand, where the horses were fed on grass, seven of them were affected with stomach-staggers — and on the other hand, in another farm, a filly, one and a half years old, was attacked at grass ; all of them, however, recovered. In West Lothian, as well as Mid-Lothian, the disease has prevailed to a considerable extent, bat the patients have generally recovered. From the post-mortem appearances of the two cases I have related, it wUl be seen that it is more correct to consider the disease as one arising from an inflammation of the stomach than an overloading of it ; for although over-distension of the or»an is a frequent cause of disease and death, the symptoms are indeed very different from that of the disease I have been de- scribing. I have no doubt that in most of those cases described by "White, Percival, and Youatt, over-distension of the stomach has been found, which accounts for the fatal results ; but in the disease as it has occurred here, there has been the absence of that condition. The over-distension, as it takes place in this country, is more apt to produce rupture, or founder, or a fatal tympanitis ; but in grass-staggers, as it has generally presented itself here, the horse is observed to have a peculiar o-iddiness ; he reels as he walks ; if turned quickly, he falls on his side or quarter, and rises with difficulty ; if puUed by the 238 STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. head by the halter, he is apt to draw back and fall over ; his pulse is lower than natural ; he eats and drinks sparingly ; he is lively, and rather rash in his movements when moved or led out, and is in danger of falling ; he is rather costive, and his dung of a dark colour. But the principal symptom is the kind of paralysis, or want of power to direct his motions. In cattle, however, as I have already observed, the disease is much more fatal, as will be seen by the following account of four cases, reported by Mr Colin C. Baird, V.S., Cupar-Fife, in July last : — I send you a report of four cases ■wliicli came under my observation last month. As they were all affected with the same disease, and symptoms so similar, I don't think it necessary to particularise each case ; three of them terminated fatally after four days' illness, and one recovered. Every season, generally in the months of June and July, there is a number of cattle affected with a disease known in this locality by the name of Grass-Ill, as it always takes place when they are at grass. It is also called Head Disease, owing to the brain becoming affected. On the 21st ultimo I was called to a cow at a farm in this neighbour- hood. She was observed in the park to be unwell, and away from the rest. She was brought into the byre, where I found her standing with her back arched, all her four feet placed far underneath her ; also a kind of shivering or twitching of the voluntary muscles at the neck, shoulders, and hind quarters ; horns, ears, and extremities exceedingly cold ; her coat staring, nose dry, and eyes glassy, with her belly very much tucked in ; refusing food ; rumination suspended ; bowels not operating ; pulse sixty-four ; respiration not disturbed. On the following day there was no great difference on her, but the extreme coldness had gone off. The third day I found her much worse, and changed into another byre, as the dairymaid said she had such a sickly smell, and having a low short cough, they did not like her among the other cows. Her pulse was very fast, and scarcely perceptible ; a dirty-looking mucus about the nostrils ; eyes siuik ; and an accumulation of yellow matter at their inner angles. There was also a constant chinking or grinding of the teeth. She kept sinking, and died on the following morning, and was then removed to a field and skinned, and allowed to lie till the evening, that I might have an opportunity of making a post-mortem examination. I found the carcass perfectly firm, the meat had a healthy appearance ; but on cutting it up, the blood in the vessels was quite fluid, very dark in colour, almost black. I had not time to make such a minute examination as you would have STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. 239 wished. The rumen contained about the usual quantity of ingeata, and appeared quite healthy ; also the reticulum. The omasum, in some parts, was slightly inflamed, but in this case the contents were quite moist, and in a healthy state. The mucous membrane of the abomasum was inflamed, or highly congested, and small ulcers on its surface ; as was also the case with the large intestines. All the other organs appeared healthy. The lungs were of a beautiful pink colour, without blood in them. There was fluid under the coverings or membranes, and also in the ventricles of the brain. The second case was exactly similar to the above. The third case that came under my notice had the same appearances, with the exception of the omasum, the contents being perfectly dry and hard. The fourth case was a cow I had an opportunity of seeing in the earliest stage. I happened to be at the farm when she was observed by the maid to be uneasy and inclined to kick when milking. I was asked to go to the byre and look at her. She appeared dull, pulse natural, breathing quite easy, nose dry, horns and ears warm. The most visible symptom was the tucking-in of the belly after being out at grass all day. I at once gave her a strong dose of purgative medicine, and applied cold- water cloths to the head, and a rug to keep the surface of the body warm. The second day she was worse, the twitchings had come on, coat staring, and extremities cold ; her four feet all placed near each other ; grinding her teeth ; eyes more sunk ; pulse between seventy and eighty. She was loosed from the stake and allowed to move about ; but she was perfectly blind, and went against any object that stood before her. As her bowels were not operating, I gave her some linseed-oil and tincture of opium. The third day she seemed rather easier, and inclined to eat a little out of the hand, which gave me some hope of her recovery. Her bowels were also operating, which they generally do on the third day. She was allowed well-boiled gruel, treacle, and strong ale. As they have great difficulty in swallowing in these cases, it requires to be given with caution. The fourth day she was much worse, the twitching of the voluntary muscles more severe ; horns, ears, and extremities cold ; pulse almost imperceptible ; peculiar short cough ; and a sickly smell. I gave her two drachms of calomel, and contunied the strong ale and tincture of opium. In the evening she seemed rather easier, and gradually recovered, taking about three weeks before she could go with the other cattle. When a disease assumes an epidemic or endemic form, such as pleuro- pneumonia, colds, strangles, &c., in horses, where there is no apparent cause to be seen, it is generally attributed to infection. But in cases of grass-ill, if we are right in our speculation, the cause comes more within our reach. As to the disease always taking place at the same period of the year — when the rye-grass arrives at a certain stage of ripeness, and is full of seed — we must assign the cause to some narcotic principle which 240 STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. acts powerfully on the mucous membrane, and also on the nervous system, perhaps an ergot. One farmer in this neighbourhood, two years ago, had fifteen cattle grazing in one park ; thirtean were affected, and only one recovered, and had to be fed out of the hand, taking about three weeks till it got well. I did not attend any of them, but had an opportunity of seeing two of them, and the symptoms were the same as I have described. The two that were not affected were changed to different pasture, or in all likeli- hood would have died also. The foreman, who is an intelligent man, told me that in some of the cases the disease ran its course more rapidly than in others. Some of them died on the second day, others on the third, and the fourth was the longest period any of them lived after being seized. After death he opened the most of them, supposing the moniplies to be the seat of the disease ; in some cases he found them dry and hard, in others moist and healthy. Every year also, at the same period, we have a great many horses affected with stomach-staggers. Although the symptoms are different, and not so fatal, yet I believe the cause to be the same which induces it in them both. In the horse, a dose of physio and change of diet will often effect a cure ; but if they are allowed to go on with the same food after they are affected, they will become so much paralysed as to be unable to turn round without falling ; and when walking, they stagger about like a drunken man. I attended a farm-mare this season which had three attacks of it, just because, as soon as she got well, she was allowed the same grass which induced the disease at first. Ultimately she had to be taken off the grass altogether. In cattle, I believe, more can be done by way of prevention than cure. Whenever the disease is seen, a change of pasture is advisable. If that cannot be accomplished, troughs should be put down in the parks con- taining common salt ; they wUl lick it freely. They should also have free access to water. After reading Professor Simonds's ' Report of Rinderpest,' and by your telling me to pay particular attention to the symptoms, progress, and termination of the disease, and also to the post-mortem appearances, I think there is a very close analogy to the cases I have described and rinderpest, but the disease is generally established before I am called in, and one visit per day is the only opportunity I have of seeing them. In all the fatal cases I have seen, the animals refuse food from the com- mencement of the attack. The action of the bowels is also suspended. Diarrhcea generally sets in the third day with those that survive over that period. They generally drink water of their own accord. Not only are horses and cattle liable to the disease, but sheep, and especially lambs, suffer from it. In a letter I had lately from Mr Brydon, Traquair, he states that lambs are STOMACH OB. GRASS STAGGERS. 241 often destroyed by eating the tops of rye-grass ; that he has found the tops of rye-grass, two or three inches in length, in their stomachs, causing inflammation. From what has been stated it wiU appear that, when the rye-grass begins to ripen, a change should be made in the food, by placing the animals on other pasture. The grass should be cut before it has quite ripened, as it will be found in that state innocuous ; for although White says that, in a case already alluded to, the hay of a previous year's grass produced the disease, it seems more than probable the hay had been over- ripe when made, and that the process of withering had not destroyed the irritating or noxious, perhaps narcotic, quality of the over-ripe grasses. One thing is certain — that a change of diet is necessary, and is beneficial in all such cases. The bowels must be cleared out by physic ; blood freely abstracted at first, although the pulse is slower than natural ; the head kept cold with a cloth or cold water, or a blister applied as a counter-irritant. After the bowels have been opened, stimu- lants and tonics may be given with advantage. If relief has not speedily taken place, the physic must be repeated, with bleeding, if the pulse is full, followed by the other treatment, with a mash diet, bran and boiled linseed, turnips, carrots, a few potatoes (boiled or raw), with well-boiled oatmeal gruel. A small allowance of natural hay, instead of grass, should be given. In cattle, bleed and give repeated doses of physic, such as a pound of linseed oil and 1^ drachm of croton beans pow- dered, followed by IJ lb. common salt and | lb. treacle, with 4 drachms ginger, with plenty of water to drink ; boiled food, such as turnips ; bran-mashes, with boiled linseed and scalded hay, as food. If the physic does not operate in twelve hours, it should be repeated, and its action from the first solicitated by throwing up repeated injections of salt and warm water. In some seasons this disease runs on to a wild delirium, forming the basis of rabies ; but as this has not been the case lately, and as its consideration would open up a wide, and Q 242 STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. in many respects a new field, I shall abstain from entering upon it. It may be worthy of remark that epilepsy, or common staggers, has also been more frequent than usual, and in some cases has terminated fatally, while the generality of them have been both pecuhar and severe. I have been consulted in several cases of this kind within the last fortnight of Novem- ber, among which was an example of two horses being seized at the same time in the same carriage, although the disease rarely takes place so late in the season, which of itself is indi- cative of an epizootic tendency ; and Mr Collins, V.S., 16th Lancers, has favoured me with the following account of a peculiar example : — AFFECTION OF THE BRAIN IN STRANGLES. The animal in question is a very promising four-year-old mare, show- ing plenty of breeding, and one of a hatch of forty I purchased in Ireland, as remounts for the regiment in February last. She became the subject of strangles in March, and at the same time when half of these new arrivals were similarly ailected. The disease appeared with its usual characteristic symptoms of cough, fever, sore throat, and discharge from nostrils. On the 27th March an abscess on either side of the neck, and in close connection with the parotid glands, formed, and was opened on the 9th April, discharging a large quantity of pus. Another abscess formed in the submaxillary space, and was opened on the 18th, and by the end of the month these various lesions had nearly healed ; but there was an excited manner about the mare I could not well account for, and she showed this eccentricity more especially when you came suddenly to the door of her box. Her eyes would appear wUd, and all four legs become rigid ; this however, was but for a second. 2d May. — A message was sent to me that the mare was mad. On my ■vdsiting her, T found the head in a corner firmly fixed against the wall, with all four legs separated, and the body swaying from side to side — pulse thirty-six. These symptoms remained about an hour. 3d May. — Was heard to fall when her attendant was about opening the door, and was found prostrate — eyes closed. I found any sudden noise would apparently bring her to consciousness for a few seconds, and, vice versd, alarm her ; when feeding, she would fall, and present the coma- tose state for a few seconds. I adopted the usual system of treatment all throiigh this case, till the cerebral affection declared itself, when ener- getic measures were called for. The hair I had shaved off the temples STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. 243 and poll, applying ungt. cantharid., and ordered liydr. c. oreta. one scruple, pulv. opii. five grains morning and night. The appetite being good during the remission of the symptoms, I ordered anything soft and nourishing she would eat to be placed within her reach. The attacks were about three a-day, and from two to three hours' duration, until the 29th May, when they became milder and less frequent— the medicine being continued the whole of this time. M June. — The cerebral symptoms subsided. I ordered ferri. sulph. gent. rad. zingib. rad., of each a drachm and a half twice daily. She was very thin, but lively. Half-an-hour's quiet exercise allowed daily. 10th June. — Again presented the comatose fits. Discontinued the tonics, and repeated the original balls — head blistered. 20th June. — Doing well. The fits had not shown the last two days. 26th June. — ^Discontinued the mercury. The hair fell off the body in large patches. Gave pot. iodid. one scruple; gent, ad., zingib. rad., of each one and a half drachms. Feeding well, and very lively, but greatly emaciated. Liberal diet allowed. lOth July. — Much improved. Nearly the whole of her coat has fallen off, and is being replaced by a luxurious crop of new hair. I6th July. — Discontinued the tonics. She is picking up flesh rapidly. ist August. — Discharged cured. 10th September. — Sent to the school to be broken in. 20tfi October. — Has continued at work till the 10th ult., and is now very strong and lively, looking well and feeding well, and is a great favourite with all who have to do with her. Although this case is rather a peculiar one, I am of opinion that it has been in a considerable degree dependent on the same causes as the others ; because it is a well-known fact that much may be done to prevent the occurrence of common staggers or epilepsy in horses by simply having their head turned round in the stall for half an hour before riding or driving, to allow time for the stomach to get unloaded before active exertion is made by the animal ; and it is still further confirmed by the occurrence of a case of stomach staggers in the regiment since the above was written. I was called to another case on the 9th December, when, on inquiry, I found the horse was feeding on rye-grass hay without any clover in it. I feel that I might have entered into greater detail on the subject of this address ; but I am unwilling, by engrossing too 244 STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. much of the time of the meeting, to prevent other members of the profession, whose presence I am gratified to observe, from commimicating the results of their experience, as I know well that they are eminently qualified to exhaust whatever I have overlooked. Mr Brydon, V.S., Traquair, PeeMessliire, then said,— As Professor Dick has already spoken on staggers in horses and cattle, perhaps I may he allowed to say a few words as to the eifect of that disease on sheep. Being situated in a sheep district, I have been carefully studying their diseases, and find much mortality is caused by grass staggers, arising from the state of the pasture on which they feed. The sort of food that is likely to produce the symptoms I will presently describe is that of an indigestible nature — in fact, wherever the woody fibre has a considerable preponderance over the more easily digested and succulent material ; that the presence of such material in the stomach and alimentary canal being susceptible of producing an impairment or deprivation of nervous or mus- cular energy. We have many proofs of such, not only in sheep, but also in horses and cattle. As regards the symptoms, they are very well marked ; one of the first is a staggering gait, reeling about as though the legs were unable to perform their duty ; this is more particularly seen in the hind than in the fore legs. When the disease is a little advanced, the oppres-sion of the brain becomes more distinct ; the animals hang their head, and seem quite luiconscious. There is no inflammation or feverishness present ; the disease only consists in a torpid state of the digestive organs. As the case becomes worse, they generally get down, dash their head about, are very irritable, and seem to have lost their senses almost entirely. When the case has arrived thus far, the animal gene- rally dies. Lambs feeding on rye-grass are very liable to be aifected with these staggers. I have taken fibres of the rye-grass 2^ inches in length from the stomach of Iambs which were affected with staggers and para- lysis. Careful observers may see the lambs nipping the tops of the rye- grass, and eating the fihry parts ; and such lambs will soon become affected with staggers. Hoggs put on to hay-stuhble, where the bottom of clover ma}' have been picked up by other animals, will become affected with staggers very fast, and suffer from what is known by shepherds as the " louping ill." I knew a farm lately, where the arable land had lain in grass nearly a lease ; a new tenant ploughed it, and turned the sheep subject to the parks on to the hill — a complete change of pastiu'e ; the consequence was, numbers took staggers and died, caused entirely by the sudden change from the soft nutritious grasses of the parks to the more irritable of the hill. Some of our hill pasture is more of an irritable nature than others — as instance, part of the hill for miles on the north side of the Tweed possesses a considerable amount of natural clover, and the grass is of a finer description. On that side we have less disease in STOMACH OR GRASS STAGGERS. 245 the sheep of all kinds. On the south side the pasture is of a different nature, the land being mostly wet and boggy, with coarse fibry grass, which ground is much affected with staggers and other diseases. "We have found, where Italian rye-grass is substituted in place of that com- monly used by the farmer, that there is much less disease, it being more succulent and easily digested. Change of feeding is at once obvious as a preventive, that the bowels may be kept in a lax state. ON PARALYSIS IN LAMBS AND SCAB IN SHEEP.''^ PARALYSIS IN LAMBS. At the monthly meeting of the Society on the 15th December 1858, I read a communication on the subject of Stomach or Grass Staggers in Horses, which had prevailed to a great extent during the previous summer and autumn, and I am induced to resume this subject in consequence, not only of the recurrence of the disease in horses, but from the occurrence of a similar disease in cattle and sheep, or more especially in lambs, in many parts both of England and Scotland. Early last summer. Professor Goodsir was consulted as to the cause of so great a number of lambs becoming affected with paralysis of the hinder extremities, and I also had communications on the same subject. Among others I had a letter from an old pupil of mine, Mr Waldie, residing and in practice at Jed- burgh, in which he states — I take the liberty of writing you regarding a disease that is attacking a numljer of lambs on a farm in this district. The disease is a kind of paralysis, or rather a want of nervous energy. A weakness in the hack comes on suddenly, and gradually increases ; they tumble over when sud- denly approached, and when they get away, drag their hind legs. They are generally in good condition when seized, but gradually pine away to poverty if allowed to go on. I may state that the disease has been pre- valent on several farms in the district. In similar circumstances it hap- pens after the land has been limed, and goes off again when the lime begins to get exhausted. The land where it prevails is the sloping land from the vale of the Teviot, and it is dry. The soil is a mixture of sand and red clay, with a strong red clay suhsoU. The farms where the disease has been prevalent have, with one exception, a freestone hottom. " This article formed the address at the monthly meeting of the Highland and Agricultural Societj', 11th April 1860. PARALYSIS IN LAMBS. 247 A short time after the receipt of this letter, Professor Good- sir called on me, and as he had had one or two lambs sent him, with an offer of others, I requested him to obtain one or two for observation and experiment. Professor Goodsir accord- ingly got two sent me, one from East Lothian, and the other from Mr Monro, Fairnington, Kelso. The latter came on the 4th July, the other some days previously. The first was quite paralysed in the hind legs, the other was comparatively slightly affected. They were both put under treatment by first clearing out their bowels by a dose of common salt (which was occa- sionally repeated), and afterwards sulphate of iron, given in doses of one or two drachms daily, and one dose afterwards given night and morning. The first, which had been under treatment previous to the other arriving, appeared to be rapidly improving, but afterwards relapsed, although the medicine was continued, and completely lost the power of using its hind legs. The other, on arrival, was put under similar treatment ; two ounces of common salt were given, dissolved in water, as a purgative ; and when her bowels were cleared out, two drachms of sulphate of iron were given night and morning ; and this animal gradually recovered. They were both fed on clover grass, and after it was consumed, on the best clover hay. They were both kept on till November, in order that my students might have the opportunity of seeing the symp- toms and progress of the disease, as well as the post mortem appearances, which were fully developed. The one belonging to Mr Monro was sent home about the 12th December, and the other was killed, and a careful post-mortem examination made by Dr Young, one of my assistant lecturers, his depart- ment being Physiology and Microscopic Anatomy. After conversing with Professor Goodsir on the subject, Dr Young wrote out the following statement ; — Notes on the Spinal Cord of three Lamhs. — According to Professor Goodsir, the two spinal cords examined by Mm were in a softened condi- tion. The softening appeared to be confined principally to the dorsal portion, and indicated itseK by the slight collapse of the cut surface when a section was made through it. The cervical as well as the lumbar por- 248 PARALYSIS IN LAMBS. tion was found to possess the normal degree of hardness. On making a microscopic examination of the softened portion, the nerve cells as well as the nerve tubes presented their usual appearance, no trace of any struc- tural alteration being observable ; on the other hand, there appeared to be an increase of the iU-defined granular matter, such as is always seen on sections of the cord. The granular matter alluded to floated in a quan- tity of fluid between the nervous elements ; whUe the latter, as already mentioned, were unaltered. In the lamb which I examined, and in which the disease was allowed to run its course for a considerably longer period than those examined by Professor Goodsir, a different condition of the cord presented itself. Instead of being softened, it appeared to be unusually hard, and on making a microscopic examination, I found that, while the nervous elements, both cells and tubes, presented no visible structural alterations, a smaU quantity of a homogeneous tissue, which may be regarded as fibrous tissue, appeared to be situated between the nerve elements. In the absence of more extended observations, the following conclusions may be drawn : — The disease under consideration evidently consists of a subacute inflammation of the cord, as shown by the effusion of fluid and deposition of granular amorphous matter between structural elements. As the disease became more chronic, however, the fluid would appear to be absorbed, and its place supplied by homogeneous fibrous tissue. In other words, the functions of the spinal cord are destroyed, not by any structural alteration of the proper nerve elements, but by an inflamma- tory action of the connecting tissue. Along with the lambs sent to Professor Goodsir there was transmitted a small quantity of the grasses taken from the fields in which they were pasturing, among which were found several plants of a poisonous nature, such as some of the ranunculus and hellebore. My assistant, Mr Strangeways, informs me that in a field in Wharfdale, in the neighbourhood of Otley, in Yorkshire, he observed eight or nine lambs affected with this peculiar paralysis, and he was therefore induced carefully to examine the field, and in doing so found a large quantity of the grass of the previous year full of ergot ; in another field, in which were two of these lambs affected, he also found grass in the same state. He intended to have fol- lowed out his observations this year, but has been prevented by being appointed to lecture here. The subject, however, is one worthy of further research. Mr Brydon made some remarks on the subject when I read PAEALYSIS IN LAMBS. 24-9 my last paper to the Society, and in a letter I had from him he informs me that, in the district about Traquair, there are every season more or less cases of paralysis in lambs, but the greatest number in hot and dry seasons. He says — I have examined numbers of them, and find the stomach to he the seat of the disease, but the brain and spinal cord also affected. In the stomach of lambs, on dissection, I have always found a pultacious mass of wool, grass, clay, and milk. Badly-nursed lambs are the most apt to become affected, as they are most liable to take wool into their stomachs. When there is little or no milk on the ewe, the lambs suck the wool and swal- low it, and at the same time taking grass before they are able to rumi- nate properly. It is also produced by rye-grass when they are further advanced, as in. the months of July and August. At that time good fat lambs often become affected by eating the tops of dry rye-grass, but there is then little loss, as they are quite tit for the butcher. From the facts stated by Mr Brydon, of the disease being most common in dry and hot summers, and from the observa- tions of poisonous herbs discovered by Mr Strangeways, it appears most probable that the disease is produced by the ergot on the grass. Mr Finlay Dun has shown in his treatise that, as a poison, ergot affects the nervous system, producing, after a variable time, depression and paralysis, more especially of the hinder extremities ; and the experiments of Dr Samuel Wright, to which also Mr Dun refers, corroborate that opinion. I think that, in all probability, the disease is the effect of the poisonous influence of the ergot, and as it must act on the ewe as well as the lambs, it is very probable that in those cases where the lamb is affected either at or immediately after its birth, the affection must have been occasioned by the influence of the poison upon the mother, especially as the power of the poison is not very active or immediate. From what has been stated it will appear that something may be done as a means of prevention, and for this purpose I think it would be desirable to have a plot of young grass pre- pared every year, to turn the ewes and lambs on for a part of every day, or to give them a small quantity of linseed cake, as a means of clearing out the bowels, and thereby preventing 250 PARALYSIS IN LAMBS. the bad effects of any poisonous vegetable that may grow in the field. From the experiments I have made, as well as the investi- gations of others, I have come to the conclusion that the dis- ease may be successfully treated, by giving, on the first appear- ance of it, a dose of common salt suffi-cient to purge the lamb, and to foUow that with a tonic or stimulating treatment, the simplest of which would be the sulphate of iron, in doses of 1 or 2 drachms daily, or twice a-day, according to the severity of the case, with as much ginger and 2 oz. treacle ; many other remedies might be suggested, such as vegetable tonics, or even electricity, &c., but I think that which I have mentioned is the simplest, cheapest, and best. In some parts of the country this disease is called the " louping-ill" by the shepherds, as the lambs make frequent convulsive efforts to rise ; and I am of opinion that, while there is a close connection between these diseases, there is a marked distinction, inasmuch as in loup- ing-ill there is evidently an affection of the brain as well as the paralysis of the limbs, while in the cases of simple paralysis the brain did not appear to be affected ; at least such was the case in the examples I had the opportunity of seeing. I am, however, of opinion that in both nearly the same causes pro- duce these diseases — namely, the kind or quality and condition of the food operating on the digestive organs, and through them on the brain or nervous system ; and I am the more in- clined to this opinion, from the result of a case of louping-ill which was sent to the college many years ago by Mr Steedman, Boghall, in which the animal completely recovered, and in the following season produced two lambs, after being put under the treatment which I have recommended. This leads me to remark that too little attention is paid to the securing of proper food for sheep, and I have no doubt both louping-ill and sturdy are materially increased by coarse and innutritious grasses, and want of proper sheds for shelter, of which there is proof in the difference of the prevalence of these diseases in some localities on the opposite banks of the PARALYSIS IN LAMBS. 251 Tweed ; on one side the grasses are coarse, in many places on the other side fine. Mr Brydon, V.S., Peebles, informs me of a case where a farmer near Traquair, some years ago, had 20 per cent of sturdy, arising from keeping his hoggs on very bare pasture; but now, by keeping them on better pasture, and giving a portion of rape-cake and a few turnips, for two years past sturdy has almost disappeared, even although the shepherds keep as many dogs as formerly. Mr Brydon re- marks that he " can find nothing so important, as the means of preventing louping-iLl and sturdy, as ploughing up hill- pasture where that can be done, so as to get a good bottom of clover. In many parts, too, by a Little care and trouble in irrigation, good meadow hay might be secured, and this given daily to hoggs, with I lb. of rape or linseed cake when grass is scarce, they would be kept in good health and condition." It has been supposed by Kuchenmester and Siebold, two German physiologists, that if lambs are made to swallow tape- worm taken from the dog, they speedily become affected with sturdy ; the ova of the tape-worm, getting into the circulation of the sheep, is deposited in the brain, and there becomes developed into the hydatid, causing sturdy. It would, how- ever, require an immense quantity of the feculent discharge from two or three dogs, and that containing an immense quantity of tape-worm ova, to be distributed over a hiU, to cause the sturdy to the extent of the number found affected. But I have been informed by Mr Williamson, hxmtsman, St Boswells, of a curious fact, which goes far to contradict the notion of sturdy being produced in the manner these physio- logists suppose. He says that he has a field near St Boswells, in which he exercises his pack of hounds, both young and old, up tUl the hunting season begins, after which it is pastured by sheep, and he has never heard of a sheep being attacked with sturdy there. The field, being well manured by the dogs' dung, produces rich pasturage, and this does not appear to produce any injurious consequences. The dryness of last summer, by producing a premature ripe- 252 SCAB IN SHEEP. ness of the grasses, and over-ripeness rendering them astrin- gent, appears to me, in combination with the ergot, to be the cause of the disease. As a means of preventing it, I would therefore suggest an allowance of linseed or rape cake, and to have a field of young clo^■er in reserve to turn them on for a portion of the day, so that the digestive organs may be kept in a healthy state. The necessity of this is shown by the fol- lowing account of what Mr Dow, one of my students, saw at Amulree last September. At that time a great many flocks passed that place towards the south, all of which had a greater or less number affected with louping-ill. In one flock, con- sisting of 1400, there were twenty-six deaths before they left Amulree. Mr Dow took fourteen under treatment, of Avhich twelve recovered. The treatment consisted in giving 3 oz. Epsom salts, ^ oz. ginger, and 4 oz. treacle ; next morning, 2 oz. common salt with treacle ; and by adopting this treat- ment, he was informed that they scarcely lost any others on their j ourney. On dissecting those which died, he found the third stomach filled with dry and hard fibrous grasses un- changed, and the plies of the stomach inflamed. SCAB IN SHEEP. If I have not already exhausted your patience, I would wish to bring under your notice some communications I have re- ceived on another disease of sheep — viz. the scab — which shows the effects of ignorance and prejudice to a great extent both in England and also in Iceland. In October last I received a letter and some other papers from Mr Lambert of Manchester, father of three of my pupils, giving me an account of a curious case which had taken place at Lincoln. " A lot of twenty-nine sheep were sent to the market ; nine of them were bad ones, some of them scabbed, the other twenty very clean, and 48s. per head was refused for them. The policeman took the nine from the man having charge of them in the market. The per- son in charge immediately started for home with the twenty sound ones. When he had gone a distance on the road, the SCAB IN SHEEP. 253 constable overtook him on the highway, and, seizing the twenty- sheep for which £48 had been refused, they were all destroyed. The owner, Mr Copland, was fined £20, and could get no re- dress." He was summoned before three of the magistrates of Lincoln, and condemned under the Act for the prevention of the spread of the sheep-pox (variola ovina) in 1848, but which was not intended to apply to scabbed sheep. The only Act which has ever been passed respecting the scab in sheep is the 38th George III., cap. 65, which does not prevent, and was never intended to prevent, the sale of scabbed sheep, but merely attaches penalties to knowingly and wilfully stocking commons and other open and unenclosed places with scabbed sheep, and so spreading the disease. Mr Copland consulted Professor Symonds as to the non-identity of the scab and small- pox in sheep, and the following is his opinion in answer to the questions put to him : — 1. Do you happen to know whetlier it was intended by the legislature that the Act in question (11 & 12 Vict., cap. 107) should or should not extend to sheep affected with the scab 1 Ans. The Act was not intended to apply to any disease save and except the small-pox in sheep. In the passing of the Act, the words, " or any disorder of the like nature," " oxen, bulls, cows, calves," " either of such disorders as aforesaid," &c. &c., were omitted to be struck through. Small- pox is a disease specially belonging to sheep, and not affecting other ani- mals. Small-pox ceased entirely in England about three years after the passing of the Act, and it has had no existence in this country since that time. 2. Is the scab in sheep " a disorder of the like nature '' with the disorder known or described as the sheep-pox, or the variola ovina, mentioned in the Act ? and if not, in what respect and to what extent does it diifer 1 Ans. Scab in sheep is not of the like nature as the sheep-pox, nor does it bear any resemblance to that disease ; it is a disease which depends upon the presence of acari or mites on the skin, is entirely local, and although it produces loss of condition in the animal affected, does not otherwise de- teriorate the quality of the flesh : scab-sheep are, consequently, fit for food. Small-pox is a constitutional disease highly infectious, very destructive to life and renders the flesh of the animal unfit for food. — (With reference to the symptoms, both constitutional and local, of the sheep-pox, see Symonds ' On Variola Ovina.') 3. Is not the scab frequently met with in sheep, and does it not admit of a perfect and ready cure ? 254 SCAB IN SHEEP. Am. Scab is a disease of frequent occurrence among sheep. Animals having been badly kept, and exposed to wet and changeable weather, par- ticularly if long-wooUed sheep, are thereby rendered more susceptible of the infection ; its communication from one animal to another depends upon the acari travelling from sheep to sheep. It admits both of a per- fect and ready cure ; the longer the disease has existed, the more difficult it is to eradicate. 4. Are sheep slightly affected with scab considered unfit for food ? — (See repUes to second question.) Professor Symonds further remarks as follows : — Had small-pox existed in this country, and supposing the animals in question to have been affected therewith, then the order by the magis- trates for their destruction, being accompanied by a power to dispose of the skins, would have been an effectual means of extending the disease to other sheep — the virus of that disease being located in the skin. No two diseases affecting the same animal can differ more from each other than scab and small-pox, and never was it intended by the legislature that the Act should apply to any other disease save and except the small-pox, or diseases of the like nature, supposing they had existence ; there are none, in fact. The opinion of counsel was taken, and it proved to be so much in favour of the Act of 1848 including within its provi- sions scabbed sheep, that Mr Copland is left without a remedy for the injury done him. It is clear, from what Mr Symonds says, that the legislature did not intend to include scab. It therefore appears to me that the Society ought to look into this Act and get it amended, otherwise it may happen that some other parties may have sheep seized and destroyed in far greater numbers on some future occasion ; and as I agree with Mr Symonds that the flesh is not injured by scab farther than that the sheep are prevented from thriving owing to the irrita- tion it produces, and as the disease can readily be cured, such wholesale destruction ought not to take place. If ignorance, prejudice, and fanaticism were allowed to proceed, as has been the case in Iceland wholesale, we might soon have our hiU- stocks thinned, and our supply of mutton materially abridged. I may here give you an account of what took place nearly two years ago in Iceland, from communications I have had from E. M. Smith, Esq., regarding this disease, during 1857-8 : — SCAB IN SHEEP. 255 A disease had existed among the sheep throughout that country for some years, caused very probably by pasturing too many on the scanty herbage, increased, no doubt, by the long winter of 1856-7, and the want thereby of sufficient food ; but the wise men of Iceland thought otherwise, being of opinion that it was a disease imported into the island, not only incurable, but so contagious, that when any disease was found in a flock, the whole must of necessity become diseased. At a meeting of the Althing, or Parliament, held every two years at Reykjavik, the capital, in June 1857, there being twenty-five representa- tives present, it was moved by one of the members, and put to the assem- bly, — That wherever throughout the country the disease showed itself among the sheep, the whole flock should be shot down. After several days of hot debate, this extraordinary proposition was carried by a majority of 21 to 4. In vain the minority protested, and the governor, the inspec- tor of physicians, and one or two others, desired that the usual appeal should be made to the King of Denmark, maintaining that the disease was curable. It was ruled that this was a matter for home legislation and immediate action, and therefore the order for extermination was given. The sub-governor of the North, fired with zeal for the cause, had already commenced the work of destruction. The sub-governor of the West, only a little less tardy, willingly lent his aid ; and even in the south and east of the island, the people, by a mad infatuation, joined in the crusade, and a number, estimated by some at not less than 40,000, and by others even at 60,000, were destroyed. The result of numerous inquiries as to the number of actually diseased sheep among the number thus shot down, gives an estimate not exceeding 9,000 to 10,000. The number of sheep in Iceland, calculated from the returns of a small tax levied on the proprietors, is 400,000, but the nimiber is supposed to be somewhat larger. The number of inhabitants is about 70,000. The nature of the disease having been fully explained to you by the veterinary doctors who were sent out from Copenhagen by the Govern- ment early this year, I need say nothing on that subject. I met these gentlemen in different parts of Iceland, labouring to overcome the mad frenzy of the people, by getting them, under their directions, to cure the sheep. In this they have succeeded to a great extent. From the physician-inspector at Reykjavik I have just received a let- ter, in which he says, — " The sickness amongst the sheep has lessened very much, and the cured sheep are stronger than before. I have, therefore, won my battle. The Veterinary Council at Copenhagen has declared that I was quite right, and that the governors of the north and west of Iceland were quite wrong." It is an open question whether, by curing the disease, and keeping the same number of sheep on the scanty pasture, or by killing sound and diseased alike, and thus reducing the number, the disease would have been more permanently eradicated, and one for you to determine. There can 256 SCAB IN SHEEP. be no doubt of this, that the number might have been reduced with gain, not loss, to the country. Take the 40,000 slieep destroyed, and left neces- sarily where they fell, at 2s. 6d. a-head, is ^5000 ; or 30,000 apparently sound sheep at 5s. a-head, or £7500, which is a low estimate of the valne, as freight could be had to Scotland for 3s. to 5s., the latter by steamer, including hay. — Yours truly, E. M. Smith. 5ft January 1859. From the conversation I had with the two veterinary doc- tors who visited me, after arriving at Leith, on their route back to Denmark, I learnt that the disease with which the sheep had been affected was the scab, and that they found it curable by the ordinary remedies. It is very probable, as Mr Smith suggests, that the remote cause of the disease was weakness from the want of proper nourishment. At the same time there is no doubt it is contagious, as it depends on acari, which readily escape from one sheep to another; but these are readily destroyed by the ordinary and well-known dressings, and a cure effected ; hence the absurdity of such wholesale destruction. ON AMPUTATION IN COMPOUND FEACTUEE OF THE EXTREMITIES IN CATTLE. I HAVE long thought that a periodical such as ' The Veterinarian' was much wanted among the veterinary profession, as a means by which many useful, curious, and interesting cases might be brought forward, which otherwise are lost. Amputation, for example, has not, I believe, hitherto been considered as a veter- inary operation; I therefore send the following account of cases where that operation has been successful in cattle. About the end of June 1827 I received a letter from Mr William Laing, of Banchory, Aberdeenshire, an old pupil, requesting my advice regarding the propriety of amputating the leg of a valuable milch-cow, which had met with a severe compound fracture of the lower end of the metacarpal bone of the off fore-leg ; in consequence of which, sloughing had taken place to such an extent that there did not appear to be a chance of saving the leg. Under such circumstances I stated that it appeared to be the only means likely to save the animal's life (which was a matter of considerable importance, as the animal was a great favourite). And on the 20th Sep- tember following I had another letter from the same person, from which I give the following extract. He says : '' I per- formed amputation upon the cow on the 7th July : after having properly secured the animal, and applied a tourniquet above the carpus, I made a circular incision through the integuments round the leg, a little below the carpus, and having separated the skin so as to allow of its being pushed up a little, I cut through the sinews, and lastly sawed off the B 258 AMPUTATION IN COMPOUND FEACTUEE, ETC. stump : tlie parts are now completely whole, although she has been going at grass all the time, and, now that she has got the advantage of a cork stump, makes a wonderful shift for herself, and yields a good supply of milk to her owner." Mr Dodds, Kirkcaldy, informs me that he has also amputated the leg of a two-year-old heifer. And I was informed of a third case, on Saturday last, in which the limb was removed above the tarsus ; but as it had only been done a few days before I heard of it, and as I did not get the particulars, I refrain at present from stating anything further respecting it. ON VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. There is, perhaps, no subject whicli appears in ' The Veterina- rian ' which better deserves a place than that of Veterinary Jurisprudence ; and however desirable it would have been that the subject should have been more fully discussed than it has yet been, and however well deserving the attention of your correspondents, there cannot be a doubt but that the truest and most useful elucidation of the subject is alone to be obtained by laying before your readers a detailed account of cases as they occur, the evidence given, and the decisions pro- nounced. By laying the case before the profession, every one has an opportunity of forming his own opinion upon the sub- ject, and wUl often derive advantages by observing the princi- ples and science which have led to the conclusions in the case. When a case is thus laid before the public, it is, I presume, a fair subject for criticism ; but while critics are allowed the prerogative of offering their remarks, it is equally legitimate for the criticised to criticise the critic. I therefore hope you will allow me to make a few remarks regarding a case sent you from Kincardineshire by Mr Cowie, and inserted in your number for May last. I should not have thought this neces- sary had Mr Cowie given a fair statement of the case, or been less profuse in his remarks and italics. Struck, however, by the peculiarity of the printing, and being also a witness in the case, I had the curiosity to make some inquiry regarding the evidence which appeared to me so inconsistent. Waiting for such information, I have delayed until now forwarding this com- munication, because I consider it necessary, that when a writer undertakes to show the quackeiy and errors of others, he ought 260 VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. to endeavour to know fully the subject upon which he writes, and to avoid quackery himself. Whether Mr Cowie has done this or not I will not hastily pronounce ; but that he is either a young practitioner, or an imprudent writer, or both, will per- haps afterwards appear. The subject of dispute was, -whether or not a horse sold by Mr Hanton, a dealer, to Mr Thom, a farmer, was affected with a disease termed " the chords " at the time of sale. To prove that the horse was so affected, a variety of evidence was adduced by Mr Thom, which was sufficient to satisfy the judges that the disease did exist at the time of sale ; but their judgment, and the opinion of the wit- nesses, are one and all questioned by Mr Cowie, who considers it " doubtful whether the horse laboured under the chords at all." Such being the case, it will not, I hope, be considered unfair for one of the witnesses to turn round on this self- elected judge, and ask what he knows about the chords ; and to question whether he is not liable to be enrolled in the list of those quacks who " must almost always be situated alike with regard to their knowledge of the nature of existing diseases." "A quack,'' says Dr Jolmson, "is a boasted pre- tender to arts he does not understand ; a vain boasting pre- tender to physic ; one who proclaims his own medical abilities in public places." In order to ascertain whether Mr Cowie has any connection with such a class, it is necessary to inquire for what purpose the case was communicated ? Was it with the simple view of bringing a particular case before the pro- fession, or to promote a further knowledge of veterinary juris- prudence ? If so, why not give an impartial report ? It is, however, self-evident that the case was brought forward for no such purposes ; but that, on the contrary, it was mainly intended to show the knowledge Mr Cowie had acquired, and how he could expose by his conclusions the ignorance of his contemporaries. Phrenologists have discovered that there is an organ of caution in the brain, and Mr Cowie may have this organ ; but in the communication I aUude to, his other propensities have most certainly predominated, and VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. 261 he has hence been led to do an act of injustice which is either inconsistent with honesty or of that degree of knowledge which a man ought to possess who attempts to arraign the ignorance of his neighbours. Any one reading over the case as reported by Mr Cowie, must certainly conclude that the practitioners in his part of the country are a set of the grossest quacks that ever pretended to physic ; but this is no difficult matter in any case, if the reporter chooses to give such a garbled statement as Mr Cowie has done ; and although it is not my intention to attempt to exonerate my fellow- witnesses or myself from the professional blunders we may have com- mitted, I cannot allow such a grossly partial and garbled statement to appear, without endeavouring to place the case in its true light, and exposing the motives of one who would wish to traduce his neighbours. I have been more particularly induced to do this, because one of the witnesses, Mr D. Smith, Fettercairn, formerly a pupil of mine, is made by Mr Cowie's report to give opinions which are sufficiently absurd ; but which, when stated as was given in his evidence, will appear most materially different, and his reasons sufficiently plausible. Of the other witnesses I know nothing but their names ; but as I find their evidence also misstated, I shall show, as shortly as possibly, wherein this exists. The first inaccuracy I observe is, that Mr Cowie reports the horse as having got worse in two days after he was taken home ; while the evi- dence says that for ten days he continued in the same state as he was observed to be on the morning after he was purchased. This is obviously material in forming an opinion of the case, because it marks, in some considerable degree, the progress of the disease, pointing out the strong probability of its having existed prior to the sale, and at the same time corroborates the evidence given by some of the witnesses. The first witness Mr Cowie attacks is John Beattie, who is stated as a compounder of specifics for the cure of all diseases. "He gave the animal laxative and tonic medicines, &c. &c." The account as stated in the evidence is this — "That he (John 262 VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. Beattie) bled the horse in the neck vein, and gave him a laxa- tive drink, and raked the horse, and gave an injection. That he does not recollect doing anything else to the horse ; that when he saw the said horse next he gave him an injection ; but whether he gave him any more laxative medicine he does not recollect. That he afterwards bled the horse, blistered him, and put a rowel into him. If he recollects rightly, said horse was blistered twice ; that he dressed the rowel about twenty times; that, if he recollects, horse got two or three doses of laxative medicine ; that horse also got some tonic medicine." The second witness is John Low, who states he was called to visit the horse after he had been ill for sixteen days. This is omitted in Mr Cowie's report ; while he has introduced the words, " he applied the remedies most approved — viz., putting a rowel," &c. In the evidence, it stands, " he applied the reme- dies of putting a rowel," &c. Eegarding third witness, John Watson — after the word " staggering," Mr Cowie has omitted, " that the disease was in an advanced state, and the horse was unable to lower his head ;" for the word it in italics should be read, " horses affected with it having the desire without the power to eat." I shall pass the next three witnesses, John Attenburrow, Thomas Smith, and Benjamin Kitching, simply remarking, that if Mr Cowie had introduced the words blistering " on the head " as are to be found in the written evidence by J. Atten- burrow, there would appear nothing strange in saying it would make even " a horse look stupid independent of disease ; " and will proceed to David Smith of Fettercairn, who is stated by Mr Cowie to have given the following evidence: — "David Smith, of Fettercairn, studied under Mr Dick, of Edinburgh ; knows a disease called chords, but more properly tetanus; that it may arise from any local cause, as from contracted hoofs, as they generally produce pain ; that this complaint is more likely to arise in horses with contracted hoofs than not. The disease can be cured if properly treated. Saw the horse VETERINARY JURISPRUDEKCE. 263 in question after he got better, and found him have contracted hoofs." In the evidence, however, we find it stated as follows : — David Smith says " the horse's hoofs were a good deal con- tracted." "That chords may arise from any local pain, and also from contracted hoofs, as they generally produce pain ; that contracted hoofs are no symptom of chords ; that said complaint does not generally follow contracted hoofs ; that this complaint is more likely to arise in horses with con- tracted hoofs than in horses with hoofs not contracted ; that said horse was noways disfigured in his appearance by cutting or otherwise." " That he knows a complaint in horses called sleepy staggers ; that this complaint is not like the chords, because a horse labouring under sleepy staggers can bend his head to the ground, while a horse labouring under the chords cannot. That he knows a disease in horses called strangles ; that the strangles is quite distinct from any of the other two complaints just mentioned, and does not approximate to either. That the chords or tetanus is a disease which can be cured by proper treatment." I shall here let the report and the evi- dence speak for themselves, and proceed now to notice that Mr Cowie doubts (as before stated) whether the horse in ques- tion laboured under " the chords " at all. He does this because some of the witnesses say that the brain seemed to be affected, the horse occasionally staggering ; and because he recollects a similar case which occurred at the College during his pupilage, of a stout chestnut horse being affected with what may be described as chronic staggers ; and he goes on to state, " I recollect seeing him morning after morning being taken out to grass for several successive weeks, with much inclination to eat, without the power of bending his head. Blundering and ignorant farriers and others might have called this a defect in the muscles of the neck, back, and loins, as well as what it reaUy was — a chronic disease of the brain." Now this is all very well in the way of mere assertion ; but what proof, I ask, has Mr Cowie given to show that this was not a case of chords ? — 264 VETERINARY JDKISPRUDENCE. let him show it. Mr Cowie, it would appear, has not been long enough in practice to have met with a case of chords, or at least does not know diseases under that name. I must there- fore inform him that the term chords is in very general use throughout many parts of Scotland, and is applied to a variety of diseases. This accounts for the different descriptions of the disease given in this case by the various witnesses. From what source the term has been derived I am unable fully to explain ; but it appears to be more from the symptoms of the disease than from anything I can find ; and in this farriers are borne out by the example of others. Thus the term chordde is so derived by the French ; and we find farcy described as the chords, because it is said " the veins are corded." A weed is termed the chords, because " the leg is swelled and the vessels corded." We find tetanus called the chords, because "the neck is corded." The strangles are called the chords, because "the throat is swelled and chorded." These are phrases in common use, and must have been met with by every practi- tioner in Scotland ; but the term is also applied to the case in question, and is not less appropriate than many others in our profession. But there is another source from whence it has, perhaps, been derived by corruption of terms — that is, chorea, St Vitus's dance ; and I mention this, which is perhaps far- fetched, because the disease in some instances has a consider- able resemblance, of which I shaU give an example. On the 12th August 1 829, a brown gelding belonging to Mr Wilson, gardener. King's Park, Holj'rood, was brought to me, affected with " a peculiar stiffness," as the driver expressed it, and with a trembling spasmodic action of the muscles of all the limbs, which was more particularly observable on the animal being put in motion after having stood in a settled position for a short time. The action of the hind legs resembled that of a horse much affected with stringhalt. The spasms of the muscles of the fore-legs were also very distinct and curious, the extensor tendons starting out, as it were, from the bone, acting individually and irregularly by jerks, or remaining VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. 265 raised and in action for a few minutes, or excited by the slightest disturbance which was given to the animal, produc- ing at times such a degree of rigid extension as to cause the animal to strike the toe upon the ground in moving. This was more especially the case with the off fore-foot. The whole symptoms combined gave the animal somewhat the appearance of being attacked with tetanus ; but the irregu- larity of the spasms and the motions of the animal approached more to the disease known in the human being as St Vitus's dance. If also closely resembled in several respects the disease which, when a horse is affected with it, has led Mr SeweU, I am informed, to denominate him " a shiverer.'' In this case, however, the symptoms were as well marked when the animal was moved forwards as when he was put backwards (the action by which the latter is at once detected), and which serves to distinguish it. He had been bad a week or ten days before I saw him, and had been bled ; his pulse forty-five ; feeding freely on grass and oats and bran — the muscles of the eyes were not affected. He recovered in six weeks. But there is stiU another form of the chords, which puts on more the symp- toms of a rheumatic affection of the muscles of the neck and trunk, and which is accompanied with derangement of the bowels, and a hidebound condition of the skin, and unthrifty state of the coat. The animal seems so sore that he is even afraid of being touched with the finger. He is as " stiff as a post ;" and if not turned slowly round and cautiously, he groans with the pain occasioned by the movement. He is quite unable to reach the ground with his mouth, and would there- fore starve at grass. I had a case of this kind about three months ago in a favourite old carriage-horse belonging to a lady. He was attacked with the disease at grass, and was noticed for some time not to eat freely. At length he became so stiff that he fed almost entirely upon the hedges for some days before anything was considered wrong with him. In those cases there is not the slightest symptom of an affection of the brain, and is, so far as I have observed, equally as slow 266 VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. in its progress as the other species. In some cases I have found these symptoms the precursor of farcy or glanders ; and in one or two cases in which I have had an opportunity of examining the pathological state of the animal after death which had been so affected, I have found the cellular tissue in the interstices of the muscles of the back and neck so vascular as to appear as if filled with extravasated blood. I must now have done, as I find this sheet, notwithstanding its size, is getting fiUed ; but before doing so, must just notice, that if the case was what I suppose it to have been (for both I and several of the other witnesses, never having seen the case, can only suppose we are correct), then I say Mr Cowie is wrong in condemning the measures adopted by those who treated the case, because he afterwards recommends what they had done, with the exception of the use of tonics ; but if he calls the use of such remedies quackery when combined with the others, then he must also call Dr EUiotson a quack, even although he is daily in the successful practice of remedies. FATAL AFFECTION OF THE BOWELS IN HORSES, EESEMBLING CHOLERA. Cases of Mr M'Turk's Horses, near Moffat. Feom the end of November 1831 until the end of March fol- lowing, Mr M'Turk lost seven farm-horses out of eight by a disease of which the following are the symptoms : — The first had been doing little work for two days prior to his death, but was employed for an hour before being seized in leading corn from the stack, which was light work, the day being mild ; and he had been on the same feeding for two months, and which consisted of hay and oat straw, but more especially the latter as fodder, and two feeds of old oats per day. He was suddenly attacked with purging ; after being put into the stable, and having got his water, symptoms of choHc came on ; also a rigor, which continued until death, the pains increasing as the disease advanced ; the mouth, tongue, legs, and ears, were very cold; with great dif&culty of breathing, and with heavy heaving of the flanks. The veins of the legs appeared full of blood ; but such was the state of it, that if the veins were pressed upon by the fingers, the impression was left, and there was no elasticity in the vessels. The blood when drawn was thick, would scarcely flow, and " as black as could be." There was a death-like appearance in his countenance ; the eyes sunk and ghastly : and he died in about four hours after he was taken ill. He was not par- ticularly examined after death. 268 AFFECTION IN HOESES EESEMBLING CHOLEKA. In two or three weeks after the first, a second was attacked : the symptoms were precisely similar ; but he bled freely at first, when four or five quarts were drawn ; but in an hour afterwards it was like the other; it dropped away, and resembled treacle in thickness : he died in three hours. He had been at work all day in the plough, and was playing when coming to the stable, about two P.M. ; at eight P.M. his supper was given to him, but he was not inclined to eat ; he was observed, before leaving the stable, to be attacked similar to the other, purging, &c. ; and he was dead by eleven p.m. On examining him the next day, the only morbid appearance recognisable was at one place, and that was the slightest pos- sible blush upon the intestines, such as severe cholic might ultimately have produced. " The immediate cause," says the person who examined it, " of this case I should suspect to have been the reception of somthing cold into the stomach and bowels while the animal was over-heated, or otherwise pre- disposed to disease." In a week afterwards, a third one be- came affected, under the same circumstances, having, however, only worked in the forenoon. Within a fortnight another died from similar causes, and under the same treatment. These three patients were between three and four hours ill. In two months afterwards, two horses in one day were seized : one had not been out ; he was ill five or six hours, and did not lie down. On inspection after death, a degree of inflammation of the pleura could be observed. The other was at work in the fore part of the day. In three weeks or a month, another, in like manner, was carried off. About a week previous to this last case, all the horses were put through physic, and the stable cleansed and fumigated : with the exception of the first, all had had a feed of steamed potatoes a-day, about half a pailful, and they were in fair condition. The contents of their stomachs were in a natural state, but those of the intestines were quite fluid throughout, and rather of a whitish slimy appearance. ON CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. When the disease first made its appearance in Britain, I, in common with others, was naturally anxious to ascertain its progress. As it approached the northern metropolis my in- terest in the inquiry increased. The descriptions given of the malady were vague, and I therefore wished to see a case in the human being, that I might compare it with that which I conceived to be the same, or an analogous disease, in the quadruped. This I at length accidentally had the opportunity of doing ; but it afforded me little satisfaction. In a few days afterwards, however, I was enabled to observe the morbid appearances of cholera in a person who had died of that disease ; and I had also the satisfaction of hearing a chnical lecture on the subject by Dr Macintosh. In a conversation after the lecture, I was induced to offer some remarks con- cerning what I had observed of this malady among horses and cattle. This led to the suggestion of my stating my opinion to Dr M.'s class, which I promised to do if another case occurred in my practice, the morbid appearances of which would enable me to illustrate my views. On the day following this conversation, a cow was seized with the disease, and died in eight hours. On dissection, the post-mortem appearances were so perfectly similar to those of the human being, that, on showing them to Dr M., he ex- pressed a wish that the parts should be exhibited to the class on the following day, and that I would offer what remarks I thought proper regarding them and the nature of the malady. I somewhat reluctantly consented to this; but the want of time for preparation, and the impossibility of providing myself 270 CHOLERA m DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. with sufficient notes on the subject, compelled me to give a less particular statement than I could have wished. I was therefore obliged to content myself with the following observ- ations, which, a few days afterwards, were reduced to writing, in consequence of a request from the medical members of the Board of Health, with the view of being published in connec- tion with numerous facts which they had collected ; but which intention, on account of the immense number of publications that appeared upon the subject, was abandoned. As, however, they are drawn up, they may not inappropriately be recorded in 'The Veterinarian.' The reader will remember that this paper was written in, and principally refers to, the spring of 1832. If T am correct in the analogy that exists between the disease which I have observed amongst the most important of our domesticated animals, and that which affected man, a new view of it is forced upon our notice, and one which, if geTieral (veterinary) medicine were cultivated with the care it deserves, would lead the physicians to many useful conclusions which particular (human) medicine does not afford him. I offer this remark, because some medical writers have laughed at the idea of a horse having cholera, supposing that we had mistaken bots for it, or I know not what, or that we had strangely confounded a cow that was hoven with one affected with this disease — triumphantly but disgracefully proclaiming their own ignorance of general pathology. They forgot, or rather they did not know, that the horse is almost entirely precluded from exhibiting one of the common symptoms of cholera by the mechanical construction and situation of his stomach preventing him from vomiting; and that, from a similar cause, ruminating animals neither do nor can exhibit all the symptoms of this disease. Had these medical men, who would thus try to laugh us out of our opinion, set them- selves to discover the true nature of the malady, instead of expending their ingenuity in the pursuit of contagion, they might have come to more liberal conclusions; or had they stated what was the true pathological condition of a cholera CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 271 patient, we could then have better compared notes with them. In order clearly to illustrate what I have to advance regard- ing the disease, I think it proper to take a survey of the state of health of our domestic animals, as I found it for some time prior to the present epidemic. Early in 1830 an epizootic disease commenced, by which, for some weeks, several horses in Edinburgh and its neigh- bourhood were affected, but until the beginning of June it had not become very serious. During the latter part of that month, and throughout the two following ones, however, it became more formidable, and a great number of horses were seized with this affection. The disease appeared to consist in an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the organs of respiration ; the pulse rose to a range of from sixty to ninety, according to the severity of the case; there was slight soreness of the throat, weak cough, breathing quickened; the animal heavy, with great weakness, and that rapidly ensuing ; bowels easily acted upon ; surface of the body natural in temperature, but with a more than ordinary tendency to get cold in the extremities. The disease was, however, by no means fatal; so that in one establishment (Mr Piper's, mail - coach contractor), out of thirty-two horses seized with this disease, only three died, and other proprietors were at that time equally fortunate. The treatment in these cases was bleeding, a dose of mild laxative medicine, and blisters applied to the sides. The preparations of antimony and nitre, as alteratives, were given during the inflammatory stages of the disease, and those of iron and gentian as tonics, to restore the strength when that had subsided. Some mild weather setting in during two months in autumn, the disease almost entirely disappeared ; but as the weather afterwards changed to wet, with the wind blowing from the east, the disease commenced a most destructive career, and spread over the neighbouring country, more especially East 272 CHOLEKA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. aud Mid Lothian. It was not confined to these districts alone, neither were horses entirely the subjects of the disease — both cattle and sheep had suffered throughout the whole of this season ; so that it has been calculated that of sheep, 2,000,000 died of the rot during that year * By a reference to my case-book, I find that it commenced again about the end of October, and increased in severity throughout the months of December, January, and February, during which time upwards of one hundred and fifty cases occurred in my practice, of which about thirty died, giving striking proof of the severity of this serious epizootic. In the beginning of January 1831 I had an opportunity of knowing that cattle had been extremely affected, because I was requested by the Eight Honourable Viscount Arbuthnot to visit the stock of one of his lordship's farmers, near Bervie, with a view to ascertain the cause of a disease which prevailed there, and of which forty-three beasts had died during the season. The animals which I saw were affected in a way pre- cisely similar to the horses in this part of the country, and which was described by the farmers as a closing, from the difficulty of breathing occasioned by the inflammation of the larynx and mucous membrane of the bronchi. In all the cases the symptoms presented a close resem- blance, the pulse ranging from seventy to ninety, in many cases irregular, in some rather small and oppressed, and with a degree of feebleness, while in a few others it was hard and bounding. In the early form of the disease, the respiration was rather confined than oppressed, and was marked more by contraction of the abdominal muscles and drawing up of the flanks than by increase in the frequency or extent of their action. The respiratory murmur, when the ear was applied to the throat and sides, indicated a morbid secretion of mucus in the air-tubes, which could always be heard while they remained pervious. There was commonly sore throat and some cough ; but the cough was not considerable, or when it ' Library of Useful Knowledge. CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 273 became so, was symptomatic of returning health and strength. The mouth generally was hot but moist, and rather filled with mucus ; when otherwise, the tongue was foul, with a crust upon it, and the breath had a cadaverous smell. The strength soon became prostrated. The bowels were, in general, very easily acted upon; and a good deal of caution was necessary in the administration of laxative medicine, as the over-excitement of the bowels had a strong tendency to increase the fatal ter- mination of this disease. Examination after death showed the malady to be an inflammation of the bronchial membrane, especially in the minutest portions of the air-tubes, terminating in the forma- tion, first of tubercle-like masses in the substance of the lungs, and which afterwards rapidly burst into abscesses, forming innumerable vomicee, more especially towards the lower edges of the lobes of the lungs, or in the small lobes or portions anterior to the heart. A minute inspection seemed to indicate an interruption to the blood in the minute vessels as it was passing through the lungs from the right to the left side of the heart, and which, where it became obstructed by the mor- bid obliteration of the vessels, was coagulated and broken down, and aided in, the formation of the tubercles and the abscesses. In these respects the epizootic differed from that which occurred six or eight months before ; because in the animals which died at that period there was only simple inflammation, with hepatisation of portions of the lungs, but without the tuberculous formations. The disease, in a great measure, subsided in the autumn ; but as the weather became colder it once more appeared. It frequently, however, differed in some respects from the former ; for while it partook of the general nature of the affection, it now seemed, in the commencement of its attacks, to be more directed to the mucous membrane of the larynx. It was also more frequently than before ushered into notice by a shivering fit, during which, and as the hot stage commenced, the mucous membrane of the intestines was also in some degree affected, s 274 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. and which was indicated by colic pains, and the continuation of the same degree of susceptibility of being acted upon which appeared throughout the whole course of the epizootic, and even now is frequently observed. In the beginning of November, a farm-horse belonging to Mr Carstairs, Penicuik Muir, died of an obstinate diarrhoea ; and towards the end of November and beginning of December, diseases of the bowels became more frequent than for some years past. On the 7th of December my attention was more especially excited by a horse belonging to Mr M'Callum, Plowlands, which was seized on the previous night with sudden iUness, attended with purging. He had had moderate work on the preceding day ; his food, drink, and exercise had not been altered, except that in the morning, at five A.M., boiled barley and chaff and bran mixed had been given to him ; and he had stood for some time in a shed that day while the cart was repaired. About four o'clock on the morning of the 7th, however, he was observed to be very ill, with symptoms of colic, purging violently, extremely fidgety, and evidently in great pain. His owner was called up, who endeavoured to bleed him, and sent for me about six a.m. ; but as I had been engaged during the previous night with a case until after three o'clock, I requested Mr Cheetham to attend him, who found him, when he arrived, about seven a.m., in articulo mortis. The person who had been in the habit of driving him stated, that on the 3d, 4th, and 5th of the month the horse had been purging slightly, but that these symptoms had disappeared on the day previous to his being taken so ill, and that he was then considered to be much better. After death he was conveyed to one of the fields, during which process, immense quantities of watery faeces escaped per anum, with a most intolerable stench. The body was immediately opened. The abdominal viscera presented little appearance of disease ; the stomach was about CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 275 two-thirds filled with food, but offered no particular morbid appearance ; the mesenteric veins were turgid with black blood ; the villous coat of the colon had an inflamed appear- ance, but not well marked ; the small intestines contained a yellowish-like mucous fluid, while the large intestiaes had within them a dark -blue clay-like thin fluid, with a most dis- agreeable odour. The bladder was contracted and empty. The lungs were pale, and rather of a healthy appearance ; and the ventricles and auricles of the heart were empty of blood. The brain was not examined. During the same week, and within half a mile of the same place, a case of diarrhoea also occurred. A fine young brown mare, belonging to Mr Porteous at Morningside, was attacked with a severe purging, for which a dose of oil was first given, and afterwards an astringent, composed of 3i opium and gi cretse prseparat., and which in some measure had the desired effect ; but two days afterwards she was again brought back, the disease having returned rather suddenly. It was again stopped by astringents, but she was attacked a third time, after the lapse of two or three days, and was once more brought to my infirmary ; and more astringent medicine was given, which succeeded in finally removing the complaint. After this a more than ordinary number of cases of diseases of the bowels made their appearance, the greater number of the subjects of which were old horses belonging to coal-carters : but I have no particular account of them, as they are a sort of dispensary patients. One, however, which occurred about four weeks ago, was of such a peculiar character as to deserve par- ticular notice. He belonged to a person at Eosebank of the name of Telford, and had shown, during the night, symptoms of colic. He was brought to me in the morning : his pulse was irregular, but not increased in frequency ; he had not fed in the morning ; and he showed no symptoms of uneasiness while with me. He had had an attack of bronchitis about twelve months previously. There was a want of the respira- tory murmur in the lower part of the chest, from which, with 276 CHOLERA IK DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. the irregularity of the pulse, and the circumstance of his having had disease of the lungs before, I was led to suspect either a slight effusion into the chest, or chronic inflammation and hepatisation. Sulphat. ferri 5ij, et camph. 3i, made into a ball with linseed-meal, was given. He was not brought back until two days had passed, as he had been less uneasy ; but then I found that during the preceding night he had had severe colic pains, and had been purging from the commence- ment. His pulse was still irregvilar, but with some strength ; and I therefore bled him, and gave a laxative of aloes §ss, by which the purging for the following day was greatly increased ; but on the second day he was so much recovered that he was put to work, and got quite well. Although the poorer and worst - fed animals were most affected, those which were in better keeping were not alto- gether exempted. One gentleman has lost two very valuable horses within the last two months from tympanitis. They were suddenly seized with colic pains, which rapidly increased. They swelled from decomposition or fermentation taking place in the contents of the viscera, and by which the intestines were ruptured, and death inevitably produced. The last of these had been observed to purge a good deal before the pain came on : he had been chiefly fed on hay and oats. Mr Hill, at Saughton, had two cases within a week, one of which, a strong cart-horse, had his bowels opened to excess for two days by gss aloes. Indeed, for the first two weeks of February, not a day passed without one or two cases of diseased bowels occurring in my practice. On two days there were three cases ; and on two others there were five cases in each day. On the 18th, a black horse belonging to Mr Lawrie, Colt- bridge, was brought, the driver complaining that he seemed HI and wished to lie down in the street. He was bled, and aloes 3ss given, which purged him for two days ; but I afterwards learned from the owner that for eight days previously he had been purging, and that all kinds of food had been tried with the view of stopping it, but without effect. After he was bled, CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 277 however, and the effects of the ball had gone off, he became qnite well. For the next two weeks there were but three cases each week. One of these, a mare belonging to a celebrated surgeon, had diarrhoea for four days ; this, however, may be in some measure accounted for, because she had had a severe day's hunting, and was observed to be purging before setting out. Another was a poor cart-horse, taken ill in the street with colicky pains and purging. It was bled, and a laxative of aloes 3iij, and opium 3j, given ; and I heard no more about him. The hunting mare was bled, and had aloes 3ijj, with a large allowance of oatmeal and starch gruel. She had an intoler- able thirst. The faeces were remarkably thin, and, for two days, of a blue clayey appearance, frothy, with a most nauseous smelL On the fifth day the disease began to subside, and on the sixth she was feeding heartily, and, with the exception of being considerably reduced in strength and condition, seemed quite well. But not only have diseases of the bowels prevailed amongst horses, but I have had also, within the last four weeks, more cases of the same affection in cows than for as many months before. One cow, belonging to Mr Lauchlan M'Pherson of Broughton, was seized on the afternoon of the 18th of February. She had not eaten her mid-day feed, and scarcely gave her full quantity of milk, and her bowels were observed to be more open than usual. At four p.m. she was found to be worse. She had lain down and was unable to rise, and was purging violently. I was requested to see her about eight p.m., and found her lying in a dirty wet stall; her extremities, horns, and ears cold ; and a fineness about her legs which indicated a want of the natural circulation in them. Her pulse, which in health should have been about sixty, was now ninety. She tossed her head from side to side with an inexpressible anxiety ; her legs were generally extended with a convulsive tremor ; her jaws chattered, and her eyes were extremely dull and languid. 278 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. She was bled to five quarts ; sixteen ounces of castor-oil were given, and hot fomentations applied to her belly ; clysters of warm water and soap were injected ; and plenty of straw placed about her, to make her as comfortable as possible. She seemed somewhat relieved for a little while, but she ultimately relapsed, and died about twelve p.m. On examination after death, it was found that the fourth stomach, and the greater part of the intestinal tube, presented more or less degree of increased vascularity of the mucous coat, more especially that of the smaller intestines ; in many places it was highly injected, and there were some spots of ecchymosis. Various portions of the intestines contained fluids of different colours : where the blood-vessels were most injected there was a bloody-Hke mucous fluid ; where the membrane was less affected, a fluid resembling dull cream was found ; while in the larger intestines the whole contents were of a peculiar blue clayey-like appearance. The lungs were congested with black blood, and the veins of the brain and spinal cord were fuller than usual. The membrane lining the bronchial tubes, especially in one lobe, presented a con- siderably increased vascularity. In the Caledonian dairy twelve cows were attacked in one week, of which three died ; and in these the post-mortem ap- pearances were very similar to those exhibited in M'Pherson's cow, with the exception that in one of them there was a con- siderable quantity of water in the bladder. As the overseer has given a pretty good description of the symptoms of one of the cases, I beg to refer to his letter : — Mbadowbank, Ilarch 30, 1832. Dear Sie, — Another cow was taken ill at hialf-past one o'clock, and being present at the time, I had a full opportunity of ohserving every particular with regard to the attack and the symptoms. The attack was sudden — in a moment. The first appearance was a cramp in the hind legs : she seemed to suffer acute pain, particularly in one leg ; her eye of a wUd, staring, and terrified appearance, as if sensible of the pain she had to suffer ; her extremities stiff and cold ; a singular quivering on the shoulder and thigh — a finger or thumb would have covered each part. I CHOLERA m DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 279 wa8 particular in following your directions as to the treatment, which in the end had a decided efifect. By first taking a large quantity of blood, a severe trembling took place ; the same quantity of oil given as the others, and several bottles of hot water ; two or three clysters given ; frictioned with dry hard straw, till a proper heat was produced, and rolled in woollen cloths. I have not used fomentation, as in cases when the disease had got a greater length. She seems somewhat better at pre- sent ; but would wish you to come this length to-night, if in your power. He lias, however, omitted some particulars, inasmucli as he does not mention that they were all affected, more or less, with purging ; and in some of them coagulated lymph formed a great portion of what was discharged. In some the purging appeared first ; in others, the cramps of the legs. It is here proper to ohserve, that a change of feeding had been intro- duced into the byre about eight or ten days before the disease broke out. In consequence of the scarcity of Swedish turnips, potatoes had been substituted, and to this cause the disease might have been attributed ; but in other cases this cause was not so apparent. The cows that were attacked were standing in various parts of the byre. In a cow belonging to a gentleman, which I saw just as she was dying, there was a great degree of blueness about the nmzzle, which was strongly contrasted with the natural white- ness of the part. I may further remark, although it does not bear directly upon the subject before us, that within the last few months I had observed some cases of erythematous disease, which is rather a rare affection in the horse. First, a mare, belonging to Mr Cunningham of Culross, was suddenly affected with an eruption over the whole body, strongly resembling nettle-rash in the human being, attended with dulness, loss of appetite, slight soreness of the throat, mouth moist, pulse soft, and little increased, being only fifty; these swellings on the surface of the body almost entirely disappearing in about twenty-four hours. She was observed by the hostler to be cold and uneasy about noon for two days afterwards ; and on the third day, in conse- quence of my having desired him carefully to watch her, a 280 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. slight shivering was observed from twelve at noon till about one P.M. Considerable weakness and loss of flesh followed, from which she required several weeks to recover. A chestnut horse belonging to David Cathcart, Esq., was seized in the same manner with a rash over his whole body, his eyelids nearly closed, and his lips so much swelled, that he could scarcely feed ; the whole, however, was quite gone next day. He was bled to six quarts ; and a dose of laxative medicine was given, with soft food. In about three weeks afterwards, a year-old fiUy, belonging to the same gentleman, and kept in a loose-box immediately adjoining, was affected in the same manner. A gentle dose of laxative medicine was given, and she was bled to nearly two quarts, which produced syncope, but from which she imme- diately recovered. The swellings, however, did not entirely disappear for two days. In neither of these cases was the pulse much altered ; and nothing like the shiverings was observed in the two last : in the one case, bleeding appeared to be of service ; in the other, I think not. Within these four weeks, two cases of another rare affection have occurred. One is that of a horse that was seized in the street with what was supposed to be colic. There were symptoms of considerable pain ; and he tossed himself about for a short time ; but, after being bled, and a large enema of soap and warm water being injected, he became quiet, and passed a quantity of urine highly tinged with blood. As he seemed, two or three hours afterwards, to be much recovered, he was sent home ; but he became worse on the road, and was exceedingly lame, which, from the description of his symptoms, I am disposed to consider as arising from spasm, as I found the lameness gone in about an hour afterwards. In the ensuing week I was sent for to see a mare about three miles from town, which was attacked in a similar manner. She was quite well, and playful, when the owner (a farmer, near Slateford) left home ; but he had not gone two CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 281 miles when he found her very ill. She had leaped a small fence soon after going out ; and the owner stated that, unless that was the cause, he knew of no other. When I saw her the pulse was eighty, and weak ; she had been bled freely, and was considerably better, but was still uneasy, and she had passed a quantity of urine red with blood. On leading her out of the stable she straddled with her hind legs ; and they were, at the same time, curiously flexed, as if from spasm of the perforatus muscle. I ordered fomentations to her loins, and a dose of laxative medicine, and left her. In about an hour after I had gone, a spasmodic twitching of the diaphragm, and "the muscles of the loins and quarters, took place, which lasted for some time. Next day she was much better, and in a week was as well as ever. Upon these two cases, however, I do not intend to found any particular remarks, as the symptoms may have arisen from some accidental injury ; if that was not the case, they show what I have wished to impress — a tendency to disease in all the mucous membranes. From what has been stated it will, I think, appear pretty evident that there has existed, for about these twenty-two months past, an epizootic affection of the mucous membranes, especially in the horse ; and it must also appear that that affection has offered some peculiarities in its character which deserve attention. While, in the commencement, it was clearly an affection of the mucous membrane of the respira- tory organs, there was, at the 'Same time, a more than ordinary degree of excitability of the mucous membrane of the in- testines, and which was indicated by the violent effects which small doses of medicines produced upon them. This irrita- bility of the membranes has continued even until the present time. While, however, the malady seems to be but little altered since its first appearance, there has been, as will be observed from what I have stated, a still greater determination of disease to the mucous membrane of the intestines than at its commencement. The latter form of the affection is the 282 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. more remarkable, because, while the horse is sufficiently liable to diarrhcea from 'over-exertion, in combination with bad food or improper feeding, or being allowed too much water prior to this severe work, he is, at the same time, so little subject to diarrhoea while at rest, or under proper diet and exercise, that I have been for years without meeting with a case. When that is compared with the occurrence of so many as I have enumerated, and taking place in so short a period, and under the present peculiar circumstances, I feel compelled to come to the conclusion that the same causes which have been oper- ating upon the human being have also been affecting the lower animals ; and it may therefore not be improper that I should offer my opinion regarding the identity of the disease in man and in brutes. Soon after the appearance of the cholera in Musselburgh, I had occasion to make a visit at Prestonpans ; and on my return home, in coming through Musselburgh, I happened to be passing just as some medical gentlemen came out from visiting a case ; and I was informed by one of them, whom I chanced to know, that I might see it if I chose. I embraced the opportunity, and found the poor woman in a state of col- lapse, and at the point of death, having been iU only about seven or eight hours. From what I then saw, I could form no particular opinion respecting the disease, and had some intention of making further inquiry regarding it ; but finding that I was likely to alarm those I had occasion to have inter- course vnth by the dread of infdbtion, which then so generally prevailed, I delayed doing so, until an opportunity by chance occurred of seeing the post-mortem appearances in a patient that died in Edinburgh. Having heard a lecture by Dr Macintosh upon cholera, and having both seen a case in life, and also the pathological state after death, I was forcibly impressed with the close analogy which existed between the symptoms that occur in cholera and those which are exhibited in the herbivorous animals while labouring under diseases of the bowels. I do not mean CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. ^83 simply the present epidemical affection, but inflammation or irritation of the mucous membrane of the intestines, more especially the small intestines, at all times ; and I must here remark that the herbivorous animals are generally cut off much more rapidly by diseases of the intestines than man, or the lower omnivorous animals. The braxy or sickness in sheep frequently destroys many in a flock in a night's time. Thej^ may all seem quite well at night, but how often does the shepherd find several of them dead in the morning. Cattle, more especially cows, the diseases of which I have more personal opportunities of seeing than other descriptions of that kind of stock, are frequently cut off in a few hours, aS is shown by the examples I have already given ; and it is no uncommon thing for a horse to be destroyed in from two to five or six hours by diseases of the bowels. Dogs, however, I have not seen so affected, nor have I found them cut off so quickly as the other animals, although they are liable to a longer catalogue of diseases and derangement of the bowels, and which assume a greater variety of symptoms : still, how- ever, the diseases are not so acute, and the symptoms are not those of that intense agony we find in the diseases of the bowels of herbivorous animals. Indeed I have observed nothing peculiar regarding their maladies which deserves notice during the period the other animals have been affected; neither have I observed that swine exhibit the same symp- toms in diseases of the bowels as the herbivorous animals. This is a fact, simple as it at first sight may appear, that is of some importance ; because, when we take a review of the geographical progress of cholera, and the habits and food of its victims, we have one explanation at least of the reason why the disease has been so generally confined to that class among which it has made such melancholy havoc. In India, where cholera is said first to have appeared, one class of the natives, the Hindoos, live entirely on vegetable matter — while the other, the Mohammedans, are allowed to take a portion of animal food ; and while the one is cut off at 284 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS, once by the disease, the other is said to stand it much better and longer, and is not so liable to be attacked. In the track which the disease has pursued, I am inclined to think that its victims are not, whether from necessity or choice, much in the habit of enjoying any great portion of healthy animal food; and in this country a great proportion of those who have fallen as its victims have been in such circumstances, or addicted to such habits, as to render it not likely that they could obtain a sufficient portion of animal food for the keep- ing up the healthy action of omnivorous digestive organs. While the human body may be supported and health main- tained upon a vegetable diet, and that too for a considerable period, stiU it must be acknowledged that, had the Author of nature not intended that the human appetite should be indulged with the enjoyment of animal food, the digestive apparatus with which he is provided would not have been given; and as the natural stimulus is necessary in a certain degree for exciting the natural functions of parts, it is not to be wondered at that, by reducing the human body to the same diet and nutritive stimuli as the herbivorous animals, it should be reduced to a state capable of being acted on by the same causes as in them, and in a similar manner. That the greater number of those who have fallen victims to cholera have been placed under the circumstances to which I refer, will appear evident when it is allowed that a large proportion have been addicted to habits of dissipation (the effects of the essence of vegetable matter), and, as a necessary consequence of such habits, themselves and their families reduced, by the squandering of their means and the general distress and depression of trade, to subsist entirely on a vege- table diet. The wife and her children, suffering by the drunk- enness of the husband and father, are unable to obtain any- thing but the most meagre diet, and that, too frequently, with- out the means necessary for the proper preparing or cooking it ; while many or most of those who, in better circumstances, have fallen a sacrifice to cholera, have been reduced to the CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 285 necessity of a vegetable diet either by the effects of dissipation on the constitution, or a disgust of animal food, the effects and natural consecLuences of other diseases. It may perhaps be observed that these remarks will not hold good in warm climates, because the system there loathes animal food ; but if the climate reduces the body to such a state of disease, or susceptibility of disease, as renders it in- capable of digesting a due proportion of animal food, even the vegetable matter which the stomach does not refuse may still be capable of exciting derangement in it. Is not the truth of this proved by the acknowledged advantages derived from the nutritious supply to the poor (the previously predisposed sub- jects of cholera) by the soup-kitchens in Edinburgh ? and does not the almost total immunity of those who are in the higher walks of society, and who live upon that food which nature has designed as proper for man, afford another and a striking proof of the remark I have offered ? In illustration of these observations, I cannot omit mention- ing the case of a near neighbour of mine, which occurred about two years ago. My sister was one day alarmed by three of the children of the person I allude to coming to the door, weeping and in great distress, requesting her to go with them, because their mother was dead. She found the husband standing, as if in a state of stupor ; the poor woman lying with her head hanging rather over the edge of the bed, her mouth open, her eyes closed and sunk m her head, her coun- tenance ghastly, and the whole surface of the body intensely cold. She had been suddenly seized with these symptoms two or three hours before my sister saw her ; and, from the com- mencement, had purged and vomited to excess, the discharge per anum being involuntary. Twenty-five drops of laudanum were immediately given to her, and this was followed by a dose of castor-oil, and plenty of warm water-gruel — which, however, was taken with some difficulty — and hot irons were applied to her feet. The symptoms were relieved soon after the administration of these remedies ; but she suffered from 286 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. severe headache, great weakness, and pains in the limbs, which shot from her thighs downwards. On the fire (if fire a few languishing cinders might be called) stood the pot. The scene of misery which was presented induced my sister to look into the vessel, when she was surprised to find that the repast which was ^preparing consisted of nothing but a scanty allow- ance of turnips and potatoes, a diet to which, as she after- wards learned, they had been for some time familiar. The exciting cause has not again operated, or else the allowance of a small portion of animal food, which they have had oc- casionally since, and their having otherwise in a slight degree bettered their condition, has obviated its effects. It is now, however, time that I should attempt to prove more clearly what I have already stated regarding the identity of the cholera in the human being, and the disease which is at present prevailing, and which occasionally prevails, amongst the lower animals. In doing this, I shall, in the first place, state the symptoms as they occur in the living being, and then examine the appearance after death. The human being presents some little variety of symptoms in this disease. In some, cholera is so sudden in its attack, that the person is struck down, as it were, at once ; in others, there are premonitory symptoms which may exist even for some days. The collapse is ushered in by a coldness and shrinking of the features, which will in some degree corre- spond with the vomiting and diarrhoea. Excruciating pains in the bowels and cramps in the extremities also occur. The skin of the fingers and toes becomes blue, and the patient dies. The lungs are somewhat injected; the bronchial membrane vascular ; the villous coat of the stomach softened, and per- haps reddened ; the mucous membrane of the small intestines presenting an injected state of its arteries and veins ; the mucous coat softened, and, in some cases, small patches of ecchymosis. The membrane of the large intestines somewhat black in its appearance ; and this may even occur throughout CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 287 them all, especially in those cases which have been cut off with the greatest rapidity ; the peritoneal coat of the intestines not much affected, but sometimes of a pink hue, from the blood shining through it. The large vessels, both in the thorax and abdomen, commonly more or less turgid with black blood ; and the veins of the brain and spinal cord full of the same kind of blood. The urinary bladder is contracted, and the secretion of urine suspended. The matter which is thrown off both by purging and vomiting is like rice-water, mixed sometimes with flakes of coagulated lymph ; and in the intestines it is found sometimes bloody. Now I have stated that herbivorous animals are sometimes cut off in a somewhat similar manner. It is no unusual thing for a horse to be brought to a veterinary surgeon in the most intense agony. He has perhaps been seized within half an hour or an hour ; he can scarcely be kept upon his legs a mo- ment ; he tosses himself down wherever he is for a moment allowed to stand ; knocks his head against the wall, or what- ever comes in his way, as if, from the intensity of the agony under which he then suffers, he cared not for any other injury. A cold sweat pours from every pore ; his eye is fixed, sunk, and glassy ; his limbs are convulsed ; he sobs, or rather snorts ; and a few more convulsive spasms terminate his existence. In others, the progress is not so rapid ; perhaps the disease, instead of lasting only two or three hours, may, although rarely, continue during as many days. When a horse in the severer cases of the malady is first brought, the driver or groom genera% complains that " he is troubled with a stoppage of his water," and perhaps that " he has passed some awfu' like stuff wi' his dung," — that is, it is covered with slime. This latter circumstance is, however, also found in the more chronic forms of the disease. On examining a severe case of this kind, it is found that the pulse is perhaps raised to eighty, ninety, or above a hundred. It is small and thready, and scarcely to be distin- guished in the arteries, whUe at the heart it may sometimes 288 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATEI) ANIMALS. be distinctly felt. The mouth is generally colder than natural ; either dry, with white furred tongue, or filled with a frothy mucus. But there is little time to spare in examination : the animal throAvs himself to the ground, and continues to toss about, or frequently rising and lying down again, until relieved in some way or another. If the extremities are felt, they are cold to the touch, and the tips of the ears are not less so ; but the extremities are not only cold, but they have become re- markably ^?ie or shrunk. Convulsive spasms soon take place, and he dies. On examination after death, we find there is a great deter- mination of blood to the deeper-seated parts ; they are highly inflamed, and the vessels injected with blood. The symptoms and appearance vary, however, according to the rapidity of the disease. The epizootic which at present rages has a somewhat curious character. It has been much less destructive than is generally the case with diseases of the bowels, while, at the same time, it presents various modifications. The most conspicuous, and that to which I would more especially direct attention, is diarrhcea, which is now very prevalent. This is the more remarkable, because that complaint in horses is extremely rare. By improper treatment, such as allowing a horse to drink a large qixantity of cold water previous to setting out on a long journey or severe exercise, such a disease is readily produced ; but it is quite a different thing to have so many cases without any apparent cause. ■ ' With the exception of those I have mentioned, I have had no opportunity of examining the post-mortem appearances of any of those cases of diarrhoea ; but, coupled with the circum- stance of a great number of other cases of diseased bowels, and having many symptoms in common with the ordinary cases of diseases of the intestines, I cannot but conclude that the mucous membrane of the intestines is the part affected. By referring the malady to this part, we are enabled, indeed, CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS, 289 to account for all the phenomena which occur. "We see that a certain excited state of that membrane produces the same effect as when it is acted on by purging medicine, depriving the blood of its serum. We see also that in horses the dis- charge of mucus coating the dung in flakes is the flocculent mixture in the matter discharged ; we have in the morbid dis- charge a consequence of an irritable membrane, the secretion varying according to the state of excitement in the secreting membrane. The state of the membrane will also be regulated, in some measure, according to the discharge ; because, if that is very copious, it operates as a powerful means of depleting the system : there wiU therefore be, in most or all instances, only the effects of the excitement left on the membrane, in- stead of increased vascularity, because the discharge (the de- pletion) may reduce even the inflammatory action and appear- ances from which it at first sprung ; so that a softening of the mucous membrane, which is an effect of the irritation, may be all that is left in those cases where the discharge is copious. If, then, the discharge is so powerful as to reduce the inflamed state of this part, it must, at the same time, both by drawing the fluids to the interior of the body, and at once discharging them, as it were, wholesale, rapidly produce a shrinking of the features and a haggard countenance. I must also remark, that by the great increase in the activity of this membrane as an emunctory, there wiU be such a deficiency of the blood, that the kidneys, which at all times seem to regulate its quan- tity and quality, will have nothing to secrete from ; there being, in consequence of the other drain, a want of fluids in the system, and hence the absence of the secretion of urine, and the contracted state of the bladder. By referring the disease to the mucous membrane of the small intestines, we can still further explain the symptoms which occur ; because it is well known that irritation in the bowels, in other cases, produces derangement of the nervous system. Hence we find convulsions in dogs from the effects of worms in the small intestines, and many other causes. T 290 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. Indeed it is scarcely necessary for me to illustrate the circum- stance of derangement of the bowels causing affections of the brain and nervous system; and if that is once admitted, then, I say, it is by no means surprising to find spasms pro- duced iu the extremities as an effect of the derangement of the bowels. That this is an effect and not a cause of disease of the bowels, is clearly proved, I think, by the circumstance of the diarrhoea being the common precursor — " the premonitory symptom" — of the more formidable stages of the disease. Again, as an effect of the system being robbed of the vital fluid by the purging, and the tendency to syncope conse- quently induced by the operation of intestinal irritation on the brain, and the disturbance produced by the cramp, we are enabled not only to account for the blueness of the skin, but also for many of the post-mortem appearances. When a muscle is thrown into considerable action, as we may illustrate by the effects of the movement of the jaws in bleeding from the neck of the horse, the blood is driven with increased force from the veins of the muscle and from the neighbouring parts, in consequence of the contraction of the muscle. That contraction, if continued, also resists the en- trance of the blood into the arteries of the parts in action, and compressed. That blood-vessels are liable to be acted upon by pressure, I need not attempt farther to prove; but the example of the horse's foot, however, is not imworthy of notice. There we find the arteries passing through the bone, that pressure may not affect them ; and that the veins may not be injured by it, we find them anastomosing like a piece of network, and without valves, in order that the blood may escape from them in every direction while under its influence. From this cause, then, we have an absence of blood, or perhaps, it may be, a little extravasation, in the capillaries ; and this resistance to the free circulation acts on the heart, and impedes its action, and also compels the blood to flow to CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 291 those parts wliich are not subject to pressure. This accounts for the congested state of the vessels of the brain and spinal cord — an appearance which is to be foi^nd as an effect of all spasmodic affections, more especially in tetanus ; and an effect that has frequently been mistaken for the cause of that dis- ease. From the same cause we find the vessels of the abdo- men in a state of congestion. The lungs also, and the heart, and large vessels of the chest, are liable to be congested in a similar way. This production of congestion in the vessels of the import- ant organs enables us to account also for the occurrence of the fever which so frequently /o/foira the other more active symp- toms. The congestion of the vessels of the brain and spinal cord may be naturally expected to produce some derangement in these organs ; hence headache in the mildest, but typhus fever in the more severe cases, the consequence of recovery from the first shock of the disease. These effects of the disease upon the nervous system in my patients I have not observed, unless I were to refer the dulness which sometimes exists for a few days to this cause — or to suppose that some of these cases, where the disease affects the mucous membrane of the bronchiae, and which are ushered in by colicky pains, are cholera ; but this I do not feel disposed to do, nor is it, I think, of much importance that I should en- deavour to trace the analogy so far. I shall keep this in view, should any well-marked case occur. It is now necessary that I shotdd offer some reason why the mucous membrane in herbivorous animals is more liable to this affection than that of the omnivorous, and also why the disease prevails so much amongst them at the present time. To the first question I am inclined to answer, that vegetable food is more difficult of digestion than animal food ; and that this is proved by the greater length of time required, and the more complicated digestive apparatus with which these animals are provided for the purpose ; — that vegetable food presents a greater variety, in regard to its nutritive properties, 292 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. and is more liable to be acted on by external causes than ani- mal food, and consequently, presented in a greater variety of states to the digestive organs, is more apt to undergo chemical changes in the viscera, producing decomposition and generation of gases in the intestines. It is also more liable to produce mechanical irritation than animal food. To the second question it is by no means easy to give so plausible a reply. It will, however, appear, that if there is at present an analogous disease prevailing both in man and animals, and that that disease has a peculiar character, the natural inference must be, that the same causes which operate in the one must be also exerting their influence on the other. That such is the case I cannot omit to illustrate, even after aU that has already been offered ; because on Saturday last, the 10th inst. (after the occurrence of disease of the bowels had in a great measure subsided for two weeks), no less than five cases of this kind happened in my practice, one of which was, perhaps, as well marked with the symptoms of what I have supposed to be cholera, as any that has yet come under my notice ; and of these, this week has produced also a large proportion of cases. This reciirrence of cases, be it remarked, has been simultaneous with the increase or recurrence of cholera in the human being in the immediate neighbourhood — the Water of Leith ; and what is also as remarkable, that although that increase was for several days followed by a number of cases, they have gradually diminished in frequency, and during three days I have not had a case. What the cause or causes are, I am unable to explain ; but if, in addition to what I have already offered, as indicating a long continuance of a peculiar atmospherical influence, we consider the general state of the weather and atmosphere for these two seasons past ; the extraordinary brilliancy and fre- quency of the aurora borealis ; and also the following facts, that, during the prevalence of the disease of the mucous mem- brane of the respiratory organs in the horse, it was observed by Mr Stevenson of Eedside, near North Berwick, whose CHOLERA IN BOMESTICATED ANIMALS, 293 horses were almost all affected, that, as he states in a letter to me, dated 6th May 1831, " it was a curious fact, that before the thunder, upon Tuesday, the black mare and brown horse's (two which died) pulse rose above 100, but after the storm their pulse again feU as low as 70 ; all the rest of their pulses (the horses which were unwell) were affected in the same manner." In all those cases in which the disease appeared in a catar- rhal form, the situation of the stable seemed to have great influence in producing it ; for I observed that, in farm-stead- ings especially, all those where the disease prevailed most severely stood in situations that exposed them much to the effects of the east winds which then prevailed; or, if the steadings were not so situated, the horses most subject to the disease were those the nature of whose work most exposed them to this wind. I may also add, that some time prior to the commencement of the disease at Musselburgh, the sea had for several days been observed to be higlJy phosphores- cent, or " on fire," as the natives of the place emphatically expressed it ; all of which seemed to prove a peculiar state of the atmosphere. I may therefore, in some measure, at least, be warranted in concluding, that the combination of particular circumstances in regard to food, habits, situation, and atmospherical influence, has had a large share in the production of this malady ; and I can farther assert that, whether the disease is propagated by contagion or not in the human body, in the animals which have come under my care, there has not been, not even during the period of the affection of the bowels, the smallest reason to suppose that it was produced by that cause. It is unnecessary, after the detailed account I have given of these cases, that I should offer any lengthened history of the treatment of the disease in the lower animals. I shall only remark, that it consisted in bleeding ; the administration of mild aperients combined with opium, together with a plentiful allowance of warm water or starch gruel ; clysters of soap and 294 CHOLERA IN DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. warm water were frequently thrown up ; fomentations of hot water were applied to the belly ; or the belly was alternately bathed with hot water, and, when dry, stimulated with oil of turpentine. In conclusion, I will only remark, that what I have stated has been derived entirely from observations I have made in my own practice ; but I have no doubt many others may have noticed similar appearances in theirs, which may further elu- cidate the subject ; and I only hope that what I have stated may tend to throAV some light on the nature of a disease which has filled the world with so much terror. THE EFFECTS OF THE "WOOEAAEA POISON — ITS ANTIDOTE. We are distinctly and unequivocally opposed to all experi- ments upon living animals, when the facts can be ascertained by any other means ; and, unless some very useful end is to be obtained, will never sanction any experiment which has even the appearance of unnecessary cruelty; but it is evident that in many cases, where the effects of medicines are un- known, and where a remedy for the cure of some obstinate or untractable disease is wanting, some experiments may be allowable ; and when these are warranted by circumstances, we shall have no hesitation in laying them before our readers. The following are of the kind we allude to, and we have no doubt will be interesting : — About three months ago, a medical gentleman having ob- tained a quantity of the Wooraara or Guiana poison, and having applied to us to obtain a dog to try its effects upon, we procured one which the owner wished to have destroyed, in consequence of incurable paralysis ; and having made an incision on the inside of the thigh, a quantity of the poison, about the size of half a pea, previously moistened, was spread upon the wound. The dog was allowed to walk or stagger about the room, which he continued to do for fifteen minutes, without evincing any symptoms of the action of the poison. At the expiration of this time, a twitching of the muscles began to take place, and he immediately became convulsed, and died in seventeen minutes. The poison seemed to ope- rate as a powerful narcotic, producing first convulsions, stupor, interruption of the functions of the thoracic viscera, 296 EFFECTS OF THE WOOKAARA POISON and death by that means. The vessels of the brain were tur- gid with blood, and the lungs and heart were in a state of congestion. Wishing to try the effect of this active agent upon the horse, the gentleman left us a small quantity of it; and having obtained a pony about twelve hands high, which was aged, and affected with incurable lameness, besides having a frac- ture of the pelvis, we made an incision through the skin on the breast, and introduced a little more of the poison than had been used for the dog ; but, after watching the case for three hours, no certain symptoms of the action of the poison ap- peared. There was some slight twitching of the muscles ; but as the animal was suffering considerable pain from the frac- ture of the pelvis, and was scarcely able to rise, it is more than probable that these spasms arose from the pain and un- easiness which the animal was otherwise suffering. Being unwilling to wait longer, we dissolved a small quantity of the poison in water, and, having opened the jugular vein, injected about an ounce and a half of the fluid. The animal was almost instantly seized with convulsions, and seemed in a dying state. It was then thought advisable to try the effect of an anti- dote ; and a pailful of cold water was first dashed about the head, which seemed to refresh him in some degree; after which four drachms of aqua ammoniae, diluted with gviij of water, were given, which was swallowed with difficulty. In a few seconds, however, the animal revived so much as to be able to lift its head and attempt to rise. After allowing it to remain quiet for some time, and having given a quart of water, the convulsive sobbing and difficulty of breathing subsided, and there appeared no doubt of its recovering from the effects of the poison. A rather larger quantity of the solution of the poison was therefore injected into the veins, and allowed to produce its fuU effect, and the animal was destroyed in about five ITS ANTIDOTE. 297 minutes. The effects of tlie poison were similar, in regard to the symptoms it produced, to those exhibited by the dog ; and the examination of the body also showed little variety. There was great engorgement of the heart and large veins, and some blood in the arteries. The vessels of the brain were also turgid with blood. THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF THE ERGOT OF RYE IN DIFFICULT PARTURITION. On the 10th instant, a pointer bitch produced two puppies ; and it was thought by the person having her in charge that she had no more. She was put into a comfortable box, and, with a little care, was expected to do well On the next morning, however, she was sick, and breathed heavily, and continued rather uneasy all that day. On the forenoon of the 12th, I was requested to see her. I found her with her nose dry, breath hot, respiration frequent, mouth hot and parched, coat staring, back reached, pulse 120, and a black foetid discharge from the vagina. Pressure on the abdomen gave pain, and a pup could be obscurely felt ; the secretion of milk was suppressed, and the skin had lost its natural elasticity. Tepid water, with a little soap dissolved in it, was imme- diately injected into the uterus, which, in a considerable degree, excited its action ; and this injection was repeated two or three times with the same effect. The water was ejected, together with some foetid matter from the womb ; but, after waiting for half an hour, the fcetus was not discharged, nor brought forward. A scruple of the ergot of rye was then made into an infu- sion with §ij of water, and one-third of the infusion given as a dose ; in half an hour another one-third of it — the injections of warm water and soap being also continued. Soon after the second dose of the infusion, a dead puppy was expelled ; the ERGOT OF RYE IN DIFFICULT PARTURITION. 299 bitch rapidly recovered, and, with the exception of deficiency of milk, is now quite well. This case would seem to prove the great power of the ergot of rye over the uterus ; but, until more experiments are made, it is necessary to be cautious in ascribing powers to medicines which have not been much tried in our practice. It is not improbable that the warm water and soap might have roused the uterus into action without the aid of the ergot ; and it is therefore necessary that those who repeat this experiment should try the effects of the medicine unaided by the other auxiliary. The great power which this medicine is said to have in the human being, and the apparent effect in the case just given, suggests the propriety of instituting a farther trial of it, and of extending it to cattle, amongst which difficult cases of calving so frequently occur. If its effects are found to be equal in cows to those which are ascribed to it in women, it will be found a useful addition to our limited pharmacopceia. ON SOME LATE EPIDEMIC DISEASES AND CHARACTERS OF DISEASE. For these three years past the influence of the atmosphere, under the various changes it has exhibited, has been peculiarly marked in its effects upon the bodies of animals, especially in the northern metropolis and surrounding country. First, in producing the fatal and destructive bronchitis which so gene- rally prevailed ; next, in derangements of the bowels analo- gous to cholera ; and lastly, in three other forms of disease : — First, sore throat, terminating in strangles, in which the dis- ease appeared in varied forms, the abscesses being found in all parts of the body, and in some proving fatal by the tumour's interfering with the functions of organs essential to life (the lungs and abdominal viscera) ; and in others proving destruc- tive, by the abscesses bursting into the chest or abdomen, and setting up a destructive irritation. Secondly, Erythematous disease, in which sudden eruptions have taken place generally over the whole body, attended with low febrile action, weakness, and slight soreness of the throat, but otherwise with little disturbance of the respiratory organs ; slight derangement of the abdominal viscera, but no apparent derangement of the sensorium : the eruptions on the skin in some cases disappearing as suddenly as they came, but generally returning a few times before they entirely left the animal ; in other cases proceeding at once to a slight effu- sion from the surface of the tumours, foUoM^ed by a desquama- tion of hair, and then going quite off; while, in others, a per- manent alteration of the skin has followed, by a deposit of a small quantity of calcareous-like matter in it, forming little ON SOME LATE EPIDEMIC DISEASES. 301 tumours. The animal during the disease showed considerable weakness, attended with loss of flesh and condition; being imable to stand free blood-letting, and, from the absence of the buffy coat on the blood in the early stage of the disease, apparently not requiring it ; therefore mild purgatives, with diaphoretics, producing the most speedy return to health. Thirdly, The frequent occurrence of tetanus, of which we have seen six cases within the last four months, and have heard of many others. Four of those which we saw occurred in April, and two in July. Those in April arose from the effects of cold, being attended with symptoms of an affection of the pleura, and" which was proved by the post-mortem ex- amination of one of them; the other three recovered. The other two cases arose from wounds : one from broken knees, which proved fatal ; the other from a large lacerated wound of the hip, and which has terminated favourably. The treat- ment consisted in the exhibition of purgatives, of which cro- ton-seed was the chief; and which, in this case, is a most valuable remedy, from the smaUness of its bulk, and from its not very quickly giving out its taste to the mouth — the animal, as long as the power of deglutition remains, being able to suck it up with his drink. Forty grains is usually a sufficient dose, but more is sometimes required. Aloes are, however, equally efficacious if they can be given ; but it is always advisable to allow something extra, to make up for what is lost in giving. It is of the greatest importance to get the bowels open — so much so, that if that is effected the animal almost always recovers, if proper auxiliary treatment is adopted ; while, on the contrary, without the free evacuation of the bowels, the disease seldom subsides. Bleeding is generally required dur- ing some stage of the disease, in order to relieve the lungs and head from the oppression produced by the great determination of blood to them, from the continued firm contraction of the muscles. Blisters are also of use to the throat, and in those cases where the chest is much affected : where pleurisy exists, the sides also should be blistered. Farther than this, every 302 ON SOME LATE EPIDEMIC DISEASES. kind of irritation ought to be carefully avoided. Quietness is of the greatest importance in the treatment of the disease, and this should be carefully attended to in the administration of medicines. A very little rough usage will often render the case hopeless. On some future occasion we purpose to offer some remarks on the pathology of tetanus. A TUMOUR OR CLYER IN THE UPPER RESPIRATORY PASSAGES OF A COW. We have been consulted on the following case : — " A cow, ever since she was taken up from grass last season, has been violently ill with supposed asthma. The respiratory muscles of the chest and abdomen act with great violence ; her nostrils are distended; much saliva runs from her mouth, and her tongue hangs out. She had a calf this season ; but that has made no alteration in her syniptoms. She is sometimes a little easier when her stomach is empty. Her breathing may be heard at some distance from the byre door. She is in fair condition, but has fallen off a little lately. Mr E and Mr L have seen her as well as myself, and we are all at fault ; and I will therefore feel obliged by your advice, as she is a favourite cow." This appears to be a case of tumour, or what in Scotland is termed a clyer, in or about the larynx, and might possibly be removed by the hand introduced through the mouth, as we once saw in a case something of this kind. There is a preparation at the St Pancras Veterinary College of this sort. The tumour is anterior to the epiglottis, and had it been known, might perhaps have been drawn out ; but the animal broke his back while he was cast, during the opera- tion of tracheotomy, or rather while passing a probang upwards from the opening which had been made in the trachea ; and by this means the tumour and its situation were afterwards discovered. MONSTROSITIES. Although the great object the veterinarian must always have in view is to obtain a knowledge of the most successful means of relieving the pains and of curing the diseases of the animals intrusted to his care, yet it is not necessary, neither is it ex- pedient, that his attention should be wholly engrossed by the effects of medicines upon his patients while labouring under disease. It is of importance that he should look around him and observe what is commonly occurring among his patients, and also to watch and examine those cases which are more rare; not only that he may be enabled to enlarge his own stock of knowledge, but also that he may add contributions to the general treasury of science. It has been said that little advantage is to be derived by the veterinary surgeon from the study of comparative anatomy ; and it may by some be thought a matter of still less importance to examine those cases of lusus naturce which the veterinarian meets with. We, how- ever, are of a different opinion, and do not hesitate to say that there can be no course of study which he can pursue as an auxiliary that will yield greater advantages than comparative anatomy ; and we hope that every veterinary surgeon who has had the opportimity has attended, and that every veterinary student also has diligently attended, the highly valuable and interesting course of lectures on that subject delivered by Pro- fessor Grant in the London University ; for we feel assured that whoever has done so will always appreciate the advan- tages derived from them. Comparative anatomy is indeed, or at least ought to be, the basis of our profession. We are com- pelled to enter upon it before we can have a knowledge of the MONSTROSITIES. 305 structure and functions of the subjects on which we practise ; and we know, from practical experience, that it is a field, once entered upon, which cannot be left without deriving both pleasure and advantage from it. Several years have elapsed since we had the pleasure of hearing the lectures of Professor Grant in Edinburgh, which, together with those of our friend the late Dr J. Barclay, we wish we had been able sufficiently to store up in our memory. They have, however, left a deep and valuable enough impression to warrant our thus strongly recommending the subject to all those who have the oppor- tunity of attending to the study. But although we have taken this opportunity of alluding in a general manner to comparative anatomy, our present object is to direct the attention of our brethren in the profession to one branch of it — namely, the subject of monstrosities, many cases of which are met with in the course of our practice, especially in the country, and by those who are more particu- larly engaged amongst cattle. The subject is one which has been but little investigated in this country, at least by veteri- narians ; yet we are certain that it has only to be suggested in order to produce many an account of curious cases. We have been led to these considerations by lately meeting with a very singular case. A mare, the property of Mr Johnston, HiUhouse, near Kirk- newton, dropped a foal in the beginning of April, in the head of which there were several remarkable peculiarities. It had only one eye, which was in the centre of the forehead ; there were neither nasal cavities nor nostrils. It was alive when foaled, but the superstitious notions of the farm-servants in- duced them to destroy it ; and having cut off the head, they sent it to town to their master. The eye externally appeared rather small, the cornea somewhat flat. The eyelids being closely attached to the periosteum, were unable to close upon the eye, and had the appearance of being the outer angles of the eyelids brought together so as to form one. They, how- ever, were not united so as to form complete eyelids ; but they u 306 MONSTROSITIES. had made two angles, the one above and the other below the eye, running vertically in the centre of the forehead, so that there were four corners or angles formed by the eyelids. The lachrymal duct descended from the inferior angle between the superior maxillary bones, and terminated in the palate, having taken a somewhat curved direction between these bones, which were formed almost entirely of alveolar processes, and, when filled with the teeth, seemed a solid mass of bone. The ter- mination of this duct was at the inferior extremity of the maxOlary bones, and the duct was formed in a groove which was seen on separating the maxillary bones, together with an- other about an inch and a half posterior to it. The ears stood in the natural position, and, as far as they were examined, were completely formed. On dissecting the skin from the forehead, it was found that the whole of the portions of the frontal bones which form the anterior part of the cranium and the frontal sinuses were wanting. The superior orbitary processes had approximated and united together at their apex, so as to form one orbit, in which the eyeball was lodged. On remov- ing a portion of these and the parietal bones, a blackish- coloured body was seen, occupying the situation of the cere- brum, extending from the tentorium forward to the orbit, at place of what appeared to be the boundary of the cranium inferiorly. This black body had a membrane which covered a small portion of the anterior part, and which seemed to form the sclerotic coat of the eye, and was continued forward to the cornea. In short, this body was the eye, which extended backward into the cranium, the black colour being given by the choroid coat, which formed the external tunic of the pos- terior portion of the humour. On removing the choroid coat, the expansion of the retina was seen covering the vitreous humour, which was of unusually large quantity. The optic nerve entered the eye at the under surface in rather a peculiar maimer, and one which seemed to illustrate the fact how simply nature arranges things under peculiar circumstances, in order to overcome what to us mortals would appear to be a MONSTROSITIES. 307 difficulty ; at least it would serve to illustrate a theory which we advanced in a paper read before the Eoyal Physical Society some years ago, to show how the inverted image of objects on the retina is corrected by the curve which is made by the optic nerves in their course between the eyeball and their origin at the corpora quadrigemina. In the case before us there was but one optic nerve, which took its origin from the only portion of the cerebrum which was present, and which corresponded with the corpora quadrigemina, and, as in those cases, formed a complete semicircle before entering the eye ; and the impression of the image of objects must, from this cause, be presented in the relatively proper position as it reaches the origin of the nerve at the gemini. The whole eye was elongated to about triple the ordinary size ; the anterior parts were, perhaps, more naturally formed than the posterior. The lens seemed to have the appearance of being double, but, from accident, was not examined with sufficient care. The cerebellum was about the natural size and appearance ; and all the nerves, with the exception of the olfactory, could be traced. From the dura mater there extended, in the situa- tion of the tentorium, a bony tumour resembling a tooth. "We have already stated that there were no nasal cavities. The superior maxiUary bones were thick and strong ; the incisive bones were wanting, consequently there was a consid- erable shortness of the upper jaw. At the extremity of it, however, there hung a tumour containing the incisive teeth. The skin upon the upper lip had the appearance usual in the natural state of the parts ; the lower jaw was nearly three inches longer than the upper, and was in a considerable degree curved upwards, so as to approach in some measure to the upper. From these circumstances the mouth was on the front of the face at the lower part, and seemed well adapted for sucking the teats of the mother, had it been allowed to live. Its tongue was well formed, but rather longer than usual — a circumstance which might have enabled it to have gathered in its food to the mouth, notwithstanding its peculiar form. 308 MONSTROSITIES. It was stated by those who saw it alive that it breathed with considerable difficulty through its mouth, which arose from the velum palati, which was about the usual length, falling down and closing the opening from the pharynx into the mouth, so that its breathing must have been effected with great difficulty and convulsive efforts. The lachrymal bones formed the basis of the orbit, and in the median line were united, and formed in their union a foramen, which was the commencement of the lachrymal duct. The ethmoidal bone was entirely wanting; in its stead the palatine bones were enlarged, and connected the superior maxillary and sphenoid, and formed in part the floor of the cavity of the orbit. The palatine bones united to form a small canal, sufficient to admit a small probe, which arose posterior to the velum palati, and, taking a curve, terminated in the palate, about IJ inch from the inferior extremity of the superior maxillary bones, and in the median line. This tube presented a trace of the nasal cavity, and might have allowed a very small quantity of air to pass, but was not observed until the bones were macerated, and only known by the small grooves in the maxillary bones, posterior to the lachrymal grooves, and then by the union of the palatine bones. In addition to the above, we give the following account of two cases with which we have been favoured, and which oc- curred in the practice of Mr Tennent, V.S., Eevenstrather. He was sent for to see a foal, the property of B. Dalziel, Esq., near Lanark, which was supposed to be affected with consti- pation ' of the bowels (a not unfrequent occurrence in newly- dropped foals). When he saw the foal it had been ill about twenty-four hours. It exhibited the usual symptoms of con- stipation, with the exception of the absence of tympanitis, but was evidently in a dying state: 3iv castor- oil and |iv Epsom salts were, however, given, and also some clysters. The clysters were returned unaltered, and it died in about an hour after his arrival. On the post-mortem examination it was found, instead of what might have been expected from the MONSTROSITIES. 309 symptoms before death, that about a foot anterior to the anus the rectxim became diminished to about the size of a common goose-(|uill, and after continuing forward of the size, termin- ated in a tumour containing a cavity about the size of a small pigeon's egg. The colon was not reflected upon itself, was about two feet long, and terminated in a cavity like the rectum. The caput csecum and the rest of the viscera were in their natural state. About six weeks ago he was sent for, at nine P.M., to attend a cow, the property of H. Monteith, Esq., Carstairs, which had calved about two p.m. He learned that for four years preceding she had had twin calves, and it was suspected she had still another calf in the womb. On introducing the hand, he found a substance which resembled, to the touch, a portion of liver, and which afterwards proved to be so ; for it was found that the parietes of the abdomen were wanting. The common integuments were reflected upwards upon the sides, and the whole viscera left exposed. The near hind leg was bent first forward and then backward over the ileum, to- wards the tail, somewhat enveloped in the integument of the belly. There was no diaphragm, but the thoracic viscera were otherwise entire. The hind leg, already mentioned, was found, after the calf was extracted, to resemble the fore leg, more especially in the form of the hock-joint, which exactly resem- bled the knee. DIVISION OF THE FLEXOR TENDONS. In oiir Number for March, Mr Holford lias given an account of a case in which the division of the flexor tendons had not been followed with the advantages he expected ; and requests to be informed of the result of some of those cases which have been recorded in our Journal, alluding especially to the ani- mal mentioned by the late Mr Castley, which was operated on by Mr Dick. The pressure of business has prevented us from giving Mr Holford the information he wished for ; but it was in a great measure supplied by Mr Young of Garnkirk, and might have, indeed, been left entirely to that answer. The successful or unsuccessfiJ. termination of an operation does not, in every case, establish the propriety or impropriety of its repetition, because there may be many collateral circum- stances which would lead, in one case, to an unexpected or unwished-for termination, and which may, at the same time, be totally distinct from and independent of either the opera- tion or the ordinary consequence of it. We hold that the veterinary surgeon who expects to be able to restore parts to their entirely original condition by operations, and who, unless he can do so, will not operate, must be deterred from doing that which is good in many cases, and will at last find it ne- cessary to operate ; for experience and observation will teach him to take another view of things, and lead him to content himself with being able to restore parts to a condition which may enable his patients to perform their labours with less pain to themselves, and with more advantage and pleasure to their owners. Had Mr Holford's informant respecting the case operated on by Mr Dick been honest, he would have in- DIVISION OF THE FLEXOE, TENDONS. 311 formed him of the circumstances connected with the affair he alludes to ; and it would then, perhaps, have been a matter of less astonishment to Mr Holford that the horse was, at the end of six months, as bad as ever, than to have been informed that he continued sound. The horse in question had been purchased by an Irishman, a coal-carter, for, we believe, 30s., the seller supposing him incurable. He was brought to the Edinburgh Veterinary- School, and operated on with the best prospect of success, and was so well in six or seven weeks that he was sold for £10, and immediately put to regular hard work, contrary to the advice given, for it was stated that he should be gently used untU the leg had got a little more strength. Almost as a matter of course, the limb, in its weak state, received a fresh injury. He was driven on by the new master ; he got worse, and the sinews, as in all cases of strain where such abuse exists, became gradually contracted. But although in this case, from the animal being in the possession of individuals who cared not what became of him, provided they could make an immediate profit of him either by sale or by cruel treat- ment, little permanent good.was done, it must not be supposed that this happens with every one, for it has been found that the greater number of those which have been operated on are able to do their work for years after. A horse belonging to one of the proprietors of the stage-waggon which travels be- tween Edinburgh and Newcastle, Mr Anderson of Channel- kirk, travelled nearly six years in the waggon after the opera- tion ; another, belonging to Mr Bartholomew of Greendykes, a farmer, about twelve miles west of Edinburgh, continued to do his work for nearly a similar period — and in both cases, without any appearance of contraction again taking place. Many others have done equally weU, but we do not remember at present any who continued as long as these mentioned, for after diseases cut them off. The success of this operation, like aU others, depends upon the selection of proper cases ; for it must be known that there are some that do not admit of a 312 DIVISION OF THE FLEXOR TENDONS. fair expectation of success by this means. Those which de- pend upon disease of the bones of the pastern, in which, per- haps, the coffin, or pastern, or fetlock joints are anchylosed, are very apt to go wrong again, because the operation does not give relief to those parts ; and in cases where the con- traction is but slight, especially in the hind legs, there is often a great degree of weakness produced from the difficulty of keeping the fetlock in the proper position. There are cases, also, of contraction of the limbs in very young animals, in which the operation is improper, because these can generally be cured by other means ; and cases sometimes fail, even where the operation is proper, from the improper manner in which the animal is treated in regard to shoeing. Thus we have sometimes seen considerable injury done by the country smith putting on a shoe with a large tip, in order to give the foot a purchase ; the consequence of which is, a fresh strain, and this almost on the animal being first put to work. The heels should be elevated a little, so as to keep the weakened part as easy as possible, until it has acquired mature strength. We might enlarge on this subject considerably, but refrain, as it would lead us into a wider field than we have leisure at present to survey with the correctness the subject merits. ON THE USE OF THE OMENTUM. In examining the bodies of horses w'hich had died from the effects of a rupture of the stomach or any portion of the intes- tines, I had always observed that a large proportion of the matter which had escaped through the rupture into the cavity of the abdomen had been collected in the omentum ; but as in most cases there was also a considerable quantity extrava- sated among the intestines, my attention was not particularly excited by it until about eight months ago, when I met with a case in which the matter that had escaped from a smaU. rupture in the stomach was entirely collected by the omentum. This circumstance suggested the idea, that either the omentum must have an action that would enable it thus to coUect the extravasated matter, or the intestines must have a motion against the omentum capable of producing the same effect; or otherwise, that the matter escaping through the ruptured portion must have passed directly upon the omentum ; but this last process could not have taken place here, because the opening in the stomach was not upon the omentum. In re- flecting on these circumstances, it occurred to me that if I could clearly explain these things it might serve to show what is the true use of the omentum ; and as it was at once evident that this organ, although floating among the intestines, so as to collect the extravasated matter from among them, must have some more important office to perform than that of thus accidentally taking up foreign substances, it must, in being moved in the situation and the manner in which the matter was collected, be continually sliding among the intes- tines. In the horse, and all his tribe, this organ is small and 314 THE USE OF THE OMENTUM. delicate compared with what it is in other animals ; and is, in ordinary cases, chiefly placed between the peritoneal surface of the greater curvature of the stomach on its sternal side, and the arch of the colon. In the ox, sheep, &c., it extends over the whole of the sternal — the most dependent surface of the paunch ; and it is interposed between the paunch and the ab- dominal parietes. In the dog and swine the omentum extends from the stomach over the whole of the inferior portion of the viscera, and is interposed between them and the inner surface of the abdominal parietes, similar to what is found in man. In all these animals the abdominal viscera differ considerably in their arrangement and magnitude, and have some variety in their action. In the horse, the stomach is remarkably small in proportion to the size of the animal. He feeds rapidly, the digestive process goes on quickly, and the stomach is conse- quently liable to frequent changes in its state of distension. The colon, which in the horse is as remarkably large as the stomach is small, makes a kind of double circle round the cavity of the abdomen, passing from the right iliac region for- ward, round, and to the left, then returning for some distance, and at that part of the arch of the colon upon which the stomach rests, is very large, and presents a flattish surface where the omentum is interposed between them, and at length terminates in the rectum. The colon rests entirely on the abdominal parietes, having none of the omentum interposed, unless when some morbid action has been produced. And, as already stated, it in these cases collects the foreign bodies which have been extravasated, the removal of such bodies tending evidently to diminish fric- tion. Now, if the omentum has this power under a diseased action, may it not naturally be inferred that it may, even in a healthy state, have this function assigned to it ? But if such were its functions, we might expect that, in an animal like the horse, and all belonging to his class, we should find an omen- tum extending over the abdominal parietes, as in the dog, swine, and their tribe. THE USE OP THE OMENTUM. 315 This, liowever, is not the case, because it is not required. The longitudinal bands, which are so conspicuous in these animals in the colon, are of a ligamentous structure, and seem to have no action of themselves, but serve only to bind to- gether the other coats of the intestines in a puckered form. The muscular fibres are attached to the longitudinal ligaments|; and as the ligaments remain almost entirely stationary, the muscular coat pushes the contents along by the alternate con- traction and relaxation of the fibres, without changing the portion of the intestine from its relative position in the ab- domen. Very little friction, therefore, is likely to take place between the peritoneum of the colon and that of the parietes of the abdomen, and, consequently, an omentum is not required in that situation. In the ox, sheep, and other ruminating animals, however, the paunch is large, and rests upon the abdominal parietes to a great extent. In them, if the extensive plain surface of the stomachs had to move on the similarly plain surface on which they rest, there would of necessity, from the weight of the rumen, be a considerable degree of friction ; but to prevent that, and to facilitate the motion of the paunch, which is con- siderable, there is interposed between them an auxiliary sub- stance — the omentum ; and this extends throughout the whole of that part of the abdomen where this pressure is most severe, and serves therefore to assist the movements of the parts on each other with a facility which could not otherwise exist. The fat, too, which it contains, contributes much towards this effect ; for being in a semi-fluid state, and in irregular masses, it more readily assists in the movements which are taking place by yielding to them, and is increased in qiiantity where it is most required for this purpose. The small quantity of fat which the omentum of the horse contains sufficiently shows that it is not a reservoir for this substance, as some have been led to imagine. In the dog, the hog, and many other animals, there are dif- ferent conditions of the parts. In these animals the stomach 316 THE USE OF THE OMENTUM. is small when compared with the ruminants, and the intes- tines have not the marked difference in size which is so con- spicuous in the horse ; yet in these animals the omentum is large, and extends from the diaphragm back to the pelvis, in- terposed between the parietes of the abdomen and the intes- tines, containing a considerable quantity of detached portions of fat, but by no means the quantity found in oxen and ani- mals with a similar arrangement of organisation. All these quadrupeds have a rapid peristaltic motion of the intestines, and this rapid peristaltic motion being essential to the wellbeing of the animal, requires to have an omentum so formed and arranged as to facilitate their motion most readily; and such we find to be the case. The omentum in these ani- mals slides more freely between the intestines and the parietes of the abdomen, or rather aids those parts to change their re- lative position more readily, than ia the other classes of animals to which I have alluded. From what I have stated, and from what is to be found upon a more extensive and general examination of the subject than I have thought myself warranted to make, I am led to con- clude that the use of the omentum is entirely for the purpose of facilitating the motion of the digestive organs, and that the difference which is found in regard to its size is owing to the peculiarities of the digestive apj)aratus in the different species of animals where such variety of it is found. THE PREVENTION OF ABORTION IN CATTLE. Sir, — I find that a very curious, and to you, I daresay, a novel opera- tion, is performed here by an old man upon the cows which have been isened, to prevent them again coming in season, or casting calf in winter. The practitioner knows nothing upon the subject, but he had learned it from his grandfather. As he is successful, and I was present when he operated upon several of my cows, I shall describe what I saw and was told, in order that you may give me an anatomical accoimt of the matter, and the reasons why the expected results have been obtained. A few days after taking the bull, the cow was held by the horns and tail, and he thrust his forefinger as far as he could reach up her box, when, he says, a small vein, larger in heifers than cows, may be felt ; and this, by pressure and tmsting the finger about rather forcibly, be broke within, a few drops of blood generally issuing after the operation. He can give no distinct account of what he does, or where the vein or muscle lies ; but I generally saw him search with his finger low down, and twist it upwards to break it, and when it slipped away from him he again felt for it below. I wish you could discover the nature of the operation, and describe it correctly ; for I can safely say, that in a breeding fold of fifty Highland cows which lie out at all seasons, and among which as many as twenty (seldom less than three or four) cast calf annually, I have not had above one or two miscarriages any year since this operation has been performed. It is therefore a subject of the utmost importance to the breeder, and I shall feel obliged by receiving from you a scientific explanation of the matter. — Yours faithfully. 18ft June 1835. The preceding letter was addressed to Mr Dick from the north of Scotland by one who takes a lively interest in the welfare of the country in which he resides ; and who, as it will be seen, while he does not hesitate to adopt what appears to be useful, is at the same time anxious to know that the operation is founded upon proper and scientific principles. To the scien- tific veterinarian, however, it must at once be obvious that this operation is a piece of absurd quackery ; not so, however, 318 THE PEEVENTION OF ABORTION IN CATTLE. to the gentleman or the farmer who has not studied anatomy and physiology. To him the loss of the animal is a matter of importance, and everything that seems likely to prevent or cure disease is gladly tried. In this case an operation is recommended ; it is backed by apparent success in other cases ; and when he tries it, there is every appearance of success. But it will not bear the test of investigation, for there is nothing in the anatomy of the parts that will admit of an operation that could prove useful. No- thing short of such a destructive laceration of parts as would be followed by a permanent contraction would have the desired effect ; and in thus mangling her, there is scarcely a doubt that the very effect wot;ld certainly be produced which the opera- tion was intended to prevent. The operation which the quack alluded to performs, appears to be a laceration of the orifice of the urethra ; and if intended to obstruct the passage of the urine, might have that effect, by the inflammation which would follow ; but to suppose that by such an operation abor- tion could be prevented is really out of the question. A CASE OP LITHOTOMY ON A HOESE. The subject of this operation was a white pony, about thirteen hands high, from sixteen to eighteen years old, which had been purchased at Falkirk Tryst a few days previous to my seeing it, and, as I have learned since, had been in the possession of a clergyman in Stirlingshire for a number of years, and known as the "Arabian pony." It had been purchased for a small sum at the Tryst to go in a baker's cart, but, on its being brought home, it was found to be unwell and off its feeding. It was therefore brought for my inspection ; and from its penis being slightly protruded from the sheath, and a constant dribbling of urine from the urethra, accompanied with severe straining, tucking up of the belly and reaching of the back, I was con- vinced that there must be a stone in, or some serious disease affecting, the urinary passages. The general appearance of the pony was dull and languid ; very thin in condition ; its pulse about fifty, and feeble. On introducing my hand into the rectum to examine the state of the bladder, the pony strained to resist its being passed, groan- ing from the pain this straining occasioned. On passing my hand into the rectum, and examining its inferior surface, I found two large tumours, apparently in connection with the neck atid cavity of the urinary bladder. The most posterior of them was of a large size, of an oblong form, and extending from the left tuberosity of the ischium obliquely across the outlet of the pelvis to the right thyroid foramen. The swelling felt soft and yielding, of a lobulated nature, and pressure on this part alone did not seem to give much pain. The anterior tumour rested upon the symphysis pubis : in size it was con- 320 A CASE OF LITHOTOMY ON A HORSE. siderably smaller than the former. It felt slightly roughened and hard, of an ovoid form, and seemed to be contained in the cavity of the bladder, the coats of which felt firmly contracted upon it. With a little care, however, these could be raised from it, and could be made to slide upon its surface, which motion produced immediate symptoms of pain, followed by the discharge of a few drops of bloody urine. Extending forward on each side of the bladder, between it and the rectum, the ureters were found to be enlarged to four times their natural size, and somewhat tortuous in their course. On being grasped between the fingers, and pressed in the direc- tion of the urinary bladder, their size became diminished, in consequence of their contents being discharged into the com- paratively preoccupied bladder, from which it was immediately discharged by the urethra. From the circumstances indicated by this examination I drew the following conclusions : first, that the posterior swell- ing was a large tumour developed around the prostatic portion of the urethra, and extending along a great portion of the right side of the bladder, between it and the levator ani muscle, and, from the colour of the pony, and its lobulated feel, I suspected it to be encysted melanosis. It was not in communication with the cavity of the bladder, as firm and continued pressure did not produce any change in its size. I also concluded that the anterior tumour was a calculus. The only means which I could, therefore, propose for the relief of the animal was that of extraction. From the small- ness of the animal, however, the preoccupation of the outlet of the pelvis, and the large size of the stone, I anticipated con- siderable difficulty in the performance of it. But as the symp- toms were urgent, and as no other means could be advised, the owner, after being made aware of the circumstances, agreed to subject the animal to the operation, which, after a week's pre- paration, was accordingly performed on the 1st of the present month. After casting the animal with side lines, and properly secur- A CASE OF LITHOTOMY ON A HOESE. 321 ing his hind legs by a piece of web passed under his back, so as to Iceep his hocks well apart, he was lifted upon an operating table about two feet and a half high, and properly supported on his back with straw under and on each side. The rectum was then emptied with the hand, and the bladder slightly distended by injecting half a pint of tepid sweet-oil along the urethra, the orifice of which was secured by the hand of an assistant. A slightly double-curved staff, about twenty inches long, was then introduced along the urethra, and care- fully carried into the perineum, as far as the angle of the canal would permit. With a stout common scalpel I then made an incision through the integuments along the left side of the perineum, commencing about two inches in front of the verge of the anus, and extending downward and outward along the base of the ischio-rectal fossal. This incision extended only through the skin, the superficial perineal fascia, and, at the interior part, a few of the fibres of the retractor muscle of the sheath. The second step in the operation consisted in securing the internal pubic artery, which, from its large size and superficial course at this part, I considered in danger of being wounded either in its trunk or primary branches, which would have im- peded considerably the subsequent part of the operation. For the purpose of obviating all these, I considered it most advis- able to secure the common trunk before it gives off any of its branches to the rectum or perineum. This I succeeded in doing by making a dissection along the inside of the tuberosity of the ischium at the posterior part of the wound : I thus cut at once into the urethra upon the point of the staff, which immediately protruded into the wound, and from which the contents of the bladder began to escape. I then put my finger on the point of the staff, and pushed it backwards, which intro- duced my finger into the urethra, where it was retained ; and, the staff withdrawn, with the fore and middle fingers of my right hand I then separated the parts about the neck of the bladder from the rectum and side of the pelvis as far as I con- X 322 A CASE OF LITHOTOMY ON A HOESK. sidered necessary. A straight grooved staff was next passed, by means of my finger, whicli I had retained in the urethra, into this canal, and carried onwards to the bladder, on entering which it at once struck against the stone, producing a clear metallic sound. I then passed along the groove on the staff a curved probe- pointed bistoury, with the cutting edge on its convex side, similar to Sir W. Blizard's lithotomy knife. With this I divided the remaining portion of the urethra and the neck of the bladder, cutting both in passing it inwards and when withdrawing it in the direction of the original wound. I then introduced a pair of forceps along the staff into the bladder, when the latter was withdrawn, and, on expanding the forceps, I immediately grasped the end of the stone, and endeavoured to extract it in the axis of the pelvis and of the wound. In attempting this I felt considerable difficulty, in consequence of the tumour formerly alluded to falling before the clams of the forceps, and the stone so occupying the wound as to act like a valve in resisting their extraction. On increasing the force, a part of the stone gave way, and was removed in pieces in the blades of the forceps. Eepeated attempts were made, in which the stone was always readily grasped, but the same difficulties were experienced in attempting its removal. The hand of an assistant was then introduced into the rec- tum, to endeavour to fix the stone more securely, and so as to enable the forceps to grasp it more completely ; but although, by this means, the stone was more securely grasped, still the same difficulties were opposed to its extraction. Finding such to be the case, I then endeavoured to crush the stone, and suc- ceeded so far as to remove a considerable portion of one of its sides ; but it was found to be so hard, and its size so great, that to have persevered in this would have subjected the animal to a more protracted operation than I felt myself justified in doing. Causing the hand of the assistant to be removed from the rectum, I endeavoured to pass my right hand through the A CASE OF UTHOTOMY ON A HORSE, 323 wound into the bladder, and, pushing aside the tumour, to endeavour to extract the stone with it, as if by a scoop. Find- ing that it was possible to be effected in this manner, but my hand, being bulky, meeting with considerable resistance, Dr Mercer, who was assisting me, observed this, and suggested that, as his hand was considerably smaller than mine, it would be more easily introduced : this, after a little care was effected, and his hand passed into the bladder. His fingers passed between it and the stone until he got them fairly beyond it, and had it hooked into the palm of his hand. After consider- able force being used, he succeeded in extracting it, but not without considerable difficulty, in consequence of the same opposition. As the surface of the stone had been considerably broken down by the repeated attempts to crush it, the bladder was carefully washed out with a syringeful of tepid water, and the pony was lifted down and unloosed. It immediately got up, and walked steadily, although a little exhausted, iato a loose-box. The blood lost during the operation would not exceed a quart, and was entirely venous ; and the small quantity thus lost I attribute to the precaution of securing the pubic artery at an early part of the operation. Shortly after being put into the box, an elastic tube was introduced into the bladder, and secured by tapes, with the external orifice pointing downwards; and as the pulse was feeble, and a slight chill had come upon him, I ordered a little warm wine and water, which soon rallied him, and shortly after he took a little mash. In the evening he began to water through the tube, and the wound had become a little swollen and inflamed, accompanied with a slight discharge of a bloody serous fluid. About eleven p.m. he had another rigor, which was again checked by a little warm wine and water. During the night he was watched, and appeared to be going on well, but in the morning was again attacked with a chill, from which, after taking a little more wine and water, and hand- 324 A CASE OF LITHOTOMY ON A HORSE. rubbing, he seemed relieved. About noon, however, he began to droop ; the extreme parts of the body became exceedingly cold, the pulse very feeble, and he gradually sunk towards evening, when he died. On examination on the following day, no traces of inflam- mation of the peritoneum or pelvic viscera were found ; and on making a section of the pelvis to see the parts implicated in the operation, it was found that no injury had been inflicted in the peritoneum and rectum, which were entire. The interior of the bladder was rough and flocciilent, the ureters very much enlarged and thickened, and they seemingly had acted as accessory bladders. The tumour above referred to was, as suspected, melanotic. It surrounded the whole of the lower and right side of the neck of the bladder, and ex- tended forwards along the greater part of the right side of the body of the bladder, but it had not been injured during the operation. When removed from its connections, it measured seven inches in its long diameter and four inches in its short, and weighed twenty-four ounces. No other morbid appear- ances could be found ; and it appears to me, therefore, that death resulted from the prostration produced upon the pre- viously-weakened constitution of the animal. The larger portion of the stone, which was removed entire, weighed seven ounces and three quarters, and, from the con- siderable portion which had been broken off by the attempts to crush it, it cotdd not have been less than ten ounces. As yet it has not been analysed, but I will communicate the result as soon as it has been done. THE EFFECT OF A POOR AND SANDY SOIL ON THE IMPOVERISHMENT AND DEATH OF CATTLE. A TENANT on this island — lona — has lost, during the last eighteen months, six cows and one horse, apparently from the same cause, and has at present a cow very ill. He requests me to write you a statement of the case, and to ask your opinion as to what you would advise as to the treatment to be adopted as a preventive, or in case of other animals being similarly seized. At first the cow is observed to be languid, and to eat and drink little ; the faeces hard, himpy, and dry. Latterly she refuses both meat and drink, and, after lingering for some time, dies. On examination, the stomach is found very much distended with sand, and mixed with un- digested food. All the other organs are apparently healthy. The treatment generally adopted has been large doses of Epsom salts and cod-liver oil, and this last case has had, in addition, castor and croton oO. ; but the bowels are scarcely moved, and the faeces still hard, inclined to be dry. The soil of the island is, in general, sandy, and the pasture bare, but good. It is divided into small crofts, and each tenant can keep only from five to eight cows at the most. I may mention that the other tenants are also, every now and then, losing a cow from the same cause, but more frequently the occupants of the west end, which is the most sandy soil. The tenants have more than once applied to me, in the absence of any veterinary surgeon, but I have told them that I am perfectly ignorant of the diseases or treatment of cattle. — I remain, dear sir, yours, &c. Professor Dick, Edinburgh. Reply to the foregoing Letter hy Professor Dick. It appears to me that the disease in the cows in your island arises entirely from the causes you mention — viz., the bareness of the pasture and the sandy nature of the soil. The bareness of the pasture renders it almost impossible for the cows to 326 EFFECT OF A POOR AND SANDY SOIL ON THE gather up their food without having it mixed with a portion of sand, which, being indigestible, and heavier than the particles of food, will gravitate to the most dependent part of the stomach, and there accumulate. I have known it, in similar situations and soils, occurring both in horses and cattle. In some cases, however, I must observe that animals have swallowed sand or earth apparently from acidity in the stomach. In such cases these matters have been eaten \ip greedily, and an accumulation, of course, has taken place rapidly. The animal, in these cases, becomes unthrifty in its coat, and takes to licking earth with its tongue, or it eats lime from a wall, or commences to eat the filth which may have gathered on the wood of the stall, or among his feet under the litter. The remedies in such cases are a dose of physic and the alkali. Now it is possible that such may be the cause in the cases you mention ; but I scarcely think so, and would rather refer it to the soil. I am afraid that the means of prevention are not within reach — viz., a more solid surface and more luxuriant pasture. These might perhaps be obtained, if it were possible to give a good top-dressing to the pasture either of clay, good soil, or good manure, so as either to consolidate the surface, or produce a more abundant growth of grass, and give them a better bite, in which case they would naturally avoid the sand ; but as these means are probably not within reach, I should advise those farmers who are most troubled with the disease to give occasionally a good dose of common salt (muriate of soda), say 1 lb. at a time, in half a gallon of water, repeating it once a- fortnight during the season in which the disease generally pre- vails, with plenty of water to drink. When the animal shows symptoms of disease, I would advise 1 lb. of linseed-oil and ten drops of croton-oil as a dose ; and if this does not take effect, repeat the dose every twelve hours, or try the common salt in twelve hours — 1 lb. of it and ten croton beans. In short, repeat the purgatives until the bowels are opened, for you need not fear to give too much. It is, however, well to change IMPOVERISHMENT AND DEATH OP CATTLE. 327 the medicine occasionally — oil, salt, Epsom salts, and croton, with plenty of water or gruel. By these means I think you may succeed ; but from the inert nature of the mass it is very difficult to remove by medicine, and then the only means of cure left in these cases is to make a free incision into the paunch, and to extract the contents with the hand. And although this appears a formidable operation, it is by no means so dangerous as might be supposed, and is very com- monly accomplished with success. The wound should be closed carefully, and care taken not to allow any of the con- tents to pass into the cavity of the peritoneum, which might give rise to inflammation of that membrane. This is easily avoided with ordinary care. CASE OF ENCYSTED TUMOUR AT THE BASE OF THE TONGUE IN THE HORSE, FALLING INTO THE RIMA GLOTTIDIS, AND PRODUCING FITS OF ASPHYXIA, CURED BY AN OPERATION. A BAY horse was purchased by Mr H. Eeid, farmer, Haining, near Polmont, Stirlingshire, at Mid-Calder Fair, in 1841, for thirty guineas ; and shortly after coming into his possession he was observed to cough, which gradually increased till it became very severe and harassing, but without any constitu- tional disturbance, or any apparently severe local derangement in the organs of respiration. About eight months ago, when going in the plough, he was observed to stop suddenly and exhibit symptoms as if he was choking ; and after making several fruitless attempts to cough and empty the larynx or pharynx of their contents, he stamped with his fore feet, shook his head wildly, and appeared in very great disti'ess from want of breath. He then very suddenly seemed to regain his wind, so as to enable him to resume his work, which he continued to do all that day without any further annoyance. On the next morning, about four a.m., the man who had charge of the stable, and who slept in the loft above, heard a con- siderable noise below, and on looking down he observed this horse reeling about in his stall, and immediately afterwards falling down as if dead ; but on returning from the farm- house, whither he had gone to apprise his master of the cir- cumstance, he found the animal considerably recovered, and in a short time was able to raise himself on his feet again. ENCYSTED TUMOUR AT THE BASE OF THE MOUTH. 329 At the accustomed hour of going to work he appeared to be quite well, and was accordingly sent to the field ; but during the day he was twice attacked as before, and on being set free from his harness he turned quickly round and fell to the ground. At length, recovering his breath, he again got up, bled a little from both nostrils and mouth, which evidently gave him considerable relief, and appearing to be again in his usual state, he was put into harness. In this manner he was attacked every day for about a fort- night, sometimes falling four times in one day. At length his master, supposing him to be on too heavy work, changed him to drawing single harrow. He continued at this for two or three weeks, when it appeared even that work was too much for him ; and he was accordingly laid aside, put into a loose- box, and kept on soft food, especially linseed and boiled barley. During all this time, however, he never refused his food ; but latterly, when the fits had been very frequent in their occurrence, he became dull and lost condition. It had also been observed that he had some difficulty in sM'allowing his water, a great portion of which was returned along the nostrils, mixed up with a considerable quantity of mucus. After being thus confined for a fortnight he was put out to grass, when he appeared to recover rapidly ; but about the beginning of August he became much worse than he had ever ■been — became unthrifty in his coat — had the fits more fre- quently, and with greater severity. G-enerally after a severe paroxysm he broke out into a profuse perspiration — stood dull and dejected — and when he resumed his feeding, it was very slowly, and with little relish. In this state he continued until the 8th of November last, when I accidentally saw him on pass- ing to examine a horse-pond, about the purity of which there happened to be a dispute. Not having time to examine him minutely, I stated that I suspected there was some obstruction in or about the top of the windpipe, and, in the mean time, advised a smart blister to be applied to the throat. Little had been done previously, except bleeding him and giving him 330 ENCYSTED TUMOUR AT THE BASE OF THE MOUTH. soft food. It was a week before the blister was applied, and in the mean time he became worse than he had ever been. After the fits he was so much weakened as to be unable to rise for some time, but lay with his legs stretched out and his mouth open, gasping convulsively, and attempting by slow and long-drawn inspirations to obtain relief. After the appli- cation of the blister, however, he appeared somewhat relieved from the frequent recurrence of the fits, although when they did recur they were equally severe ; and in one of them he reared up and fell backward, nearly killing himself, and, by his struggles, endangering all the other horses around him. Mr Eeid now considering the animal as useless, and being tired of keeping him, sent him here as a subject for experi- ment or dissection, as might be thought advisable ; and he was accordingly brought by one of his servants, who informed me that he had performed the journey tolerably well, and had not been so ill as he usually was. On careful examination no tumour or swelling was felt along any part of the throat externally, but when the larynx was grasped with the hand, the animal was made to cough freely ; and, on the ear being placed near the anterior nostrils, a shght sibilous wheezing was heard during ordinary inspira- tion. On the mouth being widely opened and fixed, and the tongue pulled forward, I requested my assistant to pass his hand along its dorsum to its base, and the superior aperture of the larynx ; and on reaching the epiglottis he immediately felt a tumour on the mesial line and in the anterior direction, equalling the size of a pullet's egg. It felt as if immediately under the mucous membrane, attached by a small neck in the folds of the frsenum of the epiglottis, and felt at first as if it might be easily torn from its situation. On drawing it out- wards the pedicle elongated greatly, but it did not appear to be likely to give way without endangering the neighbouring parts by the force which would have been required. Having satisfied myself fully as to the nature of the case — ^that the tumour, from the looseness of its connection, was occasionally ENCYSTED TUMOUR AT THE BASE OE THE MOUTH. 331 jerked over the epiglottis into the glottis, and gave rise to all the symptoms of asphyxia which the animal had previously exhibited, I determined on a removal of the tumour ; but its very deep and circumscribed situation ofiered several obstacles to the operation. First, the movements of the tongue and other parts would not admit of the use of the knife; and, secondly, the depth and contracted and obscure position of the tumour would not admit of the use of scissors. On reflec- tion I therefore saw that the best plan would be to try some instrument of a form adapted to the peculiarity of the case, and therefore ordered an instrument with a handle about eighteen inches in length, with a semilunar cutting edge about an inch and a half in length, to be made, with a round button-like corner at each extremity in the form of a chisel, bevelled off to the upper side, having a hole passing obliquely through as near the cutting edge as possible, through which I passed a doubled portion of tough wire, so as to form a loop beyond the cutting edge. The horse was now cast, and the parts again examined. I then made my assistant pass the loop of wire over the tumour, and draw the tumour over the upper side of the cut- ting edge of the instrument, while I pressed the instrument back with the one hand, and drew the tumour towards its edge by the wire in my other hand. By this means the mucous membrane was cut close round the tumour, and the whole detached, with the exception of a small portion of cellular membrane, which, in consequence of its toughness, did not readily give way. It was therefore drawn towards the root of the tongue untU it was within view, when it was divided by a probe-pointed bistoury, and the tumour completely removed. Little or no hfemorrhage took place ; and on the horse being let up and put into a loose-box, he began to eat as if nothing had hap- pened, and has continued daily to improve. During the after- noon of the operation and the following day he had some difficulty of swallowing and a slight frothing of the mouth, with some wheezing in his breathing; but on the following day these symptoms had almost entirely disappeared, and he 332 ENCYSTED TUMOUR AT THE BASE OF THE MOUTH. has since rapidly recovered. His diet was confined chiefly to mashes and gruel. Having continued to improve, he was sent home on Saturday quite well. I may state that I was aided in my diagnosis in this case by one which occurred at the London Veterinary College while I was attending there, about twenty-five years ago. A bay horse affected with symptoms somewhat similar to those described, was sent to the College by a respectable farrier, who lived about twenty miles distant, to see what could be done for him; and as it was suspected that there was some obstruction about the windpipe or larynx, it was proposed that tracheotomy should be performed, in order that the cause of the disease might be ascertained. To this the farrier's son (who had brought the horse) consented, being given to understand that the operation was not a very dan- gerous one. The horse being cast and the windpipe opened, a whalebone probang, with a small piece of sponge on the end of it, was passed downward and upward ; and as it passed up through the larynx, the horse gave a violent convulsive struggle, when, as I was resting with my knee against his back, I heard a noise and felt a sudden snap, which, when the animal was unloosed, proved to have been a fracture of the spine, not- withstanding some jokes at the expense of the Scotsman when I first mentioned my suspicion. The horse being unable to rise, was of course destroyed, and I, assisted by another student, dissected him. We found on the anterior part of the epiglottis, as in the case I have given, a tumour about the size of a pigeon's egg, connected in the same manner under the mucous membrane by a long loose neck of cellular membrane, which might have been removed in the manner already de- scribed, had its existence been indicated previous to the death of the animal. On examination, the tumour in the case I have operated on has proved to be an encysted or cetheromatous tumour, similar to those found in the human scalp, having a dense fibrous cap- sule, and containing a quantity of albuminous matter. ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF IODINE IN CASES OF DROPSY IN THE DOG. As you are engaged in preparing a work on dogs, I will men- tion a case which I intended to have sent you an account of at the tinae it occurred, but it escaped me. It shows the power, or rather a power, of iodine, which I think is not gene- rally known, if known at all. It was the case of a black and tan coloured retriever, which, in November last, was sent to me labouring under ascites. He was tapped, and two quarts of fluid abstracted. Tonics, com- bined with diuretics, were given, but the fluid continued to accumulate, and in three weeks he was again tapped, and another two quarts drawn away. The disease still went on ; and in another two weeks a similar quantity again escaped. Various remedies were tried to check the progress of the disease, but without effect, and the abdomen again became as much distended with the effused serum as before. He was then put under a course of iodine, which soon began to show its beneficial influence, by speedily allaying his ex- cessive thirst ; and in about a month the whole of the effu- sion was absorbed, although, from the size of the abdomen, it must have amounted to a similar quantity to that drawn off on the three previous occasions. The dog's appetite speedily returned; he gained flesh rapidly, and has continued quite well, and, from being a perfect skeleton, soon became over- loaded with fat. Induced by the great benefit derived in this case from the iodine, I took an opportunity of trying it again on the first case that occurred, which was of a Newfoundland dog that 334 IODINE IN CASES OF DROPSY IN THE DOG. was affected iu the same manner, and to about the same extent, as in the previous case. He was immediately put on a course of iodine, which was gradually increased. As ab- sorption rapidly took place, the tumour was completely taken up ; but partly in consequence of pushing the medicine too far, and partly from extensive disease of the liver, unfavourable symptoms took place, and he sunk rather unexpectedly. Still, however, from the obvious and decided advantage derived from the medicine, I have no doubt that iodine will be found one of the most efficacious remedies in dropsy in dogs. ON THE WAERANTY OF A COW. I TAKE the liberty to address you these few lines, soliciting your opinion on a case in which I am somewhat concerned, and which is at present penduig before the sheriff. In March last I was called to see a cow that had been bought two days previously. I found her with the vagina inverted, and protruding as large as a man's head, and with violent uterine pains. I returned it into its proper place, after having carefully cleansed it. I bled the cow, and gave opiates, with oily laxatives, and cooling lotions to be applied to the exter- nal parts frequently, and raised her hind quarters. On the next day I found the symptoms a little abated. I repeated the medicine for several successive days with little advantage. I suspected there had been something wrong previously, owing to the apparent obstinacy of the case ; and on making inquiry, found that she had been affected with it for many months, and this was eight or ten days before her expected time of calving. She continued affected in the same manner until her calving. At times she was most dreadfully harassed with pain ; and the inversion of the vagina taking place to a great ex- tent both when she was standing or lying, required attendance night and day to retain it in its proper place. I advised my employer to endeavour to obtain a return of the cow to her former owner, which he did ; but he was requested to retain her until he saw how she was after calving. He did so, and little was to be seen for some weeks, when the disease returned with its former violence, or even greater, and is still continuing. He then endeavoiu'ed to send her back again, but this was refused. The case came before the court yesterday, and the evidence produced proved satisfactorily that the cow had been in the state which I have described nine or twelve months previous to the sale. A difficulty existed in getting evidence to prove whether the case was such as would consti- tute a sufficient unsoundness to enforce her being returned. Ultimately the case was ordered to stand over until next court day, when it was to be more strictly inquired into. I therefore take the liberty of solicit- ing your opinion, which would have much weight in determining the matter. To Professor Dick, Edinburgh. 336 ON THE WARRANTY OF A COW. Reply to the foregoing Letter hy Professor Dick. Dear Sir, — In answer to your inquiries, I have to state that, in your part of the country, I understand, in cow-dealing and even in horse-dealing, the warranty or assurance, when any is given by the seller to the buyer, is, that the animal (horse or cow as it may be) is " fault free." This, I think, is a very comprehensive term, and appears not only to include a war- ranty of soundness, which means freedom from disease or the seeds of disease, but also from every other fault, vice, or bad habit ; and this kind of warranty, or any other kind of general warranty, has no reference to the degree or extent of the fault or disease, but is a guarantee that no fault or disease does exist at the time of sale. I am therefore surprised that any question should have arisen as to the degree of the fault. If, as you say, there is an inversion of the vagina as large as a person's head, and if it is a question whether that is a sufficient fault, it might still be a question when twice as much was protruded whether it was a sufficient fault ; or, perhaps, even the whole of the uterus and vagina had become inverted, and was hanging at the animal's heels, and had been so previous to sale, it was to be considered a sufficient fault to return the cow — it would stiU be a question of the degree of fault. In my opinion it is a sufficient fault to return the cow, pro- vided she was warranted sound or fault free. It is a diseased condition of the parts, not unattended with danger, and the cow must therefore be considered unsound, and is return- able upon the seller, provided she was either warranted sound or fault free, or, what is the same thing, if she was sold for a sound price — viz., if she was sold for as much with the disease upon her as she would have brought without it, and provided the seller did not acquaint the buyer of her condition. The ON THE WARRANTY OF A COW. 337 COW has been proved to be diseased at the time of sale : all disease must be held to constitute unsoundness, and she is, therefore, returnable. The disease may be mitigated or cured, but that does not alter the case. As the disease existed at the time of sale, she was diseased and unsound, and therefore sufficiently faulty to be returned upon the seller. A FATAL CASE OF PARTUPJTION. Dear Sir, — I liave a case just now of a fine cow after calving, with regard to wMoh I should feel obliged by your advice. She was very uneasy, lay down and could not get up again. When raised, she stood uneasy, lifting first a hind foot, then a fore one. I suspected abortion was taking place. On the following day the symptoms were more decidedly marked. The throes were severe, and she was unable to rise. Her labour-pains having continued for some time, and getting stronger without any appearance of relief, I examined the uterus, and found con- siderable contraction, so much so that but one finger could be introduced. I determined upon laying it open, and sent for another veterinary sur- geon ; and, after repeated and persevering manipulations, and proper assistance with ropes, we succeeded in extracting the calf. I have given purgative, fever, and sedative medicines. She had been bled previous to calving. She is a strong cow, but is unable to get up, and takes but a little food. That, however, which puzzles me is, that during her pains, jprevious to being delivered, protrusion of the. rectum took place, which we were unable to retain, and which rapidly assumed an intense red colour, and was much swelled. I have used fomentations, poultices, &c., and kept it in its place as well as I could. The throes of the cow have continued ever since ; and I have given all that I could suggest to allay uterine pains, but which had no effect whatever ; and it requires the contant attendance of one person to keep the rectum from protruding. The placenta was extracted on the second day. She seemed racked with pain. What shall I do with the protruded rectum ? and what course shall I adopt to allay uterine pains ? A Reply to the foregoirig Tiy Professor Dick. Dear Sir, — The continuation of the throes, straining, and labour- pains, probably depends on some rupture from the previous violent action, or you may have wounded the perito- neum in your operation, and some of the ammoniacal fluid may A FATAL CASE OF PARTURITION. 339 have passed into the ahdominal cavity, producing peritonitis, or otherwise inflammation has taken place at the neck of the uterus. It will be advisable to bleed again, as far as she will bear it, as indicated by the pulse, and a fuU dose of linseed oil and tincture of opium should be given, which may be repeated every eight or twelve hours until the bowels are acted on. The rectum must be cleared out by the hand, and washed out with a clyster ; after which a glass or two of port wine and one or two ounces of tincture of opium should be injected into either the rectum or uterus, whichever may be protruded, and this may be repeated frequently until she is relieved. Eaise her hind quarters well, in order to keep the bowels forward, and secure all by a proper bandage; I am afraid, however, that the case is a bad one. The cow was dead before the Professor's answer could be received. A SINGULAR AFFECTION OF THE CHEST IN A HOKSE. Sir, — I take the liberty of writing to you concerning a torse affected "with, a disease, the symptoms of which I have never before seen. He is a crib-biter, and has been so for a long time. His pulse is about 50, and quite regular. He heaves at the sides, as if he were affected with broken- wind. The beating of the heart may be heard as soon as we enter the stable. He has a cough like that which we hear in broken-wind ; but his wind is as good when galloped as ever it was, and has no unnatural sound. The coat is very unhealthy, and now and then a slight discharge from the nose. He looks cheerful, and is fond of play when out at exer- cise. He feeds pretty well, but still appears to have disease about his chest. He has been labouring under this for two months, now and then getting a little better, and then the disease again returning. I have tried every medicine that I can think of, but without the desired effect. He is a valuable hunter. I should be obliged by your opinion of him. Reply from Professor Dick, of Edinburgh. My dear Sir, — The case which you describe is a very rare one, more especially from its long continuance. I have fre- quently met with cases presenting nearly the same symptoms, but I have never seen any that lasted more than two or three days, and sometimes not more than as many hours. I should have been better able to advise you if you had given me an account of the medicines that you have administered, and also what are the sounds of the chest when the ear is applied. It appears, however, from what you state, that there is either hypertrophy of the heart, or ossification of some part of it, or of the aorta, or that the disease is some spasmodic affection, either of the heart or diaphragm. If it be either of the first, then I am afraid that little good can be done. If it be the latter, I should advise, first, a dose of laxative medicine with a SINGULAR APFECTION OF THE CHEST IN A HORSE. 341 mash diet ; and when the laxative has operated, I would give daily, for a week, a drachm each of opium, camphor, and digi- talis, made into a hall with linseed-meal and treacle, continu- ing the mashes. I should be glad if, at the end of this time, you would let me know what is the result. (The horse was perfectly recovered in the course of a fort- night.) CATTLE AND HORSE INSURANCE. Peofessor Diok, in a letter with which he had favoured Mr Youatt on this subject, says, " I am induced to think that, after six or seven years old, there is a great chance of their being free from all disease. A horse, with ordinary care and good usage, will live until he is twenty or twenty-five. Many live ten or fifteen years after that, and continue to do very fair work ; but, in my opinion, the average of what I have mentioned will be about twenty or twenty-five. Blood-stallions will, I think, reach twenty-five ; but I do not think that cart-stallions will reach so much, as they are more frequently cut off by acute diseases, arising from im- proper management. I think brood-mares wiU. reach about twenty-five years. The most common diseases in farm-horses are those of the bowels, inflammation and colic, arising from overloading the stomach by too large a feed after too long fasting. In a large farm, about nine miles distant, twelve horses were lost in one j^ear from improper feeding ; and in a letter which I had lately from one of the brothers — there are two brothers on the farm — he mentions the fact, that since they had adopted my sug- gestions with regard to the division of labour and the mode of feeding, they have not lost a horse from those causes, during, I think, from four to five years. Diseases of the bowels are, on the whole, the most common and the most fatal. There are some situations in which diseases of the lungs prevail much, especially in particular seasons. Farms most exposed to easterly winds, and more particularly without shelter on the sea-shore, or in small valleys where a CATTLE AND HORSE INSURANCE. 343 current from the east blows, or on a hill-side, or stables in any situation where they are exposed to east, north, or west winds, are very liable to have disease of the lungs produced in seasons when these winds prevail. The opening into stables ought always to be on the south or west. The north and the east are the worst. Young horses are most liable to strangles, or diseases of the organs of respiration ; and these diseases are most fatal at the age of from three to five years. After six or seven the risk diminishes ; and it will be found that few horses actually die of old age after they are ten or twelve years old. Their limbs are worn out before their general life and health are impaired, and at a proper value according to the age, there is httle risk, in my opinion, if continued at the work they have been accus- tomed to, and experiencing the same general treatment. As I have already stated, I have no proper data, and there- fore cannot say at what rate insurances should be made. A CASE OF FRACTURE OF THE BONES OF THE FOOT OF A MARE. 15th Feb. 1845. Sir, — I take the liberty of sending you the coffin-bone of a mare that died in consequence of an injury done to her. She had been shod at my brother's forge more than twelve months previous, and the owner says that he wQl make him pay the value of the mare, in consequence of her being pricked. The mare was sound on the 27th of January ; but while going home, which is about three miles from Aberdeen, the same day, in a cart, she fell, and as soon as she arose was perceived to be very lame. She was brought to my brother's forge on the morning after, very lame, and had her shoes examined ; the owner stating to some persons standing by that she fell last night in the cart and had sprained her leg, but not stating this to me, nor any of the workmen, while the mare was in the forge. I saw him in the course of the same day, and he then stated to me that his mare had fallen and sprained her leg, and asked what I thought he should do vfiih. her, but never asked me to go and examine her. I advised him to foment her leg two or three times a-day, and bandage it. I saw him on the 29th : he said she was no better. He brought her to town on the 31st, extremely lame. The leg was considerably swollen from the foot to the hock. I examined her, and stated that I was of opinion there was a fracture of some of the bones in connection with the foot, but, although that was my opinion, I would take off the shoe and examine the foot. Upon doing so, I found separa- tion of the insensible sole from the sensible, on the outside of the foot, from the very point of the heel, as far forward as the point of the frog, and terminating internally with the frog. I advised him to take her home, and poultice her foot. I saw her again on the 1st of Februarj' : she was no better. I searched for any wound, but could not find one : I therefore ordered the poultice to be continued. I saw her again on the 3d : a large portion of gangrenous substance oozed out at the top of the hoof. I searched again for a communication from the sole upward, but could not find any but sinuses from the coronet upwards. The disease proceeded rapidly, and she died on the 9th of February. A CASE OF PRACTUBE. 345 On examination after death, matter was found extending above tlie fetlock, but I could trace its origin from the external wing of the coffin- bone of the off hind leg. There was another small fragment or two, which were lost. I have sent the bones as a parcel with the mail : please to return them in the same manner, lest they should be called for in court ; and your opinion whether sloughing of the bone in so short a time could have taken place without fracture through such an extent. Reply 0/ Professor Dick to the Accotint of this Fracture. Dear Sir, — I do not think it possible that the owner of the mare you mention can make your brother liable for her value under the circumstances you mention, as I think it very pro- bable that the foot had been crushed with the cart at the time of the fall, and the os pedis had been fractured in consequence, and given rise to all the bad effects which followed. I am the more confirmed in that opinion from the circumstance of having had to advise a mare to be destroyed last month, from one of her hind feet being severely injured by a cart that was thrown down in a similar manner, and without any external wound being produced. I hold that, independent of the accident, and although it were proved that your brother's men had pricked the mare, he is not liable for damages, unless it can be proved that it was done wilfully, or from culpable negligence, and that to a criminal extent ; because it would be gross injustice to hold a smith liable for the value of a horse, when he is only paid at the rate of about a halfpenny per nail for every horse, whether that horse be woi'th one pound or one thousand pounds ; and seeing that the most valuable horse is often most troublesome to shoe, and, consequently, more liable to be pricked by the driving of every nail than a horse of less value, it must be evident that unless a proportionate rate is paid for a horse, according to his value, the owner must run the risk of shoe- ing, or otherwise he must pay an insurance to the smith. Further than this, I think it would be impossible to implicate the smith, from the difficulty of proving the case in most 346 A CASE OF FRACTURE. instances, or indeed in any instance. Unless it can be shown that some one has seen the nail driven into the quick, how is it to be proved that it was the smith, your brother's man, that had pricked the mare? Some person might have done it maliciously. It may have been the owner himself, or the groom, or some other smith ; or the shoe may have been fas- tened, and the a.ccident occurred in that way ; or it may have been a puncture or prick in the previous shoeing ; or it may have been by the shoe being trodden upon, and partially torn off, and again trod on to its place ; or the mare might, while standing in the forge when her shoes were off, have trodden upon some other shoe with the naUs in it ; or the appearance of a prick may have arisen from gravel having penetrated through some of the pores of the hoof ; or the matter formed in the foot may have been the effects of a bruise, or of a tread ; and I would therefore ask, who could prove that it was none of these causes, and must have been a prick, and that by the identical smith in any case, and most so in the case you men- tion ? I think the bone had been fractured ; but there was plenty of time for the bone to exfoliate. A CURIOUS CASE, PRODUCING SOMETHING LIKE GLOBUS HYSTERICUS. Inverness, August 4, 1845. Sir, — One of my carriage-horses is subject to a complaint of, I lielieve, rather an unnsual character ; at least, none of the veterinary surgeons who have seen him appear able to account for or treat it, I mention his history since in my possession : — One of a pair of greys which I purchased about fourteen months ago, six years old now, 16J hands high ; a very handsome horse, showing a good deal of breeding, and both lively and gentle in harness. He met -n-ith an accident the very day he came to my stable, having cast himseK in the stall. An injury in the hip-joint was the consequence, from which he did not entirely recover for three months. It was during his convalescence, and while only getting gentle walking exercise, that the complaint I now mention first showed itself. A tumour, of the size generally of an egg, but at times double that size, rises apparently from the stomach through the whole length of the throat, causing distress, and threatening suffocation. By following it upward with the hand, it may be pressed so that you might expect its discharge through the mouth, but no such discharge can be obtained. By following it downward it can often, but not always, be made to descend out of the throat altogether. To the feeling it seems both Uquid and flatulent. When small, it does not seem much to distress him ; when large, the dis- tress is very great — a violent effort to discharge it — ^perspiration — and even screaming ; and, on one occasion, falling down. When such an attack as this passes over, the horse's condition does not seem affected by it ; he takes to his meat just as if nothing had been the matter with him. He has done his work regularly for the last eight months, though the affection has never entirely disappeared. This was his state till yester- day, when again he had a very bad attack. The lump was nearly the size of one's fist, but it rose only about a foot above the chest. In his efforts to get rid of it he discharged by the mouth and nostrils a con- siderable quantity of green frothy stuff. He is at present getting some green food. He actually screamed with the pain of the effort, but did not obtain relief till a bottle of warm water was poured into his throat, and, working this downward, the lump disappeared. No sooner was this the case than he began prancing about in the highest spirits. To-day he 348 A CURIOUS CASE, PKODUCING SOMETHING is quite well, and has done three hours' light work as gay as a lark : the enlargement however, is still visible, and cajjable of being moved upward or downward by the hand. It can always be compressed by the hand without any apparent pain, but sometimes gives a slight gurgle on pressure. I have thus, as minutely as I could, described this case ; sufficiently, I hope, to enable you to favour me with your opinion of its nature, and of the treatment to be resorted to, both on immediate attack and with the view to permanent cure. I have in prospect a journey of some eight or ten days, on which I set out the 20th of this month. I take it easily, seldom exceeding thirty miles a-day, and that not continuously. It would put me to much inconvenience to want this horse, but, at the same time, I would not wish to run any risk of injuring him. Your opinion in answer wUl very much oblige me, and if you will be so good as note the amount of yoiu- consultation fee, I shall have the pleasure of remitting it by return of post. Reply of Professor Dick. Edinbukgh, Wth August 1845. Sir, — The case of your horse is a curious one, and I have some difficulty in deciding as to its precise nature, chiefly from the fact of the lump being movable, and at the same time never entirely disappearing. From the description you give of the case, it strongly resembles the nervous affection of the human being called globus hystericus ; and although I have never met vi'ith such a case, or, at any rate, one that has continued so long and occurred so frequently, it may stiU he such an affection, and depending upon some weakened condi- tion of the stomach, producing flatulence and a spasmodic tendency to regurgitation, but checked by the natural action of the pharynx and its muscles. If such is the case, I should expect that the morbid condition of the stomach might be remedied by giving, for a short time, daily, four drachms of sulphate of iron, one drachm of camphor, and two drachms of gentian, made into a ball with linseed meal and any simple syrup. It is, however, more probable that there is either a kind of stricture of the gullet about its entrance into the stomach, or a LIKE GLOBUS HYSTERICUS. 349 pouch or dilatation of some part of its course down the neck, of which I have seen examples ; and in such cases I fear a complete cure is not likely to be effected, although the disease may be considerably palliated. From the fact of his living upon green food, and from two cases I met with lately, in which the probang had to be used to force down the food which was causing the obstruction, and from the fact of one of them being choked only three weeks previously, and all having been fed upon grass, I think it would be advisable to put him upon hay. I would prefer old hay, if it is to be got conveniently, and it should be well sprinkled with salt and water before giving it to him, or put- ting it into the rack. His oats or other food should in like manner be moistened with salt and water on all occasions before it is given to him, and, if he is a greedy feeder, it should be well spread in the manger, to prevent his getting too large a mouthful at once. When he has been out in har- ness for a few hours, he should be allowed to eat a little hay before he is fed, and should have water before feeding, and also afterwards, in moderate quantities. If I am right in sup- posing that there is always a swelling in a greater or less degree, there must be a sack or pouch in the gullet ; and in that case it will be of great service to have a pad made about the size of a person's hand, and placed so as to press on the enlargement at all times when he is in the stable. It may be adjusted by a sort of light false collar, or strap hke one, attached on each side to the roller by straps running from the seat of draught, and one higher up, so as to keep up constant moderate pressure. I have found such an arrangement have the effect of completely preventing obstruction where a pouch has been formed in the gullet, and when other means have failed. If at any time in future he is attacked, a little weU-boiled oatmeal gruel will be found the best thing to give him, or a little salt in a bottle of water, pressure being also applied with the hand to stroke the matter down the gidlet. Should these 350 A CUEIOUS CASE, PRODUCING SOMETHING fail, the introduction of a probang is the most certain means of removing the obstruction. I do not think he will be in any way injured by the journey you propose. nth August 1845. Sir, — I liave to thank you for your letter of the 10th of August, to the details of which I shall particiilarly a.ttend. It struck me at first, as it does you, that the case resembled the globus hystericus. The tumour shows itself more or less when standing in the stable, and then its site is just where the lower part of the collar touches. He is very deep along the line of the collar, and requires one of unusual size ; and I am not sure that he may not have received some injury from this not being observed when I first got him, and his working some days in too small a collar. But although this is a case in which you can always observe some enlargement when in the stable, it totally disappears as soon as he begins to work, and will not be visible at all, probably, until next morning. He is a greedy feeder, and I shall take care that he is fed in small quantities at a time, and frequently, instead of giving his feed at once. He has been perfectly well, and working daily since I wrote to you. Edinbueqh, Wth Augmt 1845. Sir, — I beg to acknowledge the receipt of yours of the 14th this morning. From the additional particulars it contains, I am more decidedly of opinion that there is a dilatation of the ffisophagus — its situation, the form of his neck, the fact of having been wrought in too small a coUar for a few days, the circumstance of the tumour totally disappearing when at work, all tend to confirm that opinion ; the pressure of the collar, the action of the muscles of the neck, and the suspension of feeding for the time, emptying the sac. The only thing that militates against that being the case is, that the tumour some- times does not probably make its appearance till the next day after being at work, and does not do so at all times when he returns to the stable and begins to feed ; that, however, may arise from the parts, although weakened and relaxed, still retaining some power of contraction, which can be effected when the weight is removed, by the sac being evacuated, but which is again overcome by the repeated distension produced LIKE GLOBUS HYSTERICUS. 351 by the morsels of food as they course along to the stomach. Hence the advantage of the pad I suggested. I have a preparation in my museum of the gullet of a mare ■which was dilated exactly in the situation of the tumour in your horse's throat. The sac is of a conical form, the apex extending upwards, resembling in shape and size a pine-apple, the gullet above and below being of the natural size. Although diseases of the gullet in horses are rather rare, they are very common in cattle. WHAT INFLUENCE HAS THE MIND IN THE MODIFICATION AND CURE OF DISEASES OP THE BODYI [Read before the Eoyal Physical Society, February 1836.] Mr Pkesident, — In the whole range of medical science there is not, perhaps, a subject with which (from my ordinary pur- suits) I am less familiar, and have had fewer opportunities of investigating, than that which has been alloted to me by the Committee. That the mind in regard to disease has a powerful influence on the body, is too palpable to be questioned as a general pro- position ; but to answer the question in particular is a matter of no small difficulty. There are so many circitmstances and influences operating in the modification and cure of diseases, that almost every effect I might ascribe and endeavour to trace to the influence of the mind might be ascribed to other causes. Under such circumstances, I may expect to meet with objections at every step, and unless I shall be able to establish that disease may be induced by the operations of the mind alone, I shall but ill support the proposition that is suggested in the text ; but if I shall be able to show that disease may be induced by the influence of the mind, it will need but little discussion to show that, in combination with diseases of the body, the mind will operate powerfully both in modifying and curing its diseases. Instead, therefore, of dis- cussing the general question, I shall rather endeavour to trace out a particular disease, and from that draw general conclusions ; and the disease which I intend to discuss I am persuaded is one of such general interest, and its progress and causes — or THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND, ETC. 353 at least the operation of its causes — involved in so much obscurity, that I am satisfied the Society will not object to the line I propose to follow, because, whether I shall succeed or fail in what I am about to attempt, I am sure some good will be derived from the discussion. The subject I propose chiefly to investigate is the influence of the mind in the production of hydrophobia. In entering upon this subject, I do so with some degree of hesitation, from the circumstance that the views I have adopted are different from those very generally entertained ; from the obscurity which envelops the subject ; and as it involves not only the question proposed for this essay, but also that of infection. During the year 1835-36, my attention was directed to this subject in an especial manner, from the occurrence of a great many cases of rabies in dogs and other animals ; and I was led to the conclusion I have come to by an accidental circumstance : — A mare which was supposed to have been bit by a dog (be- cause a dog had previously become mad in the stable) became rabid. I had seen her for a cold previous to her showing symp- toms of the disease, and supposed her to have a threatening of glanders. In tracing out this supposed disease of the mare, I discovered what (it occurred to me) would afford an explana- tion of all the s3rmptoms of rabies she exhibited. I shall give an account of her case, and also that of some other animals, and explain the pathology of rabies ; and having done so, shall in the next place inquire how far the pathology in the lower animals corresponds to that of the human being, and from thence draw my conclusions. First, I must notice that early in March 1835 a dog of Professor Wilson's was brought for my inspection, as it was supposed he had got poison. He was dull, with a heavy eye, and his lower jaw hung down as if slightly paralysed ; there was a considerable discharge of saliva from his mouth, and his throat was sore. I was informed that he frequently attempted to lap fluids, but was unable unless his head was held up, z 354 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND The servant brought him in a chain, but when near my establishment he became refractory (having had physic there previously), and drew his head out of the collar, made his escape, and remained out all that night. He had also been out all the previous night, it was supposed upon some amorous excursion, and that he had got poison. As he showed no furious symptoms, and as I had not seen a case of rabies for two years, I was not at first sight inclined to pronounce it as such, but had strong suspicions that it was a case of dumb or still madness. A dose of calomel and jalap was given, and in doing so I found that unless his head was held up he could not swallow. He died, however, on the third night after I saw him. In the course of eight or ten days four cases of the same kind occurred, and these were followed by others of a more violent and alarming kind. Cases in various forms followed. In the early part of the prevalence of the disease I dissected several cases, without, however, drawing any particular con- clusion from the appearances presented. About the beginning of April, a collie belonging to a gardener at Coltbridge was discovered to be unwell, and appeared to have an increased fondness for a kitten and a small bird that went about the house, which was discovered by his licking them and frequently turning them over. On the following day the man was driving the mare and cart to the market with vegetables, and the dog attempted to follow the cart. The man drove him back, as he considered him unwell ; but he was again induced to follow by a boy who was in the cart encouraging him, and he came running, passing through under the cart, and sprung at and caught the mare by the nose, and bit it, or at least grazed it slightly. The dog was immediately driven home, and died on the following Thursday. The mare was that day taken to fetch a load of bricks from Portobello, and whilst the man was loading the cart she was offered a feed, which she refused, and on coming home she sweated profusely, and frothed at the mouth. When put into the stable, she frequently lay down and rose again, ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 355 but got quite well in a short time. The carter thought she had had a bat (colic). For nearly a fortnight after this she did no work, with the exception of going twice a-week to market. On Saturday, nineteen days after the bite, the man found the mare had not taken her feed during the previous night. She was, however, taken to the market with the cart, and before returning home she was brought for my examina- tion. She was bled, and had a dose of laxative medicine given her, as she seemed to have got a slight catarrhal affection, her throat being sore, her respiration rather hurried, and a strong full pulse. She was rather dull all day, and did not feed ; on Wednesday morning she was so thirsty that she kept the man making gruel (as he said) continually. In the forenoon she was more lively, or even frisky ; was restless, turning about in the stall, lying down and rising up, and neighing when the man left the stable. He gave her a feed of boiled barley, which she ate. Her owner thinking, however, her worse, sent for me to come and see her. I was engaged, and sent one of my pupils, Mr Anderson, who, instead of returning and informing me of the case, remained with her till she died. When he went out he found her lying, and on his urging her to get up she arose quite furious, and continued so until about 12 P.M., that she died. I was sorry my pupil did not return and inform me of the case, that I might have had an oppor- tunity of seeing her when aKve, and that my other pupils had not all seen her. I did not therefore examine her body. On the 7th of July 1835 a bay mare belonging to the Union Canal Company, seven years old, and of hale constitution, was observed to have been troubled with a cough, and to have been sneezing, for two or three days previous; she had also some soreness of her throat, and was consequently bled, and had a laxative given, and a mild blister rubbed upon her throat. Friday, 8th, much the same ; the symptoms were by no means urgent. On Saturday afternoon, however, she was rather uneasy, frequently stamping with her fore feet, lying 356 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND dowu and looking towards her flanks, her bowels rather cos- tive, the dung passing in hard scybillse, and coated with mucus ; pulse 70, respiration rather hurried. She drank a little gruel, but ate little. A laxative draught was given, and also glys- ters. On Monday morning she seemed considerably better. The restlessness, however, continued, and she neighed fre- quently, like a mare from which the foal had just been taken or weaned. At six p.m. I saw her for the iirst time for three days, as one of my pupils had attended her. Pulse 55, mouth hot, respiration rather hurried, and she had a peculiar kind of excitement about her. She had taken nothing all day ; a pint of linseed-oil was given, and also a few glysters, her bowels having been rather costive. The dung had been voided in small quantities, and coated with mucus from the first. In feeling the pulse she made rather an unexpected attempt to bite, in which she partly succeeded. On turning her round in the stall, I found a discharge from the near nostril of a brownish-yellow kind of matter, which was rather glued round the nostril, as if acute glanders had been about to attack her. About ten p.m. she was observed to neigh in a peculiar man- ner, which was the more noticed as she had not been in the habit of doing so until that day. After the oil had been given her, and the glysters, the stable was shut up, but the horse- keepers were disturbed through the night by her continued restlessness and neighing, the sound of which one of the lads remarked was more like the shrieks of a woman than the neighing of a horse. At four A.M., when the men began to get the stables in order, she was more restless than on the previous night, and was observed to bite the anterior part of her chest, and as one of the lads was passing behind her she struck at him. She was naturally a high-couraged mare, and somewhat refractory, but not vicious, and had always been quiet in the stable. "When water was given her she showed no antipathy to it. As she was getting more restless about six o'clock, biting her chest furiously, the horse-keeper went up to the stall to ON DISEASES OP THE BODY. 357 tie her head to the rack, but she flew at him in so furious a manner that he was glad to make his escape, and on attempt- ing it a second time, she not only seemed prepared to attack with her teeth, but also turned round and struck at him. She was now more excited than ever, the stablemen became alarmed, and beginning to think her mad, they were anxious to secure her. A pitchfork was used to get hold of the shank of the collar, that her head might be tied up. She immediately seized the fork, and, as one of the men stated, attempted to chew it. A piece of wood was next tried in the same man- ner, and for the same purpose ; this she also seized, rearing up into the manger to get at the person who was reaching over the stall to secure her. She now snorted, kicked, and flew about in so furious a manner that they thought it necessary to remove the other horses from the stable for fear of her getting loose, and damaging them. As might be expected when she flew so furiously at the stick, she would naturally feel the weight of it. This, however, had no effect in preventing her from tearing the skin off her breast. Wliilst all this was going on, and the symptoms increasing in intensity, a message was sent me saying that the mare had gone mad. I saw her be- fore eight A.M., and found by this time that she had thrown herself down in the stall, where she lay with her body raised from the off side on her sternum, her head turned back, her eyes fixed and staring, and gnawing the fetlock of the near fore leg with the most determined ferocity. The hair was com- pletely torn off a great part of the leg about the fetlock, and she continued to tear tlie part without cessation, or, if any relaxation took place, it was only to increase the vigour of the succeeding exertions ; indeed, the crashing of the teeth when she sometimes took a larger mouthful than at others, seemed as if she was crunching the sessamoid bones to atoms. Her attention was completely fixed on the tearing of the part, and she only made two or three attempts to get up ; but having by the tossing of her head got the rope of the stall collar over her neck, she was prevented rising when she made the attempt. 358 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND and she therefore immediately renewed the tearing of the fet- lock. I first tried to feel the pulse at the fetlock of one of the hind legs, which I could at times reach with safety when she chanced to hold it still, but was unable to feel it. The ex- tremities were rather cold. The respiration was disturbed, but not by any means laborious ; there was nothing to indi- cate much derangement in the lungs, and the bowels were not suffering from any seriously acute disease. It was, in short, obvious that the mare was delirious. In order to rouse if pos- sible her attention from her leg, I got a piece of cane, and struck her with it, but this only increased the violence of the action with her mouth. I next reached over the stall and introduced the point of it into her ear without attracting her attention. I then got a pailful of cold water, and poured it on her head to try if she had any dread of water. This for a few seconds checked her, but she immediately began again to her leg. A second pailful was then thrown over her : this had a more decided effect than the first ; she threw her head down, then made an attempt to rise, but was prevented as before. After this she again began to her fetlock ; the water was repeated, and she now threw her head out, tossed it up and down for a time, made some convulsive struggles, and then lay exhausted, champing and foaming at the mouth, the foam being a little bloody, in consequence of her having bit her tongue. In this state she lay for about a quarter of an hour, gradually becoming quieter, and at length ceasing to breathe. There was nothing, however, exhibited, more than might be expected by the shock communicated by the cold. In examining the body, I laid open the abdomen in the first place, and found that, with the exception of a slight efflores- cence of the vessels on some portions of the small intestines, otherwise they presented a healthy appearance. The liver, however, had a peculiarly morbid hue, being a mixture of red and yellow granules, and it had a peculiar degree of friable- ness, being easily broken up, the peritoneum readily giving way. The stomach was healthy, and contained a little masti- ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 359 cated grass, and fluid of a green colour, evidently arising from the kind of food she had been eating. The duodenum had little or nothing in it but a little bile; the contents of the other portions of the intestines were in a semi-fluid state, from the laxative medicine that had been given. The bladder was empty, the contents having been evacuated in articulo mortis. One of the ovaria was larger than usual, and contained a con- siderable quantity of fluid. On the chest being opened, there appeared to be a little engorgement of one of the lungs, and the vessels of the pleura near the aorta were considerably injected. At the anterior portion or lobe of the lungs, on one side, were two hepatised parts, and in the other one a kind of tumour about the size of a large walnut. The pulmonary vessels contained a considerable quantity of black blood, as did also the aorta. The bronchial tubes in both, but more particularly in one, showed traces of iaflammation, as did also the trachea and the larynx. The posterior portion of the pharynx, however, was more affected than the other parts, but this did not extend into the gullet. The heart was much con- tracted, and exhibited slight traces of disease in the parietes of the left ventricle. The brain had much the natural appearance when the bones and dura mater were removed, and it was only on laying open the lateral ventricles that anything could be traced. In these cavities a little extra quantity of serous fluid was found, rather of a yellowish colour ; and the choroid plexus on the right ventricle contained a tumour or an infiltration of a similar coloured fluid, about the size of a small bean, like the effusion effected by inflammation. The pineal gland was very vascular, and contained some of the same fluid. The near nostril showed a very considerable degree of injection, and the membrane was coated over with a yelloiu tough glue-like matter, and this was more especially the case on the superior turbinated bones, the membrane covering which, in some places, was in an inflamed state, and the rest of the surface, into the cribriform plates of the ethmoidal bones, was coloured with the yellow gluey 360 THE INFLUEN^CE OF THE MIND matter. Indeed, this yellow tinge existed in a slight degree in most parts of the body. These appearances, and more especially the condition of the nostril, struck me as a curious part of the case, which I was induced to examine more from having noticed the discharge prior to any other symptoms, and from suspecting it might have been the origin of another affection— namely, glanders. It occurred to me, however, that the extension of the inflam- mation to the brain in this case might account for aU the symptoms of delirium, and that if I also found the same ex- tension of inflammation into the brain of dogs, the whole mystery of rabies could be solved. A case occurred on the 14th July in a dog which was brought to the dissecting-room, which tended to prove what I had found in the mare to be the cause of many of the symp- toms which occur in rabies. He had been kUled by a blow on the head, so that the condition of the nose could not be so well ascertained, but the tongue and fauces were of a blackish hue, having signs of previous inflammation. The pituitary mem- brane very vascular. From the nasal sinuses were extracted two worms. In the pharynx, oesophagus, and stomach were found patches of inflammation. The stomach full of injesta, and very dry. The bronchial membrane purple, and white vesicles on the surface of the lungs. As this case had been knocked upon the head, I could not depend on the pathological condition of the parts, and therefore waited for other opportunities of making a more minute ex- amination, and confirming my opinions. During the summer cases continued to occur, and in all I found the injected state of the pituitary membrane ; and on the 2d of November 1835 two dogs were brought to me by the police officers, who stated that they had been destroyed on the Saturday night previ- ous ; — that they belonged to a flesher who had been out riding that day; that while at Leith he had occasion to stop for a few minutes, when he observed his dog, which had followed him, looking rather startled at a small pool of water, and growling ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 361 at it ; that he immediately made his Avay home, suspecting the dog was going mad. When he got home his suspicions were confirmed by the dog which had been out with him attacking a young dog, which he had been formerly rather fond of, as soon as he came within his reach. The flesher, therefore, im- mediately destroyed both, and buried them. They were, how- ever, disinterred and brought to me by order of the sheriff, that it might be ascertained as correctly as possible whether the dog was mad or not. The usual symptoms were found. The abdominal viscera were first examined. The stomach was found to contain a considerable quantity of hair, grass, and other substances, together with some mucous and gastric juice The peritoneal surface of the stomach was more vascular than usual, and the villous coat was considerably injected. The duodenum and other intestines contained a large proportion of bile. The chest was next examined, and a small quantity of bloody serum found in it, and the lungs rather more vascular than usual. On laying open the trachea and bronchia, there appeared a slight degree of increased vascularity, and some very slight ecchymosed spots were to be seen upon the surface of the lungs. The larynx and pharynx were much injected^ indeed approaching to black ; but the chief morbid appear- ances were observed in the cavity of the nose, to which I next directed my investigations. Here I found, as in other cases, a great degree of injection : it appeared, indeed, that a con- siderable degree of inflammation had existed prior to the animal's death, and this, although not confined to the inferior turbinated bones, as I observed on some of the former cases, had that highly injected state extending throughout the whole nasal cavity and up to the cribriform plates of the ethmoidal bones. The increased vascularity also extended to the anterior portions of the brain. These appearances were more strik- ingly illustrated in this case than they had been in any of the others, from the circumstance of the dog which had been bitten having been destroyed at the same time as the other. 362 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND By this means I was enabled to compare the niorbid appear- ances, and they were so obvious that I was induced to show them to Dr Abercromby and several other medical gentlemen in town. On Wednesday the 4th November 1835, I was requested to go to Cramond House to examine an ox which had died early that morning or late the previous night, and wliich was supposed to have been rabid. I was informed that on Sunday he had been observed to attack one of the sheep that grazed in the field with him, and that although he was driven away from it when he was ob- served first to be attacking it, he almost immediately returned and killed it. This conduct, however, excited no suspicion, and he showed no symptoms to attract attention until Thurs- day, when he appeared much excited. He first pursued a young gentleman who was passing through the field, and afterwards the butler, who chanced also to be in the field; and this he did with such fury that it was only by suddenly turn- ing round, first one way and then the other, that he was able to make his escape. In turning round the second tree, the suddenness of the turn and the fury with which the ox was pursuing his object caused him to fall, which allowed the butler time to get over the fence, otherwise the consequence must have been fatal. The animal now began to attack anything that came in his way ; he tore the bark off one of the trees, and seemed to have nearly exhausted himself against it. He next Lifted two gates off their hinges with his horns, but did not pass out through them. A dog was procured, which diverted his attention until the other cattle were re- moved from the field. The gates were well secured, and he was left to himself He continued, with little interruption, to be much excited, foaming, bellowing, pawing with his feet, and tearing the trees with his horns, until he became ex- hausted, and died, it is supposed, about 12 p.m., as he was heard bellowing about 11 p.m. I arrived about 1 p.m., and found him lying where he had ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 363 died, with his head rather lower than the rest of his body, a quantity of froth about his nostrils and mouth. On removing the skin from his neck, I observed that the parts about his throat were more vascular than natural. I first made an incision into the windpipe, and found a considerable portion of the contents of the stomach had got into it, owing to the position in which he lay, and the pressure of gas in the paunch. The external surface of the trachea and the glands about the throat, and indeed the glands generally through the body, were covered with ecchymosed spots, and the whole of the membrane of the trachea, the larynx, pharynx, and the pituitary membrane throughout its whole extent. The injec- tion of the portion covering the superior turbinated bones was intense, and extended completely up to the cribriform plates of the ethmoidal bones. There was in this case a striking analogy in the morbid condition of these parts with the other cases I had examined, with this exception, that the injection was greater, and had the addition of the innumerable ecchymosed spots. In a dog which I examined two days previously, a few of those spots were seen on the lungs, but further than as a slight analogy, were not worthy of remark ; but in the mare already described there were innumerable small granular spots on the lining membrane of the trachea, which, although presenting a more organised-like appearance, as if of some days' formation, and being redder in colour (vessels being traceable into them), had still a decided tendency to ecchymosis, or effusion of spots of blood. In the ox the lining membrane of the gullet was not much altered, had none of these bloody spots, but the external muscular coat and the surrounding cellular membrane were also affected, although not to the same extent as the trachea. The stomachs showed evident marks of irregular distribution of the blood, but there were none of the unusual substances found in them which are so characteristic of the disease in dogs ; and there were several patches of extravasated blood in the abdomen. The liver was much paler than in health, and 364 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND easily torn ; the gall bladder full of bile. There did not appear to be much blood in the lungs ; indeed, less than ordinary. The heart had some traces of spots on it, and the fluid in the pericardium was rather bloody. The brain seemed more vascular than ordinary, especially the arachnoid mem- brane. A very small portion of the spinal cord was exa- mined, and nothing particular was observed. I had not observed any vesicles under the tongue. On the 15th of November 1835, a large Ne^vfoundland dog was brought me by the police officer, who stated that he had been killed under the impression of his being mad. On examining him, I found his nasal membrane considerably injected, his brain vascular, his mouth stuffed with all sorts of ingesta. The same evening Mr D. Cousins, cabinetmaker, Newing- ton, who had been inquiring after him at the different police- offices, as he suspected he had been taken up from going loose, there being an order from the authorities to muzzle all dogs going loose, called on me and stated that a farrier who had been consulted supposed that the dog was affected with inflam- mation of the bowels, because he had been making atten\pts to vomit. He was first observed on the Tuesday to refuse his food, and began to be uneasy and set up a howling which was very disagreeable. In the next place he began to tear and chew logs of wood, and actually chewed through a six-inch Memel log in the saw-pit. He was then put into the work- shop, where he tore everything that came in his way. He tore a bag of nails, ate ashes, &c. On Saturday night he broke a glass door, had ate a quantity of the glass and the astricles out of it. On Sunday morning it was supposed he would take food, but he did not. It was then thought he wanted water, as he had got a vomit on Saturday. Water was therefore offered him in a large white iron basin (there was bright sunshine), and at the sight he instantly wheeled about, leaped over the gates, and over a wall about five feet high, and the owner never saw him or heard of him again, although they ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 365 sent off iu several directions to find him immediately after he ran away, imtil they saw him in my dissecting-room. Be- fore setting off he had torn the hair off himself, scraped up the earth, and tossed himself about in a peculiar manner. Cases such as this and the one previously mentioned have perhaps given rise to the term hydrophobia. In the first case, the dog quarrelled with his shadow ; in this he seems to have been afraid of his shadow, as he drank freely the previous night. In none of the other cases, however, have they shown any dread of water : on the contrary, they all showed a desire for water, but were often unable to swallow, from the soreness of the throat. On the 9th of December 1835, a black and white setter-dog, belonging to Mr Eagle Henderson, was brought for my inspec- tion by his groom, and it was supposed he had something the matter with his throat. His lower jaw hung down, so that his mouth was open nearly half an inch ; his eyes were startled, and the conjunctival membrane injected with blood ; his ears somewhat pricked up. His whole countenance had a vacant stare. He had eaten little for three or four days, and had been restless. He had formerly been a quiet dog, but had for some days run at every dog he could get at, and bit them, and he had also bitten two horses which were at exercise in the stable lane on Tuesday, but they, however, showed no symptoms of the disease. As the groom led him along the street he had at- tempted to bite several dogs, and just as I saw him a dog happened to pass him in the yard, and he immediately ran at him and bit him. He did not, however, show any inclination to bite the groom, who had led him down in a chain without suspecting that he was rabid. The symptoms were, however, so unequivocally marked that I at once ordered him to be des- troyed, which was done by a dose of prussic acid. The post- mortem examination was immediately made, and the appear- ances were found to correspond with those already examined, especially in the leading features. In the stomach was found a considerable quantity of straw partially masticated, and the 366 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND intestines seemed more vascular than in some of the others. A section was then made of the head, a little to the side of the median Line, which exposed the cavity of the nose, and presented the whole of the pituitaiy membrane in a state of inflammation. The superior turbinated bones were coated over with a tough yellow lymph, looking like the matter which had been seen in all the others, but which in this case was more extensive than in most of them; and upon the membrane cover- ing the back part of the vomer I observed a small vesicle con- taining a globule of sero-purulent matter. This I had not observed in any of the other cases, and in the neighbouring- parts extravasated spots of blood, similar in kind but not so large as those observed in the ox and another dog.* On the 11th, a Scotch terrier, belonging to Mr Brodie, W.S., was brought, in which the symptoms were just developing them- selves. It was shot that night, but no examination took place. On the 12th, Mr Murray of the York Hotel lost his New- foundland dog, and the examination on the following day showed that he had also died from the same effects. He, how- ever, had not shown any violent symptoms. On the 13th, a terrier belonging to Dr Home was brought, with all the symptoms except the delirium, his lower jaw hanging down, foaming at the mouth, with symptoms of sore throat. He died on the fourth day, and in his stomach was found straw, hair, &c., and the other parts exhibiting symptoms of rabies, more however in the form of what is called dumb madness than had appeared since the commencement of the epizootic, except in the case of Mr Murray's dog. On Sunday, Mr Muir, James's Square, brought the body of a setter which had died the preceding day, as he supposed the dog had been poisoned or hunted to death. He stated that he had observed the dog restless and uneasy the previous day, had taken him out for a walk, and 'that he ran off from him. He had put on the muzzle before coming out. That when the * A terrier-dog belonging to Mr Thomas Henderson also died rabid soon after, but no notes were taken of his case. ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 367 dog left him, he had been at a friend's house, and he thought the dog ■would go home, but he soon found that he had been pursued as mad, xintil noticed by a person who knew him, and who found him so exhausted that he was unable to walk to town. He therefore took him to his own house, and left him for a time. "When he returned he found him dead. Mr Muir stated that he was sure he could not have been bitten, as he had been almost continually tied up in a garden, with walls nine feet high : that he had been out three weeks before, shooting with him, but he had never been out of his sight all that time, and no dog could get near him when at home, at his house at Morningside. The post-mortem appearances were similar to the others, with the addition of having a worm in the nose similar to those found in a former case. On the 21st a cur-dog passed through Clyde Street, which I noticed by his howl, which is probably the best characteristic, and I saw him bite two dogs. He was pursued, but I did not learn anything more of him. On the 23d I was requested to go to Bonnington to look at a Newfoundland dog belonging to Captain Fortune. He was ixnwell, and they were alarmed about him. .On the previous day he had vomited a quantity of straw, was uneasy, seemed more than ordinarily fond of those who used to caress him, carried his head rather to one side, licked their hands, and seemed fond of putting his nose into water and lapped it, and was observed to get under the beds in the bed-rooms. I was unable to get to see him, but sent a pupil, who, finding him rabid, ordered him to be brought up that I might see him. He appeared quite harmless and sensible, but unconsciously snapped with his jaws, as if catching flies (a common symp- tom), breathed laboriously, partly from the fatigue and having a close muzzle on, the tunica conjunctiva injected with blood, nose dry, mouth red, with a copious discharge of saliva. About giiij. of blood was extracted and Ms muzzle removed ; jalap 3j., calomel gr. iij. given, but he died about six a.m. on the following morning. 368 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND This case I consider of particular importance, as I found, on dissection, the pathological appearances somewhat different from the others. The brain, especially, was decidedly in- flamed, both the membranes and substance of the brain being much injected, much more than in any of the other dogs I examined, and resembled that of the ox. The cavity of the nose was similar to the others, with the exception of having much less of the dark yellow mucus on the membrane of the superior turbinated bones, and being more inflamed in the frontal sinuses than any of the others. The membrane lining the larynx and windpipe was inflamed, as also the pleuras ; the liver gorged with blood, much inflamed, and easily torn ; the bile dark brown, almost black, a considerable quantity of which was found in the stomach, mixed with hair and straw ; the villous coat of the stomach much injected. Two foxes also died, belonging to Miss Haig, of similar symptoms : they had been confined in a yard where no dogs could or were allowed to enter. Two cases recovered after being slightly attacked ; many seemed relieved by bleeding and purging. Fomentations applied to the head seemed to give great relief. A sheep and seven oxen, belonging to Mr Steedman of Boghall, died during the same period, and in all which were examined, inflammation of the brain was the cause of death. They were not supposed to have been bitten, and could scarcely have been so, as none of them were in the straw-yard feeding. The sheep was in a shed with another, which was never affected. I have enumerated these cases to show the frequency of their occurrence ; but they have varied in frequency, some- times one in a week, sometimes two in a day. From the frequency of the cases, my pupils became so familiar with them, that, without hesitation, they were in the habit of putting medicine over their throats with their hands, in doing which some of them had their hands bitten ; I myself had a fresh sore on my hand licked by one — and all with impunity. ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 369 Prom the account which I have given of these cases, I think it will appear evident that the pathology of rabies may be considered as distinctly traceable as that of most other diseases. And, in my opinion, it further establishes most distinctly that the various phenomena presented in this dis- ease may be accounted for without involving the matter in that mystery with which it has hitherto been surrounded. It is, in the first place, of the greatest impoiiance to notice that the invariable ali'ection of the membranes of the nose, and the extension of the inflammation more or less to all the air- passages, enable us to explain the symptoms which the ani- mal exhibits in all the varieties of the disease. In the dissec- tions we have made, it will be remarked that all have shown more or less inflammation, extending up to the turbinated bones, and into the cribriform plates of the ethmoidal bones, and that the membranes of the brain and the anterior parts of the brain itself and olfactory nerves were always more or less affected, from which arises that excitement which is so com- monly shown in the latter stages of the disease. But excite- ment and delirium are not always present ; in many the earliest and the chief symptoms shown are a hanging of the jaw, which has been mistaken for paralysis of the jaw, but which arises from the soreness of the throat, and the stuffing of the nose rendering it necessary that the animal should hold his mouth open in order that he may be able to breathe. This explains another of the most common symptoms. From the soreness of the throat, of course, arises the difficulty of swal- lowing, which always exists in a greater or less degree. In connection with those conditions of the parts, we can explain why the animal is so often seen rubbing his nose, snorting or sniftering, which are sometimes the earliest symptoms in the disease, and which is still further illustrated by the absence of the same degree of affection of the nose in those cases where the delirium is scarcely observable. The inflamed condition of the nasal membrane, and its extension to the brain, further enables us to explain the peculiar depravity of the appetite 2 a 370 • THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND which the animal exhibits. The delirium naturally shows itself according to the habits of the animal. Being enraged, a dog will tear whatever comes in its way. In what other manner could he show his delirium? But he not only does this, but he, from the state of delirium which exists, swallows those things that come in his way with a degree of uncon- sciousness, which opinion is confirmed by finding that where the greatest delirium existed the greatest quantity of ingesta was found ; while the swallowing of those indigestible sub- stances produces derangement in the whole of the abdominal viscera, and consequently the liver suffers, the state of the stomach exciting an increased secretion of bile. The disease runs its course with considerable rapidity, and seems to destroy life by the effect upon the brain ; for although the milder cases have less affection of the nasal membrane, there is still much congestion of blood in the brain, and in one or two of those cases the membranes were considerably inflamed. We now come to the most important part of the subject — the cause or causes from whence it arises. Having endeavoured to establish the nature of the disease, and I hope with some success, I think there will be less difliculty in tracing the causes than would otherwise have been the case. It is un- questionably evident that the disease must have been in the first place spontaneous, or have arisen from some combination of internal or external causes ; but it is now almost universally considered to be propagated by inoculation, and innumerable proofs are offered of its being so propagated. My experience, however, during the prevalence of the disease, led me to ques^ tion the correctness of this opinion, and on the following grounds : first, as I have shown that the disease is chiefly an inflammation in the air-passages extending to the brain, and has prevailed to a greater extent during eleven months past than it has done for, a lifetime ; that previous to the com- mencement of the prevalence of this disease it had not ap- peared for several years ; that the great increase of the disease ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 371 must have arisen from some cause ; that that cause was not inoculation appears to me evident from the circumstance of its not having been previously propagated by it, which is stiU more apparent from the circumstance that of all the cases which came under my notice, only one dog and one horse — or say two horses — have been asserted to have been bitten ; and surely out of about 80 cases some other cases might have been traced to bites, if such had been the fact. But not only has there been no proof of the disease having been propagated by that means, but, on the contrary, in all those cases where dogs have been kept, no appearance of the disease has occurred. This especially has been the case with two dogs which were kept for eight months, and one which has been kept ever since. Further, in several cases it has been distinctly asserted that it was impossible that the dog could have been bitten ; and in the case of the two foxes which had been confined in a close yard for several years, and which died from a disease which there was great reason to believe was analogous to that of which so many dogs had died, it was certain that they could not have been bitten by a dog. The case of the first ox, it is asserted, could not have arisen from his having been bitten, and the sheep was in similar cir- cumstances. These cases throw some considerable doubt on the manner in which the disease is propagated. But it will be said, although this is the case, if the disease can be pro- duced by inoculation, then it proves nothing. But if we inquire into the result of experiments on this subject, we shall see how it bears. According to the experiments which have been made by Dr Hertwig, lecturer in the Eoyal Veterinary School of Berlin, contained in his contributions towards a better knowledge of rabies caninse, as translated in the 32d volume of the ' Edin- burgh Medical and Surgical Journal,' p. 387, it appears that of 59 inoculations 14 only took effect, or about 24 per cent, and these experiments extended over a period of five years. These results, although they may seem to settle the question 372 THE INFLUENCE OP THE MIND of the disease being propagated by inoculation, are not so very conclusive as they at first sight appear. Having during eleven months met with 80 cases of rabies, and as almost all of the animals affected belonged to the more respectable classes of society, as might be naturally expected from their being at the trouble and expense of con- sulting me, and as almost all of them belonged to persons living in Edinburgh, it occurred to me that I might be able to learn by inquiries at the tax-office the number of dogs for which the tax was paid, and that from this might be shown what the proportion per cent of those affected bore to those in health. On making inquiry, I found, however, a difficulty arose from a cause I had not foreseen. The accounts in the office of taxes are kept as those belonging to the ancient and extended royalty and those of the county, and I, therefore, could not get the returns for the limits I wished ; and I was at the same time surprised by the smallness of the number paying taxes in the city, the number being only 145 in the years 1834-35. But as nearly an equal number of inhabitants reside without the royalty as there are within, and supposing an equal number to keep dogs, there would be an additional 145, which woiild make a total of 290 ; but as this is an in- credibly small number of dogs to be kept in Edinburgh, let us suppose that only one half of the people in respectable circumstances are honest enough to pay taxes, and we would then have, say 580 dogs, out of which 80 having become rabid in 11 months, we have 15|- per cent ; but if we suppose all honestly to have paid their taxes, then we have 31 per cent affected during that time, which is a nmch higher proportion than was found by Dr Hertwig to become affected by inocu- lation. But as the disease continued to prevail for about three months after I made this inquiry, during which time at least 40 other cases came under my notice, the proportion is increased to a degree which throws his experiments into the shade, and they must therefore go for nothing ; all this, at the same time, be it observed, that I have been supposing for the ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. ■ 373 sake of the argument that every rabid dog within the bounds of Edinburgh had been brought under my notice, which, how- ever, is very improbable, because, although the inclination had existed in the owners of the dogs, the nature of the disease led many to wander and die in the country, or in other places, unnoticed and unsuspected; whUe from the circum- stance of a great number of those found at large being de- stroyed at the police-office, the full development of the disease was not probably shown, and consequently the proportion of the diseased to the healthy diminished. The experiments of Dr Hertwig also extended over a period of five years, which is rather a peculiar circumstance, and one, too, which goes to prove my conclusions ; because, if he had seriously determined to test the nature of the disease, and having set about confirming his opinions by experiments, and if, as he says, he succeeded in 24 per cent of these cases, why did he not follow up the experiments, and bring the case to a conclusion in a shorter time ? If he could in one instance pro- duce the disease by inoculation, why did he not follow these up and increase the number until he had placed the conclusion beyond a doubt ? But it appears he only tried fifty-nine inoc- culations in five years, and during that time he succeeded in producing the disease in the animals experimented on in only fourteen cases. In some the operation was by allowing the animal to be bitten, in others by injecting the blood, and in others by introducing the saliva into a fresh wound ; and not- withstanding these methods, and the long period over which the experiments were protracted, only fourteen cases were found to take effect. In short, although the experiments were persevered in with the greatest patience, scarcely three seemed to prove successful in the year, and it is confessed that one dog resisted every effort to produce the disease, and similar success has attended the experiments of every experimentalist. Many of them believe that the disease can only be produced by the bite of a rabid animal — in short, that when the matter has been separated from the rabid animal's mouth it loses its 374 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND efficacy, and that it, therefore, does not produce the disease when transplanted by a lancet. It is generally admitted that a large proportion of persons and animals that are bitten escape with impunity, whUe on other occasions it is said almost every individual suffers. How are we to account for this eccentricity of the action of the virus, or appearance of the disease ? From the history of the disease as it occurred in Edinburgh, which I have given, I think it is evident that the disease must have raged during the time to which I refer as an epizootic. I have shown that it was not confined to the dog, and in the other animals which were affected with the disease, that the same pathological condition existed ; that the symptoms bore a striliing resemblance, the only difference being such as from the natural habits and instincts of the animals affected might, a priori, have been expected would be exhibited. Hence the biting and kicking of the horse, the tendency to gore with the horns in the ox, the butting of the ram, and the biting of the dogs and foxes — in short, the symptoms which might naturally have been expected would be exhibited in the animals of the different species from cerebral excitement. It will naturally occur to the reflecting mind, that if the disease raged amongst the lower animals as an epizootic, the same general or atmospherical causes should also affect the higher ; — that if animals were suffering from a general cause, the human being should at the same time not escape with im- punity. Such wUl be the natural conclusion to which we must come, and such is the fact. I endeavoured during the preva- lence of cholera to show that the same general causes which operate on the human being also affected animals, and gave striking proofs of the analogy by what took place during the prevalence of the disease in this city ; and if I am right in my conjecture, the same general law should hold good in the pre- sent instance — that if rabies prevailed as an epizootic, some- tliing analogous should also have prevailed amongst man as an epidemic. Now, what was the state of the case ? I ask the members of the medical profession — did any disease prevail ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 375 amongst the inhabitants of Edinburgh during 1835-36, in ■which the air-passages, and especially the upper part of these passages, were affected ? I ask — did any disease prevail during that period in which the brain became affected? Did not influenza ? did not scarlatina 1 In both there is frequently de- lirium — an evident symptom of an affection of the brain — and the air-passages are also unquestionably affected ; but as these diseases offer a considerable variety, I shall rather give a case in illustration, and the symptoms, by which the analogy will be shown. In a letter from a friend, he states that his son had been attacked with scarlet fever of a mild description; "the eruption came out beautifully, and he was apparently recovering, when aU at once he showed symptoms of wandering in his mind. His head became rapidly affected, and he laboured for some weeks under the highest state of nervous excitement. He champed his teeth, and bit at everything that came near him. To such an extent did these symptoms go, that it often required all my force of arm to withdraw the spoon from his teeth witli which I had given him morphia or any refreshment : he picked holes in his neck and face with his nails, &c. He rallied, and has gradually recovered, although he is a thin and delicate boy, and still very nervous and excitable." The symptoms, both in men and animals, will vary according as the affection of the mucous membrane extends more or less in one direction or another. If, for example, the bronchia in connection with the nasal membrane are much affected, the disease assumes the character of dumb madness; but when the upper part of the nasal cavities and anterior part of the brain are chiefly diseased, the state of furious madness. In the horse, the ox, sheep, foxes, and dogs, the post-mortem appearances were similar ; and from the symptoms shown in influenza and scarlatina, similar conditions may be expected to be found. I have thus endeavoured to show that rabies canina is a disease of the air-passages, in which the brain becomes affected 376 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND through the cribriform plates of the ethmoidal bones ; that both the brain itself and also the membranes are involved in the disease ; and if such is the case, we see that the disease is divested of the mysterious character it has hitherto borne. We are therefore compelled to consider the madness exhibited as delirium, necessarily arising from the progress and state of the diseased action upon the brain — especially the anterior part — and its membranes, and which may be expected to arise in man and every animal in which similar parts become affected. But is the disease hydrophobia (a dread of water) ? I answer — No. No such disease ever occurs in the dog, nor any of the lower animals : and if I were a logician, I would say that as the dog is never affected with hydrophobia, it is impossible he can communicate to man or any of the lower animals that which he never has to give. Yet man becomes affected with hydrophobia, and that disease follows the bite of a dog, and it is almost invariably supposed that the dog must consequently have been mad — that he must have had hydrophobia — ^yet I repeat, all veterinary and other writers agree that the dog never has a dread of water. The popular belief, however, must have had some foundation, otherwise it could not have arisen ; it would not have become so general an opinion. The foundation of the opinion appears to me to arise from the same or similar circumstances which occurred in the case of the flesher's dog, and in Mr Cousin's dog — the one, being timid, was alarmed at his own shadow ; the other, a bolder animal, quarrelled with his shadow in the water. Careless observers or reporters would in both cases suppose that these dogs had a dread of water, but neither of these dogs refused to drink, nor did they seem to notice their shadow, except on one occasion. Such an accidental circumstance might, and most probably did, give rise to the belief that dogs became affected with a dread of water, whilst it is more natural to suppose that they were in a state of delirium, and either quarrelled with or feared their own shadow, more especially as it is now well known to every one who has seen a rabid dog, that ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 377 instead of having a dread of water he has an insatiable thirst, and that he continues in the worst stages of the disease to lap water with great avidity. As, however, there is always more or less soreness of the throat, although he laps water he is scarcely able to swallow. But that animals mistake their shadow for some other animal is familiarly illustrated by the story told of a boy showing a goat his shadow in a mirror, at the sight of which biUy dashed the glass to pieces with his horns, or the well-known effect of showing a gamecock his shadow. It will, however, be said, that although there may be some error regarding the name, and that there may be some variety in the symptoms as it arises in the human being, still it does not alter the fact that the disease is communicated by the dog to man by inoculation : that the virus, although it lies latent for some time, ultimately works its effects upon the system, and produces the disease. I have already thrown some doubts on the probability of the disease being propagated by a virus from one dog to another, and to others of the lower animals, by endeavouring to show that, from what might be considered a fair statistical return, the numbers becoming affected by the disease from accidental or external causes were equal to the number per cent becoming affected by inoculation. At the same time, I have shown that a disease existed in the form of an epidemic in man bearing a strong resemblance in many points to that which raged at the same time among the lower animals, and we are therefore warranted to conclude that there is as great a probability, at least, that the disease was an epizootic as that it was propagated by the bite of one animal to another. But if, as some may conclude still, the disease must be propagated by the bite of a rabid animal, and if this is inferred, as it may be with no little plausibility and force, from the case of the horses I have given an account of, then I ask how it happens that whUe the symptoms in all rabid animals are analogous, and the post-mortem appearances are remarkably alike, such, however, is not the case (so far as I 378 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND have learned by the description) of the post-mortem appear- ance in man ? Now, this is a most important fact, for if we find in the lower animals of every class analogous symptoms, and post-mortem appearances corresponding, we ought also to find similar symptoms and appearances in man; but when this is not the case, I contend that if a doubt had been thrown out as to the disease being propagated by a bite amongst animals, the doubts become still stronger in regard to the manner of its being propagated in man. In every other case of inoculation, certain effects foUow, whether in man or in animals, which are perfectly analogous : the vaccine, the variolus virus, the bite of a serpent, produce the same effects in all ; a puncture in dissection, inoculation with any poison, are all readily traced, and their effects are uniform ; but it is not so with the bite of a EABID ANIMAL. All the lower animals are supposed to show similar symptoms under the disease as the dog, and the same post-mortem appearances, but man has generated in him what the dog never has, and shows not the morbid appearance ; yet it is evident that hydrophobia is produced by the bite of a dog. But not only does the rabid virus not produce the same symptoms, nor the same morbid eilects, but it is more tardy and eccentric in its action on man. Every other poison or virus lies for a certain period in a kind of quiescent state ; but the virus of rabies is quite uncertain in its appearance, most commonly requiring a few weeks, sometimes requiring as many months or years, to develop itself, while in others a few days is sujfficient to work its effects, and in most, and especially in the more protracted cases, the very remembrance of the cause is said to have been for- gotten, there has been no uneasiness in the bitten part, there has been no irritation of the absorbents, or of the nerves of the part ; but at length the dormant poison is awakened, the part be- comes hot and tender, it is painful, and in a day or two the unfortunate individual shows unequivocal symptoms of hydro- phobia. It thus differs from every other poison in its progress and effects. And it has another peculiarity of character, and ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 379 a most important one as regards the views we entertain ; and that is, its partiality to rational men. I have not heard of the disease in idiots, and if it affects children, it never, so far as I have learnt, condescended to affect them before they are capable of some degree of reflection. One case is related by Dr Parry which occurred in a boy about three and a-half years of age ; but it is acknowledged that he was subject to ear- ache, and the one disease had been mistaken for the other. When Sir Astley Cooper was here last year, I had an oppor- tunity of inquiring from him the earliest age at which he had known a child affected with hydrophobia, and he did not re- collect of a case under nine years of age. This, I think, is about the earliest age at which it will be found to occur, and this presents a most important feature in the case, for I think it win not be contended that a child has never been bitten prior to this age ; and if it is, as I think it must be, allowed that it is impossible children could always have escaped until that age and upwards, then how does it happen that children, until they have arrived at years capable of reflection and excitement, have never been attacked with hydrophobia? This, I contend, arises from the circumstance of children be- fore that time of life being incapable of the nervous excite- ment which, I conclude, is the very essence of the disease. But I was once informed by a particular friend of mine of a case of a fine girl about twelve years of age having become affected with the disease from neglecting what is considered the best means of preventing it — that is, excision of the bitten part. This girl, he informed me, came to Bar- tholomew's Hospital of her own accord, whilst she attended there to have the parts cut out that had been bitten. One wound was on her cheek, which was slight ; the part on her arm was cut out, but it was thought a pity to blemish her cheek, and it was therefore simply dressed. She was after- wards seized with hydrophobia, and died ; and this, therefore, it was contended, was evident proof that the disease had arisen from the virus. I answered. No ! that the circum- 380 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND stance of the child going to the hospital of her own accord was the strongest proof of the impression the dread of the disease had on her mind, and how familiar she was with the popular opinions regarding the disease, else why should a child go into an hospital to be operated on ? The case of a policeman who was bitten some time during the prevalence of the disease amongst dogs here is quoted to show how little the mind is concerned in the disease. He was bitten, and in two days he was seized with hydrophobia, and died in the hospital. During his illness he stated to his medical attend- ants that he had no fear of the bite, and thought apparently nothing about it ; but on making inquiry at the police office, Sergeant Sutherland stated that Alexander Elder was bitten on Saturday night or Sunday morning, and did duty that night. On Monday he attended his duty in the Grassmarket, was taken ill in the market, was removed to his lodgings, where he remained aU night, was removed next day to the infirmary, where he died ; that he was alarmed when he came to his lodgings, and tried various remedies. Elder was not sure that the dog was mad, but was in dread of it. Now, the internal working of his mind is shown by the fact that, while to his medical attendant he was stating he did not think any- thing of being bitten, he had been among his fellow-watchmen continually expressing his hope that the dog which bit him was not mad, and trying various remedies. Such, indeed, appears generally to be the case when persons are affected with this disease ; they have such a dread of it that they are anxious to make themselves believe they have forgotten the accident. But is a bite of a dog a thing so trifling ? Is the memory so short that it cannot recollect an accident so par- ticular as that from a bite from a dog ; and that, too, when the accident has occurred only a few weeks previously ? The thing is quite improbable. But further, the case of Lady Duff has been quoted by some as a striking proof in favour of in- fection. I had, however, an opportunity of sifting in some degree this case ; also, her other near relatives informed me ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 381 tliat this lady was not bitten by her lapdog, as was generally supposed, but that she observed it one night after she had gone to bed extremely troublesome, attempting to draw the bedclothes off her, and in doing so slightly scratched a pimple on her face with its paw. She requested General Duff to put it into another room, which was done. Next day it was found quite rabid, and was destroyed. ISTothing was in this case thought of the scratch until nine months afterwards, when the lady was suddenly seized with hydrophobia, and died. The question then was, how had the virus been applied ? This was explained by the supposition that as dogs in rabies very frequently rub their mouths with their paws, some of the saliva must have been upon the paw, and by that means have been communicated through the medium of the scratch to the system ; but surely this must have been a very doubtful means of communicating an infection, especially when it is borne in mind that under the most careful method of com- municating it by inoculation, it is supposed to succeed in only 14 per cent. But the fact is unchanged. It will be said it is sufficient proof of the infection having been communicated when the disease appears, or to what other cause would I ascribe the development of the disease? At this I have already hinted to the workings of the imagination, to the general belief that dogs are subject to what they are not, but which opinion is continually kept up by popular belief " A mad dog ! a mad dog ! " cries a clown, as some unfortunate cur staggering runs through a village, and all in his rear who can muster courage, armed with every weapon which can be pro- cured, are at once in pursuit ; and with unrelenting deter- mination the unfortunate animal is hunted or stoned to death ; and if the effect of disease happens at first to have produced nervous irritation, and to set the animal wandering, or if the abuse of sticks and stones has so excited him that he attacks those who come in his way, the pursuit is increased in vigour, and the death of the victim is the more certain. None, then, questions the assertions of him who gave the alarm, or his qua- 382 THE IISTFLUENCB OF THE MIND lification to give such, and few, if any, although they should coolly ask what is the condition of the animal, would understand even if any were able to tell them on such occasions. It is enough that it is supposed that the dog is mad, and there is then a sufficient popular warrant for his execution. There may be some who are more scrupulous about giving their opinion, but the effect is the same, for if anybody ever cries " A bad dog ! a bad dog ! " all within hearing are at once roused into action, and death to the animal is the consequence. I can readily excuse the destruction of a dog supposed to be rabid, as in his delirium he is instinctively disposed to bite ; but what excuse can there be for the popular belief that if a healthy dog bites a person he must be destroyed to prevent the person bitten from becoming affected with the disease ? Yet such is the popular opinion, and such is the course pui'sued ; and it is by no means an uncommon thing to hear of the owner of a dog being summoned before a magistrate, and being by authority ordered to destroy the dog, to satisfy the person bitten, or if a child, the parents. Yet what satisfaction can this give ? or why is it so generally believed that although the dog may be quite healthy, yet his bite may produce hydrophobia in the jDerson bitten unless the dog is destroyed ? This, however, I need scarcely say, not only destroys the chance of ascertaining whether the dog was diseased or not, but it also entails the supposition that there is a latent popular behef that the im- agination has an influence in producing the disease, else, why destroy him ? why get him out of sight ? The alarm, however, does not stop with the death of the animal ; it is feared that others may have caught the infection, that they may com- municate it to others, and even to man. The public authori- ties bestir themselves. All dogs going at large are ordered to be muzzled or destroyed. The public press reports the history, and communicates the alarm. Yea, the legislature, consider- ing the case one of national importance, takes up the question as to what must be done to prevent the spread of so contagious a disease, none doubting their own knowledge — no one ever ON DISEASES OP THE BODY. 383 asking himself what the disease is in dogs he is so much afraid of. The dog is mad, but what that means is of no consequence, lecause it produces hydrophobia. It seems a matter of no con- sequence that the dog, being mad in one respect, does by his bite produce madness of another hind in man. It is enough that he does so ; how he does so seems of little consequence. If it could not be prevented there might be a melancholy satis- faction that the Author of nature had so willed it, and we must submit. But if, as I contend, it is by popular prejudice, aided by authority, that the belief is kept up and propagated, then I say there is an awful responsibility resting on those in authority who by their proclamations, however well meant, tend to propagate this disease. Satisfied with the soundness of these opinions, when I had an opportunity, by being requested to meet the authorities, I recommended the discontinuance of the proclamation while the disease still raged in this city, and had the satisfaction not only to find that the public mind was calmed, and, what was of more importance in the history of the disease, instead of increasing by dogs being allowed to go at large, and although a good many cases were brought to me afterwards, yet the disease entirely subsided in a short time. Now, if it had been propagated by bites from diseased dogs, why was it not in- creased? Why has the disease entirely disappeared in this city, and in this part of the country, although dogs were allowed to go at random, and that whilst the disease prevailed ? First, because it was an epizootic ; and the cause having ceased, the disease has disappeared. But if the disease is produced in man by the imagination, how does it present so regularly the same symptoms ? I answer, this supports my argument, because while in man the symptoms are almost invariable, in dogs there are two varieties, the dumb and raging madness ; but if we reflect for a moment on the symptoms and parts affected in man, we are less surprised than at first sight. The muscles of the pharynx are voluntary muscles in the healthy state, and all the voluntary muscles are under the control of 384 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND the will. Now, do any of the voluntary muscles ever refuse to obey the commands of the will? Do ever any of them become refractory, if I may so speak ? Do not the muscles of the pharynx, and, through sympathy, those of the larynx ? Let us attempt to swallow some nauseous draught : we may succeed, but let us repeat the experiment rapidly a few times, and what is the consequence ? Does not the very sight or the smell produce a repulsive action ? Nay, this effect may arise even from inhaling a nauseous vapour, and thus, through the influence of the mind or imagination, we see that these volun- tary muscles either refuse to obey the commands of the will or act directly contrary to its commands. Now, if in cases so familiar such effects are produced, is there anything more reasonable than that, when the mind is influenced by the belief that the body has become inoculated with a poison, the effects of which are to prevent those muscles from acting on water, that at the sight of that fluid these muscles, through the imagination, should at once, as in the other cases, refuse to obey the commands of the will, and, instead of performing the actions necessary for deglutition, do the reverse, which being continued so long as the cause is offered, involves the functions of the pharynx, and, with the interruption of these, brings, as a consequence, those alarming and horrid symptoms and sensations of anxiety, strangulation, and asphyxia, so char- acteristic of the disease. I had written thus far when I met accidentally with a tnedical gentleman who had attended a case which had arisen in a farmer from the bite of a cat. A child had been also bitten by the same animal. The farmer became affected — ^the child es- caped ; and it was stated that the person, before he became affected, had no dread of the disease. It, however, came out in the course of conversation that the medical man had been attending the family, and that he dressed the wounds with nitric acid. These cases afford illustrations of two points in favour of the views I have advanced, instead of forming objec- tions, as at first supposed. First, it must be remarked that ON DISEASES OF THE BODY. 385 dressing a recent wound witli nitric acid is rather a peculiar treatment, and would naturally lead the patient to inquire for what reason such a plan was adopted ; and the answer would be obvious — either the surgeon would candidly inform the patient what his object was, or if not, the patient wovild draw the inference. If the surgeon concealed his reason, then it in- dicated that he had a suspicion that the mind might be excited so as to produce the disease ; and yet I was informed that the patient had not the least suspicion of what was the matter with him, indicating, however, to my mind, that anxiety to deceive himself, and an attempt to banish from his mind the very idea of so horrible a result, and which seems to be generally the case with every patient. In the second place, the child having escaped illustrates what I consider a strong point in my argument— that no child incapable of reflection is subject to the disease ; or at least I have not met with the history of a clear case. If I am correct in the theory I have advanced, it enables us to account for the almost invariable failure of the remedies proposed for the cure of this disease, and to suggest that reme- dies of a mental character ought to be employed, instead of the physical ones which have so generally proved ineffectual ; in short, that if we could convince the mind that no poison had been communicated, the physical derangements would be easily overcome, or would perhaps cease with the excitement which gave rise to them. On the other hand, we see from the view we have taken that many may escape from the effects of a bite simply because they are not of a temperament sufficiently ex- citable to generate the disease ; and this corresponds with the facts. And on the same grounds we would place the efficacy of the various plans oi preventing the effects of a bite, whether by excision, cauterisation, or any of those numerous nostrums to be found in every situation where the disease is known. If the mind is fuUy convinced of the efficacy of any remedy, it will be effectual in preventing the disease — if not, they will fail, where the mind is excited ; and if I am correct in these opinions, they suggest that much harm is done by the alarm 2b 386 THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND, ETC. created by the publicity which is given to every case which ap- pears, and indicates the necessity of investigating more closely the disease, and preventing alarm by explaining its nature. I have thus endeavoured to state to the Society my views on this important topic, and trust that the hints I have thrown out will lead to a candid investigation, and ultimately clear up our views regarding a disease which has hitherto been involved in great obscurity, and which, whilst it has been an opprobrium to the art of medicine, has inflicted on man, in many instances, the most appalling of maladies. But, whatever is the result, I trust the Society will consider that whilst I have thus brought forward a somewhat strange doctrine, I have done so only to elicit the truth, and I hope it will be received with the candour it is submitted. In conclusion, I beg to apologise for the length and imperfections of the essay, and for having apparently wan- dered from the question in a great part of it ; but the importance of fully establishing the pathology of the disease must plead my excuse, as it seemed to me the only warrant for my conclusion. [We give the following paragraph from the ' Irish Farmers' Gazette ' of June 26, 1869, as the subject to which it refers seems to support certain conclusions arrived at iu the preceding paper : — " A correspondent of the ' Freeman' states that, on the 14th inst., a heifer, in what was alleged to be the most violent stage of hydrophobia, ran a distance of four miles, into the town of Ballybofey, connty Donegal, to the great terror and alarm of the inhabitants — head-constable M'Carthy, with six of his men, and about two hundred of the townspeople, endeavouring for a long time, but in vain, to catch the animal. At length the head-constable sent for a stout rope. Acting constable Flood and a civilian taking the one end of it, went upon a stone wall in the fair-green, when sub-constable Mahonytook the other end, and with the most extraordinary daring made a rush at the animal, seized it by the horns, to which he firmly fastened the rope without any assistance. Having been firmly secured, the animal was led to the extreme end of the town, where she was instantly killed and buried in a deep pit by constable Mahony and some civilians. Even when dead and in the pit no one but Mahony would take the rope ofi' her horns, all being afraid of catching the dire- ful infection. Si.x days previous to this, another cow died of this awful dis- ease on the same farm, and a third was buried alive. On the 16th inst. a mad dog passed through the farm in which these cattl&were three weeks ago." The ' Farmers' Gazette ' expressed an opinion that this was a case of phrenitis, or mad staggers, and not hydrophobia, and that the other cows were similarly affected. There does not appear to have been any proof that the cattle were bitten by the dog which was supposed to be mad. — Ed.] PROCEEDINGS IN THE EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. [As stated in the introductory Memoir of Professor Dick, tlie following records of cases occurring at the Edinburgh Veterinaiy College were first reported in ' The Veterinarian, ' and arose from the circumstances detailed in Professor Dick's introductory letter to the Editor of ' The Veterinarian.' After being regularly published for some time in that periodical, their publication was discontinued, until Professor Dick revived the practice in the form of quarterly reports to the Highland and Agricultural Society. We give these reports a place, because they afford good evidence of the extensive practice occurring at the Edinburgh College, and contain also much that is valuable to the non-professional reader, especially agriculturists, as well as to the profes- sional veterinarian. —Ed.] My deae Sirs, — As Professor Spooner has thought proper to state in writing that my pupils must labour under very seri- ous defects, and principally the want of practical knowledge, in conseq^uence of my having accommodation for ten horses only, I feel myself called on to show the real extent of practice my pupils have the opportunity of seeing. I therefore have drawn up the following abstract of the cases that have occurred during the last month [January 1845], from the 1st to the 31st inclusive, and although some of the .cases were in private stables, they were all patients to my pupils. In doing this, I at the same time call on Professor Spooner to give a similar abstract of the cases that have occurred at the Koyal Veterinary College during the same period, which he has quite in his power, as there is a record kept of all the cases which occur there. When he has done tliis, the public will be able to judge whether my pupils or his have the best oppor- tunities of acquiring a practical knowledge of their profession. — I am, my dear sirs, yours truly, William Dick. 388 PROCEEDINGS IN THE I .-Ho rses. p re ^ Megrims, 1 Brought forward. 117 6 Influenza and catarrh, 30 Spavin, with lameness. 6 Strangles, 2 Sprains of tendons, includ- Bronchitis, pneumonia, and ing several sprains of the pleurisy, . 26 2 gluteus maximus. 23 Broken wind, combined with Wounds and bruises of trunk. 14 1 inflammatory disease o1 Wounds and bruises of ex- the air-passage. 5 tremities, 27 1 Spasm of the diaphragm. 1 Fractures of bones of the HfemoptysiSj 1 trunk, 4 2 Indigestion, . 2 Fracture of bones of the ex- Colic, 10 c tremities, . 4 Enteritis, 6 3 Other lameness, unaccom- Diarrhcea, 1 panied with wounds or Vomition, 1 sores, including cases of Tympanitis, . 3 1 ringbone, navicular dis- Worms, 5 ease, &c., . 14 Injuries and diseases of eyes , 4 Wounds, sores, and bruises Skin diseases. 7 of feet and pasterns. 33 Laminitis, 3 Constitutional or general de- Inflammation of the absorb bility. 3 enta, 5 Examinations as to sound- Splint, with lameness. 4 ness. 24 Carry forward, 117 6 Total number of horses. 269 10 II. —Nea t Cattle. Indigestion, 4 Brought forward. 12 3 Obstniction of oesophagus, 3 1 Diarrhcea, 1 Disease of heart, 1 Vomition, 1 Pneumonia, . 3 1 Fracture of bones, . 3 Enteritis, 1 1 Debility, 1 Carry forward. 12 3 III.- Total number of neat cattk Dogs. , 18 3 Obstruction of oesophagus. 1 Brought forward, 11 Sores, 4 Nervous disease (epilepsy). 2 1 Wounds, 3 Vomiting blood. 1 Constipation, 1 Parturition, . 3 1 Ascites, 1 Distemper, 3 Castration, 1 — — Total number of dogs, 20 2 Carry forward. 11 IV.- -Cats. Ascites, . 1 Rupture of tendo •achilles. 1 Total number of cats, Pneumonia, V.—Piffs. EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 389 Although many of these cases offered, during their continu- ance, peculiarities of character especially interesting and valu- able to the practical student, and that might on that account be worthy of more particular detail, still, as this can scarcely with propriety be effected in an article like the present, I con- tent myself with some remarks on a few of the diseases in general. On comparing the number of cases of disease of the air- passages with the deaths under that head, it will be seen that the proportion of fatal cases is very small. Although several cases under the head influenza were, during their progress, ac- companied by inflammatory action to a considerable extent, and involving the thoracic viscera, more especially the heart and its membranes, still it will be seen that we had not any fatal cases either from influenza or its consequences. This disease has been particularly prevalent in Edinburgh for some years past about this season, and during its continuance great liability of disposition to inflammation of a peculiar kind is manifested by the fibrous serous membranes within the chest, and, in consequence of this, involving the pericardium and proper serous covering of the heart, as well as occasionally the heart itself, and requiring a modification of treatment, which, if unattended to, was followed by much greater mortality. AVe have been successful in curing several cases of broken wind, some even of old standing, and great relief has been afforded to others. The greatest proportion of fatal cases has occurred in enter- itis. Two of these terminated in rupture of the intestines, and one case ended fatally in a few hours : the inflammation in this instance existed with great intensity in the mucous membrane. The animal afflicted with tympanitis died in half an hour after it was seen. Inflammation of the absorbents, and especi- ally of the hind legs, is much more frequent than in England. It is accompanied by swelling of these vessels and the glands throuo-h which they pass, rendering them perceptible to the feeling, like firm round cords accompanying the veins, and 390 PROCEEDINGS IN THE causing great enlargement of the limb with intense pain and lameness. These cases generally do well under proper man- agement. Among the sprains of tendons we have had several cases of injuries of the gluteus maximus and psose muscles, both affec- tions accompanied by some peculiar symptoms not mentioned by veterinary authors. The ordinary cases of sprains of the flexor tendon, suspensory ligaments, &c., are included under this head, but call for no particular remark. The wounds and bruises of the trunk and extremities, in- cluding injured and open joints, although in some instances severe, call for no particular remark, and terminated favourably except in two instances. The fractures of bones of the trunk mostly occurred during the frost, and existed in the pelvis. Two died, or were destroyed, and two appear recovering. We have been particularly successful in the treatment of canker in the foot, a disease usually considered one of the most for- midable to which the foot is liable. The circumstances under which the cases of pneumonia in cattle occurred, illustrate in a striking manner the necessity there is for a veterinary surgeon to be so far acquainted with rural economy generally and the domestic management of animals intrusted to his medical care — supplementary to that knowledge required in a strictly professional point of view — so as to be able, when disease makes its appearance among them, to detect any peculiarity of diet, shelter, or situation, remotely causing disease, or operating injuriously on the animal frame. This is a power afforded of directing his curative and preventive measures with an efficacy of which one destitute of such knowledge could not avail himself. Information of this kind is liberally afforded to the practical students of this Col- lege by the Professor of Agriculture in the University opening his class to them. Jan. 6, 1845. — "We visited Mr Dudgeon's farm at Humbie, where these cases occurred, and found that two oxen had pre- viously died, and three were recently affected. The farm is EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 391 elevated in situation ; the straw-yards are roomy, and the one wherein the deaths had happened, and in which only the ani- mals now sick were kept, contained forty head of cattle. One end was open to the east, from which quarter the wind had mostly blown during the previous month. Their litter had also been mostly wet during this period. My Dudgeon had lately adopted a plan of feeding the cattle in this yard different frora that pursued in the others. Their turnips are steamed and put hot into tubs about three feet deep containing " dreg " (distil- lers' refuse). This course he adopts in order to induce the beasts to take the dreg, which they will not do so well by fol- lowing any other plan he has tried. On putting the hot turnips and liquor into the tub, the beasts immediately plunge in their heads to search for them. They thus become for a time covered over a greater part of their heads and necks with the heated liquid, and on ceasing to feed are consequently exposed to the injurious effects of cold wind and evaporation. A repetition of this thrice daily might be expected to be accompanied by consequences ordinarily resulting from sudden changes of tem- perature, which was precisely the case in this instance ; as none of the cattle in adjoining yards and sheds, although 110 in number, not being fed in a similar manner, nor being exposed to the cold winds, have exhibited symptoms of the same kind of disease. Post-mortem examinations displayed the usual appearances accompanying pneumonia, combined with pleuritis, in cattle. That the disease in this instance is traceable to local causes, operating in consequence of peculiar domestic treatment, ap- pears evident from the fact, that only in this particular yard, wherein the feeding and shelter differ from others, have any cases of diseases of this nature occurred. As preventive reme- dies, it was advised that shelter should be afforded from the cold winds to which they were exposed, and some change in the manner of feeding adopted, to obviate the necessity of the animals plunging their heads into the hot liquor. The means had recourse to, with respect to the sick, con- 392 PROCEEDINGS IN THE sisted of measures calculated to counteract the intlammation and its effects ; and as the cases required, every assistance was afforded to the powers of nature which careful feeding, sheltered and dry lying, could impart. All the sick animals recovered. Twenty-one of the above dispensary cases, consisting of chronic disease of tendons, or ossific deposits in the neighbourhood of joints, &c., causing lameness, required firing, which operation was mostly performed by the students, as well as those of setoning, punching, blood- letting, administering medicine, taking off shoes, examining feet, and other operations required in ordinary practice. Abstract. Cases. Horses, . . .269 Neat cattle, 18 Dogs, . 20 Cats, . . 2 Pigs, . . 2 Deaths 10 3 2 Total number of cases, 311 Of deaths, 15 Cases of Disease occurring at the Edinburgh Veterinary College, from the 1st to the 28th of Fehruary 1845. Nature of Disease. Staggers, .... Chorea, Epilepsy, .... Diseases and injuries of eyes, . Influenza and catarrh, Pneumonia, bronchitis, and pleurisy. Distemper, Laryngitis (one of these was in an ass). Glanders, .... Epistaxis, Indigestion with constipation, Colic, . Enteritis, Diarrhoea, Overloaded stomach, causing rupture, Hepatitis, Number of Cases. 26 22 2 3 1 5 10 2 2 2 Carry forward, 82 4 5 4 Deaths. w i^^o n EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 393 Number or Cases. j Deaths. Nature of Disease. E 6 Horses Neat Cattle. 5 i Q 5 Brought forward, 82 4 5 4 7 2 1 1 Intestinal worms, . . . . 4 4 Irregular teeth, 1 ll !1 rlOTAa 3 1 1 i-.Jd.OcTiCS, ... . Calcwlus in urethra, Inflammation of udder, 2 1 1 Constitutional debility, 5 1 Rheumatic afieotions of joints after pleurisy. 2 Wounds, bruises, and sores on trunk. 6 1 Abscesses (not included in the above). 8 1 Caries of rib. 1 Skin diseases, .... 8 1 1 Wounds and bruises of extremities, exceptin g feet, .... 17 1 Spavin, with lameness. 4 Splint, with lameness. 3 Sprains of tendons. 15 Curb, . i Inflammation of absorbents, . 3 Wounds and bruises of feet from nails, &c., including cases of corns, 27 Quitter, 7 Canker, .... 1 Grease, 3 Sandcrack, 2 Laminitis, .... 2 Navicular disease. 4 Diseases of bursse in neighbourhood of joints as bog-spavin, with lameness. 2 Fractures of bones of trunk, . 2 Fractures of bones of extremities. 1 Injuries of trochanter major (os femoris). 2 Examinations, 7 229 7 13 5 7 2 1 1 Cases in horses, ,, cattle, „ dogs, ,, cats, General Abstract. . 229 Deaths, 13 ■ _i 254 7 2 1 1 11 Diseases of the air-passages in horses, under the forms of influenza, catarrh, pleurisy, and pneumonia, still continue very prevalent; and although, as noticed in the previous report, many cases of influenza take on certain peculiarities, still, by timely and constant attention to the varying characters of the 394 PROCEEDINGS IN THE disease, not any fatal cases have occurred under that head during the month of February. The number of ordinary cases of inflammatory affections of the air-passages has not varied materially from that occurring during January. In some cases of pleurisy, effusion to a certain extent had taken place ; and in two instances rheumatic affections of the joints super- vened ; still, by proper remedies being resorted to, there has not, as the report will show, been any fatal cases. One of the cases under laryngitis occurred in a grey cart- horse belonging to Mr Gray, Lothian Eoad, and appeared to be of chronic character. The circumstances that induced the owner to bring him to the College — which he did, February 27th — might perhaps be considered more as the effects of the disease than the disease itself, and consisted in the animal suffering difficulty of breathing to an extent, from appearances, almost sufficient to induce suffocation. The respiration was accompanied by an exceedingly loud noise, as if arising from some loose membrane vibrating in the larynx during the pas- sage of air over it ; so loud, indeed, was the noise during even ordinary breathing, that the owner could not venture to the College with the horse, except very early in the morning, before the streets became crowded. On examining the frae- num of the epiglottis and entrance into the larynx by the hand, no tumours or other substance could be found similar to what has occurred in other cases offering somewhat analogous symptoms, and which could give rise to those existing in this instance ; yet, on applying either the ear or the hand on the outside of the larynx, it was evident, from the vibrating sen- sation imparted, that the cause of obstruction was situated therein. Fearing the strength of the patient might sink, or suffocation ensue, unless prompt means of relief were adopted, tracheotomy was performed, and a tube inserted into the trachea a little below the larynx, which was attended by im- mediate rehef to the breathing. Setons were placed on each side of the larynx, and a blister applied over aU. Since the operation the horse's condition has materially im- EDINBUEGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 395 proved : lie lias begun to perform his ordinary work, and still continues to wear tlie tube. When it is removed for the pur- pose of cleaning, and pressure made on the opening, he appears to breathe through the nostrils with much greater freedom than previously to the operation ; still, however, he is far from breathing calmly, unless the tube is retained in its situation. The other case of laryngitis, although marked in the column for horses, occurred in an ass. The inflammatory action had in this instance run on to a considerable extent, while the swelling and effusion consequent thereon had produced cedema of the glottis to a degree almost causing suffocation. In this case, however, it was evident that the bronchite and lungs participated in the inflammation ; and, more as a temporary means of relief, and to afi^ord the students an opportunity of again seeing the operation and conditions under which it is justifiable, than from any idea of its proving permanently beneficial, tracheotomy was performed. The animal, however, died on the following day. On dis- section the mucous membrane of the larynx and fauces was shown to be much inflamed, accompanied by considerable in- filtration into the cellular tissue connecting it to the con- tiguous muscles. This case bears considerable resemblance to one presenting somewhat similar symptoms, which occurred some time ago in a tiger-cat at the Zoological Gardens. It will be seen that two cases have died of hepatitis in cattle. Although the symptoms of inflamed liver were evi- dent during life, and received their appropriate treatment, the disease was not arrested. On examination after death, con- siderable tubercular deposit in that organ had evidently existed for a long time in both instances. The immediate causes of the affection appeared to be merely accidental, and in both animals involved the liver still farther in disease, probably in consequence of that viscus being in a disordered condition, or predisposed for their operation. Disease of the liver is par- ticularly common among cattle, and, in consequence of the 396 PROCEEDINGS IN THE peculiar sympathetic disorder of the stomachs which generally attends it, is very apt to be mistaken for primary aifection of the stomachs themselves, but may with proper care be distin- guished therefrom. The case of " caries of rib " occurred in a colt, the property of Mr Inch Dryley, and was brought to the College while ex- hibiting the following appearances : — There was a sinuous opening about the middle of the thoracic region on the near side, from which flowed a quantity of unhealthy-looking pus. The sinus extended in an upward direction about three inches, and had been discharging during some months. The colt was cast, and the wound through the integuments and muscles freely opened. The cause of mischief was found to be a por- tion of dead rib, about the size of a walnut, contained loosely within an expanded shell of living bone, and through which, comnmnicating with the sinus, there was a small aperture, but insufficient to admit removal of the carious part. After some difficulty the opening through the living bone was enlarged, and the dead piece extracted. Proper dressings were applied to the parts, which are now almost healed. The bulk of the cases under the head " sprains of tendons '' consists of sprains in tendons of the extremities ; but there are several cases included of sprains of the psose and glutei muscles and their tendons. We have several very aggravated cases of quittor that were apparently hopeless on their first coming, but which are now doing well. About the same number of cases requiring firing this month has again been operated on by the students, which, together with other operations occurring in practice, they are required to perform. To those especially who are going up to their examinations this spring every opportunity of performing operations is afforded which presents itself. EDINBURGH VETEKINARY COLLEGE. 397 Cases of Disease among Animals oocurring at the Edinburgh Veteri- nary College, from the 1st to the 31st of March 1845, inclusive. Number of Cases. 1 Deaths. Disease. o W 6 1 i Cattle. Dogs. Cats. Chorea, .... 1 Epilepsy, 1 Staggers, .... 1 Palsy, .... 1 1 Diseases and injuries of eyes. 4 1 2 Catarrh and influenza. . 42 3 Distemper, 2 Strangles, .... 1 Pneumonia, pleurisy, and bronchitis, 8 4 2 1 Broken wind (treated). 1 Chronic cough. 1 Indigestion, 4 1 Obstruction of cesophagus. 1 1 Overloaded stomach, 1 Colic, ..... 16 Enteritis, 1 1 Diarrhoea, 3 Dysentery, 1 "Vomition, 1 Rupture of spleen, 1 1 Hepatitis, 1 Worms, 2 Diabetes, 2 Hematuria, 2 Gonorrhoea, 2 Mammitis, 1 Glanders, 2 2 Farcy, .... 1 Warts and surfeit. 3 Mange, 1 5 6 Grease, 2 Sores and ulcers. 2 7 ... 1 ... Wounds of trunk. 5 1 4 Wounds and bruises of feet, . . 2U 1 1 Wounds and bruises of joints. 9 Fractures, 4 1 Contusions, .... . 21 Sprains of tendons. . 23 Abscesses, .... 8 1 Inflammation of absorbents, or weed. 4 Sprain, with lameness. . 12 Splint, with do. . . . 4 Exostosis of knee. 3 Quittor, 2 Navicular disease. 7 Corns and thrushes. 9 Carry forwar d, 226 21 29 4 9 1 1 1 PEOCEEDINGS IN THE Disease. Foul in foot, Canker in feet, Irregular teeth, General debility. Vesicular epizootic, Caries of booes. Castrations, Examinations, Brought forward. Number OF Cases. 1 1 226 21 29 4 1 2 6 7 2 2 5 22 4 270 24 29 1 General Absteact. Total number of horses, . . 270 cattle, . . 24 dogs, . . 29 ,, cats, . . 4 Deaths, Cured or relieved, 327 Died or destroyed, 12 From the number and variety of cases given in tlie fore- going statement, it necessarily follows tliat there have been many peculiarities developed during the progress of some of them, calculated to confer on the student much valuable prac- tical knowledge : these peculiarities, of course, your limits forbid embodying in what must, for obvious reasons, consist of general remarks. The case of epilepsy occurred in a young cow, the property of Mr Muir, Silver Mills. She had suffered from fits during two days previously to application for professional assistance being made at the College, and presented at that time, the 29th of March, an unpromising appearance. Although the fits recurred every few hours, even if she was kept quiet, they were hastened by any attempt being made to rouse or other- wise disturb her. On examining the mouth, eyes, or other part about the head, a fit was immediately induced. She sud- denly protruded the tongue, closed the jaws firmly, rolled the eyes wildly in their sockets and at the same time violently dashed herself upon the ground ; then extended her limbs forcibly, and uttered several loud groans. She continued EDINBUEGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 399 several minutes in an unconscious rigid condition, when the muscles gradually relaxed, the eyeballs and tongue regained their natural situations by a jerking motion, and, elevating herself upon her belly, she raised her head and looked stupidly around, without attempting to rise for some time. The owner was rather anxious to destroy the beast, especially as any attempts to administer medicine evidently tended to accelerate the approach of fits. He was, however, induced to allow us a little time in order to try the effect of remedial means, and which, fortunately, were soon productive of benefit. After a few days' appropriate treatment the fits entirely subsided, and the cow soon recovered. The cases of influenza in horses have again been numerous, and the peculiarity displayed by the disease to involve in in- flanmiation the thoracic viscera has, in many instances, mani- fested itself Three cases under this head have died : one from effusion supervening at a stage of the disease when the powers of nature were much enfeebled; the other two were cases that had run far on towards an unfavourable termination before we saw them ; and, in addition to the usual symptoms of influenza, exhibited erysipelatous inflammation with slough- ing in various parts, accompanied by considerable congestion of the lungs, and incipient suppurative spots in the sub- mucous tissue of the larger air-passages. The cases of pneu- monia, pleurisy, and bronchitis, in their usual forms, have been fewer in number than usual. The vesicular epizootic among horned cattle has again made its appearance, and it continues to spread on all sides. It manifests itself in some stocks without being clearly traceable to contagion, and where there seems at present to be no possible communication be- tween healthy and diseased animals. 400 PROCEEDINGS IN THE Cases of Disease occurring among Animals at the Edinburgh Veter- inary College, from the 1st to the 30th of April 1845, inclusive. Number of Deaths. Cases Disease. 1 ? Hi to O o % m W 6 O W 8 R Chorea, .... 1 Epilepsy, 1 Staggers, 1 Palsy, . 1 Diseases and injuries of eyes, 4 4 Polypus in nose. 1 Influenza and catarrh, . . S3 1 Strangles, 4 Distemper, 7 Pneumonia, bronchitis, and pie urisy, . . .17 1 1 1 Rheumatism after pleurisy. 1 Organic disease of heart. 1 Tympanitis, 1 1 Choking, 3 1 Ruptured stomach, ... 1 1 Rupture of intestines. 1 1 Colic, 12 Enteritis, 1 3 3 ... Ascites, 1 ... 1 Intestinal worms, 4 6 Diabetes, 2 Ischuria, 2 Hsematuria, 1 Gonorrhoea, 2 Mammitis, 1 Glanders, 2 2 Farcy, 1 Mange, . . 10 11 Grease, . 3 Wounds and bruises of trunk. . 12 2 Wounds of feet, . . 23 Wounds of extremities, excepi ing feet, . 17 1 2 Open joints. 3 Sprains of tendons and ligame ats, . . .16 Injuries of spine, 4 2 Abscesses, 1 Inflammation of absorbents, 1 Curb, with lameness. 1 Spavin, with do.. 4 Splint, with do.. 4 Sandcrack, do., . 4 Qoittor, . 1 Canker, 1 Navicular disease. 4 Corns and thrushes. 6 Carry forward, 206 10 39 8 3 1 JJ.±^ jj vjxwvxji. . jixj:.js,iiNAKy COLLEGE. 401 Disease. Brought forwai'd, Number of Cases. a I-aminitis, Diseases of teeth, Fractures of bones. Docking, General dehility. Vesicular epizootic, Collection of matter in sinuses of head, not from glanders. Scirrhous cord, Castration, Difficult parturition, Examinations as to pregnancy. Examinations as to soundness, 208 10 1 5 3 3 1 38 18 2i6 48 41 8 General Abstract. Total number of horses, . . 246 neat cattle, . 48 dogs, . . 41 flock of sheep af- fected with rot, 1 sow, vomition, 1 Cured or relieved, 337 Died or destroyed, Died or destroyed, 14 Influenza still continues to prevail, though not, as will be seen by the report, to such an extent as during previous months. The disease is also accompanied by the same ten- dency ■ (before noticed) to involve in inflammatory action mucous and serous membranes in connection with the respir- atory apparatus ; but there has been only one fatal termina- tion of this affection during April, although some cases were much protracted in consequence of the tendencies referred to. The cases of ordinary inflammation of the thoracic viscera have exceeded in number those occurring during March, one of which has died, and deserves particular notice. The patient, a well-bred black horse, six years old, had been affected with pleurisy eight days previously to application being made here, and a dose of physic had been given him, which had increased the disease and rendered the pulse small and wiry. He was bled to as large an extent as he could stand, and his sides 2c 402 PROCEEDINGS IN THE were blistered ; but a degree of effusion had taken place in the chest, and there was some infiltration of serum into the cellular tissue in the dependent part of the surface of the abdomen, and also in the extremities. Bloodletting could not be repeated, and recourse was therefore had to the adminis- tration of iodine, which was continued twice a-day in large doses. When the animal was inclined to eat, mashes and gruel were ordered, and his general comfort attended to. Tap- ping was not had recourse to in this instance, as it was con- sidered that there would, from the previous duration of the case, be principally an effusion of lymph upon the costal and pulmonary pleurte, forming false membranes, and which would prevent a proper evacuation of the fluid ; while at the same time it seemed a case in which the iodine promised to be of service. That medicine was therefore given, and in a short time it was evident, on auscultation, that the effused fluid was diminishing, respiration became much easier, the cellular infil- tration gradually subsided, the animal began to feed with ap- parent appetite, heat returned into the extremities, and his bodily strength, although still much impaired, gTadually im- proved. Such a state of matters continued progressing for three weeks, and the patient gave every indication of recovery, until he began to lie down, which he did first during the day ; but on the following night, having lain down in an unfavour- able position, he struggled until he was exhausted, which in his debilitated condition produced such an effect upon the system and the disease, that in thirty-six hours he died. At- tempts were made to raise and sling him ; but so exhausted had he become by previous exertions, that all assistance was ineffectual. The body was examined after death, and the case proved to be, as we all along considered it, one of genuine pleurisy. Lymph in considerable quantity was found adherent to the pleura covering the ribs and lungs, forming false membranes between them. There was also a quantity of serum in the chest. The lungs, although somewhat compressed by lymph iiDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 403 and fluid, were sound, with the exception of one portion con- taining tubercular deposit. Although this case eventually terminated fatally, still, had not the animal so materially exhausted himself in ineffectual attempts to rise, judging from the amendment which had till then gradually taken place, there is every reason to believe recovery would ultimately have supervened. The very evident mitigation of the symptoms during the time iodine was ad- ministered proves, as numerous other trials under similar cir- cumstances have done, that this medicine, given in sufficient doses, is, under proper precautions, a most valuable one in the management of what are ordinarily considered intractable sequelae of pleuritis, pericarditis, and influenza. In the post- mortem investigation of this case, great care was taken to in- spect carefully the stomach, kidneys, liver, &c., in order to see if any of the structures of these organs had in any way suffered from the large quantity of iodine the animal had taken : there were not, however, any appearances denoting such to have been the case. It is worthy of remark, that the serum in the chest was remarkably pure and transparent. In last month's report it was noticed that the vesicular epizootic among neat cattle was again making its appearance in this neighbourhood. During most of April it prevailed ex- tensively, and although only thirty-eight cases are noticed, a much greater number came under observation. Considerable attention was paid to the disease in order to endeavour to establish the means of its propagation, and it was found that, in very many instances, it manifested itself in stocks of cattle which had not the slightest communication with others ; so that, whatever may be its contagious properties, it is sufiiciently evident that its propagation is far from being dependent upon them alone, but is due also to atmospheric agencies, which, it must be believed, are one great class of causes originating all epizootic diseases. It is impossible, then, by adopting many of the precautions at present had recourse to, that this or other epizootic diseases can be arrested, seeing that the great excit- 404 PROCEEDINGS IN THE ant is beyond the control of any means that man can use to obviate its action. The three fatal cases of enteritis in cattle occurred in ani- mals that were in contact with those suffering from the epi- zootic ; but in the cases referred to the disease did not make its appearance in anything like the form it usually assumes. ISTo soreness of the mouth or feet was observable in any of them ; symptoms of enteritis, with considerable debility and low fever, however, appeared about the time vesication was seen in others, and, in despite of all the means employed, the animals died. This, nevertheless, is the characteristic of the exanthemata ; and should the critical eruption by which they are distinguished be in any way suppressed or interfered with, some internal organ generally becomes, as it were, a sub- stitute for that originally intended by nature to answer her purpose, and death results from actions being interfered with of more importance to life than those usually deranged when the disease pursues its usual course. Account of Cases of Disease occurring among Domesticated Animals at the Edinburgh Veterinary College, from the 1st to the 31st of May 1845, inclusive. Number OF Cases . Deaths. S «• » 4) Disease Hors Neat Cattl P i Neat Cattl Dogs Abscess in various parts. . 9 Broken wind (treated), . 2 Calculus (intestinal) iu ass. 1 Catarrh and influenza, . 21 Castrations, 3 Choking, Colic, 11 Constitutional debility. 2 Curb, . 1 Diabetes, 1 Distemper, 4 ... 1 Docking, 2 Dysentery, 1 Carry forward, 53 1 5 1 1 EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 405 Number of Cases. Disease. Brought forward, Dysuria, Epilepsy, Epistaxis, Epizootic (vesicular), . Eyes, diseases and injuries of, Examinations as to soundness. Examinations as to pregnancy, Farcy and glanders. Feet, wounds and bruises of, ,, canker, ,, corns, „ false quarter and sandcrack, ,, foul, ,, laminitis, . ,, navicular disease, „ seedy toe in, „ quittor, ,, ringbone, . Fistulas and ulcers. Fractures of bones. Grease, . Heart, organic disease of. Indigestion, Lameness in hip, Lameness in shoulder, . Lameness in stifle. Sinew, rupture of, Mammitis, Matter in sinuses of head, not from glanders. Megrims, Melanosis, Parturition, difficult, Phlebitis, Pleurisy, pneumonia, and bronchitis, Puerperal fever. Rheumatism after pleurisy. Scirrhous mammae. Splenitis, Strangles, Spavin, with lameness. Splint, with do.. Skin, diseases of. Spine, injury of. Sprains of tendons and ligaments. Stomach, distension of. Synovial cavities opened. Tetanus, Teeth, diseases of. Tumour, encysted. W 53 1 1 1 34 1 2 14 1 4 2 1 13 2 ... 2 ... 3 ... 6 ... 2 .., 30 ... 3 ... 2 .. 1 ... 5 ... 1 ... Carryforward, 234 22 30 7 4 3 Deaths. !5o 406 PfiOCEEDINGS IN THE Brought forward, Vagina, inflammation of, . . • Weed, "Worms, intestinal. Wounds and bruises of various parts, except feet. Number of Cases. a 234 1 4 4 29 22 272 22 31 8 4 W Izio fi 7 4 3 General Abstract. Number of cases, horses, . . 272 Deaths in horses, ,, neat cattle, . 22 „ cattle, . dogs, . . 31 „ dogs, . ,, inversion of uterus in goat, . . 1 ,, goat, . ,, sow, pneumonia, 1 ,, sow. 327 17 Gross number of cases, 327. Died or destroyed, 17. Cured or relieved, 310. In forwarding the preceding statement, it may be remarked, that although there is nothing very peculiar among the cases, there is a sufficient number of such as are useful for the student to witness, and which must contribute much to his practical information. It is of more importance to the veter- inary student to see what is really useful, and the ordinary occurrences of practice, than the more rare and extraordinary cases, which would be more interesting to the majority of your readers. With respect to the cases of castration, for example, which have occurred during the present year, it may be remarked, that in order that the student might be made acquainted with the merits of the various methods of operating, the operation has been performed by caustic clams, by ligature, and by cautery. By adopting this variety, the student has had the opportunity of seeing the manner of performing, and the com- parative merits and disadvantages of each method, which to the country practitioner is of much importance, as he is fre- quently called upon to perform the operation, not so much in accordance with his own conviction, or to the most scientific EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 407 method of doing so, but to satisfy the caprice of his employers, whose preconceived notions may be decidedly in favour of some peculiar method ; and more fully to enable the students to undertake this operation, as occasions offered they have been made, under inspection, to perform it themselves. It may appear somewhat strange to observe that, under the head " Fractures of bones," while six cases of horses are men- tioned, only one death is noticed. A great majority of cases of this class is by veterinary surgeons usually considered hope- less, and undoubtedly, from certain difficulties which the veter- inary surgeon has to encounter in keeping his patient quiet, and the fractured bones in apposition, when compared with the human being under similar circumstances, many cases are judiciously destroyed ; yet, on the other hand, experience has shown that the wonderful resources of nature, in some appar- ently desperate cases, may, by proper assistance on the part of the veterinary practitioner, be made subservient to the restora- tion of many valuable animals. In illustration of this, it may be mentioned that the reports of this and former months con- tain cases of recovery from fractures of the pelvis and pastern bones in horses ; while fractures of the bones in different parts of the body of the dog almost uniformly become restored. Neat cattle are not so frequently subject to these kinds of accidents; and when they do occur, are both easier treated and less prejudicial in their consequences than in the horse. A chronic discharge of matter from the nose has frequently been mistaken for glanders. Several cases of this description have been noticed in this and former reports; they have mostly proceeded from caries of the fangs of the molar teeth, or by injury inflicted upon the alveoli and sinuses of the upper maxiUa by overgrown teeth in the lower one ; and in other cases, from neglected catarrh. On recourse to proper means these cases have done well ; on some occasions, when the mis- chief had run on to considerable extent, it was necessary to open the sinuses from without to allow evacuation of the 408 PfiOCKEDINGS IN THE matter, and the introduction of dressings to counteract existing disease. A case of melanosis occurred in a grey pony, and consisted of a tumour situated upon the inner surface of the membrana nictitans in the off eye. The animal was cast and properly secured, and the tumour dissected carefully away. The case is quite recovered. The cases of splenitis were dead before reaching the place ; one expired late on the previous night, and the other in the morning, half an hour before being seen. It may be remarked, that they occurred on a farm where two others had previously died of the same disease, and where both the vesicular epizo- otic and pleuro-pneumonia have existed during the late spring. It may also be noticed that, in another locality, splenitis had in former years several times manifested itself among cattle which were rapidly getting into condition. The case of inversion of uterus in a she-goat terminated fatally, in consequence of the great delay which had taken place before applying for assistance. The uterus was inverted upwards of twenty-four hours, and the animal was found lying with the parts unprotected upon some straw, much enlarged, and of a livid colour. Considerable difficulty was experienced in returning the uterus, from its swollen condition. When it was returned the animal seemed much relieved, but she sunk, and died in about thirty hours afterwards. It may be further remarked that, although human patients are not received here professionally, they occasionally present themselves, and receive gratuitous assistance ; and while pre- paring this statement, a labouring man, who had been twenty years suffering from an extensively- ulcerated leg, dependent in great measure upon a varicose condition of the veins, called to show that it had perfectly recovered by the application of the remedies and advice given, although it had baffled all those to whom he had previously applied during the protracted period the disease had existed. EDINBURGH VETERINAKY COLLEGE. 409 Account of Cases of Disease occurring among Domesticated Animals at tlie Edinburgh Veterinary College, from the 1st to the 30th of June 1845, inclusive. Number of | Cases. Deaths. Abscesses in various parts, Blain of the tongue, Bursal enlargements, with lameness, Calculus (intestinal), Catarrh and influenza, Castration, Choking, Colic, Constitutional debility. Curb, with lameness. Diabetes, Distemper, Docking, Dysuria, Enteritis, Epilepsy, Epizootic (vesicular), Eyes, diseases and injuries of. Examinations as to soundness, Examinations as to pregnancy, Farcy, , Feet, wounds and bruises of, „ canker in, ,, corns in, . ,, false quarter and sandcrack in, ,, laminitis in, ,, quittor in, „ ringbone in, „ thrush in, ,, naviciilar disease Fistulas and ulcers. Fractures of bones, Grease, . Hsematuria, Hysteritis, Indigestion, Lameness in hip. Lameness in shoulder, Mammitis, Matter in sinuses of head, Nasal gleet. Paralysis, Phrenitis, Phlebitis, Pleurisy, pneumonia, and bronchitis, o M 8 1 4 1 14 1 2 21 1 1 25 1 1 4 2 2 4 1 7 2 6 2 2 1 5 1 1 1 1 5 6 1 1 1 1 Carryforward, 159 11 26 | 4 3 1 410 PROCEEDINGS IN THE Number OF Case . Deaths. Disease. i ii 50 O Worses, eat attle. ogs. a '^6 R EP Ko p Brought forward, 159 11 26 4 3 1 Puerperal fever, . . . ■ 1 Strangles, ..... 2 Spavin, with lameness, . 4 Splint, with do., .... 3 Skin, diseases of, . . . . 15 1 Spine, injury of, 1 Sprains of tendons and ligaments, . 23 Teeth, diseases of, . . . 10 Tumours, 2 Weed (inflammation of absorbents), . 3 Worms, intestinal, .... 5 1 Wounds and bruises of various parts, except feet. . 40 1 Wounds of arteries, .... 1 1 268 13 35 5 3 1 General Abstract Cases among horses, . . 268 Deaths in horses , . . 5 neat cattle, . 13 ,, cattle . 3 dogs, . .' 35 )} dogs. . 1 t%tt > „ sheep, sturdy, . 1 jj sheep 1 ^■il"-' — Total number, 317 Total number 10 Cured or relieved, 307. Died or destroyed, 10 It may be as well to mention that the case of hysteritis in a cow, which it will be seen terminated fatally, took place pre- vious to calving, and was apparently caused by the animal being driven a long distance about the time parturition was expected to take place. Application was made here by the owner subsequently to death occurring in order to satisfy him- self what had been the cause, and to put him in possession of professional evidence sufficient to justify his legal claim for restitution by the seller. On post-mortem examination the usual indications of hysteritis presented themselves, accom- panied in this instance with peritonitis .to a considerable extent. The case of sturdy in a sheep is one of interest. It was sent to the College by a farmer in the vicinity of the city, who, we are glad to say, along with many others, is ever ready to EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 411 afford opportunities for pursuing investigations in veterinary science. The sheep came on the 7th of June, and presented the usual appearances of what is called sturdy, by turning round always in one direction. Apparently unconscious also of the presence of objects that were near it, the animal would run violently against anything which happened to obstruct its way. It was unable to take food, and considerable debility existed in consequence. On carefiil examination, a portion of the skull at the junction of the frontal with the parietal bone was found to give way slightly under firm pressure. On' the 9th a semicircular iiap of integument was raised from the part alluded to, and the bone afterwards removed. On separating the membrane internally, a hydatid about the size of a walnut immediately presented itself, and was removed. After its ex- traction the animal fainted, but soon recovered. The wound was closed by sutures, and during two days the symptoms of amendment were such as to induce the hope that speedy recovery would take place. It began to eat grass freely, and sense of sight and power of walking steadily were restored. On the 11th the symptoms became unfavourable, the wound assumed an unhealthy character, and death from phrenitis took place on the 13th. The fatal case of pleurisy occurred in a mare, the property of Mr M'Pherson, contractor at Granton. She was brought here on the 8th of June, exhibiting symptoms of pleurisy of an intense character. She was bled and otherwise appropri- ately treated, which was followed by recovery so far, as that in ten days the owner, contrary to orders, put her to work again. In the course of a short time the symptoms returned, and were again successfully combated, and she was put to work. During the last week of June, however, there was another aggravated return of the disease, with a speedy effu- sion of fluid in the thorax. Tapping was performed three different times, but without rendering any material benefit, although large quantities of fluid were withdrawn. Tapping was on one occasion performed by two of the students, one 412 PROCEEDINGS IN THE operating on the left and the other on the right side. Death took place soon after the last operation, between which and the second one an interval of two days had elapsed. Post-mortem appearances displayed chronic organic disease of the lungs, especially on the left side ; false membranes also existed, tliat had been evidently occasioned by some previous inflammatory affections of the respiratory apparatus. The case of death from a wound occurred in a valuable young Arabian mare. The wound was caused June 13th by the pole of an omnibus entering deeply the muscles of the haunch on the near side. It extended from the anterior part of the trochanter major of the os femoris to the posterior part of the sacrum, and almost entirely divided the muscles between these points from the skin externally to the sacro-sciatic lig- ament internally. She was brought here immediately after receiving the injury : the gaping edges of the wound were closed by sutures, and other necessary treatment was adopted. Although considerable swelling of the thigh internally and externally took place, with enormous infiltration of the super- ficial abdominal cellular tissue, she appeared to progress favour- ably for some time, and a large portion of the edges of the wound actually adhered by the first intention. In about a week from reception of the injury it was found needful to make numerous counter-openings in the thigh and abdomen, in order to permit the evacuation of the matter which had gravitated between the muscles and beneath the faschia to dependent situations in these parts. The symptomatic fever about this time was very great, and the collection of fluid in deep-seated structures of the limb began also to operate pre- judicially, although every possible attention was given to facili- tate its discharge, and to the application of antiseptic and other proper dressings. Mortification to a considerable degree had taken place by the 25th, and death supervened on the morning of June 26th. One of the cases of hsematuria presented several points of interest. It occurred in a bay cart-horse, the property of Mr EDINBTIKGBr^VETEErNSKY COLLEGE. 413 Ranken, Leith, and was brouglit here June 18th, presenting the following appearances : Constant attempts to void the urine, which was evacuated in small quantities, and bloody. This symptom had existed to some extent for several months, but had, until the present occasion, been unaccompanied by much pain or constitutional irritation. His pulse was quick and small — abdominal pains were evinced by frequently lying down and looking at his sides — respiration was much acceler- ated, and the appetite lost. On examining the bladder through the rectum, great suffering was induced, and small quantities of bloody urine were evacuated. There was much heat in the neighbouring parts, and in the fundus of the bladder itself there was discovered a soft substance, as large as a hen's egg, adherent to its coats. It evidently was not a calculus, as the symptoms might have led us to have suspected, but appeared to be a growth of a fungous and vascular character, or a clot of coagulated blood. The treatment adopted was chiefly of a palliative character, as the nature of the case did not seem to warrant the anticipation of a favourable result. The symp- toms, however, although at one time such as apparently indi- cated approaching death, gradually became alleviated, and the horse went away three days afterwards comparatively conval- escent, and is now at grass, rapidly recovering his condition. Taking into account the comparatively rare occurrence of choking in the horse, it is not a little remarkable that, during June, two cases of this description have come under our notice. One of them belonged to a cabman, and was occasioned by a potato lodging in the horse's gullet, about midway betAveen the angle of the jaw and the chest. Gruel, with other demul- cents, and external pressure, were ineffectually tried to remove the obstruction, but it was at length found necessary to intro- duce the probang ; and as a considerable degree of force was required to effect dislodgment of the foreign body, injury of the membranous and muscular structures of the oesophagus was apprehended, as much tenderness was evinced in the parts subsequently to passing the probang. In a few days, however, 414 PROCEEDINGS IN THE this gradually disax^peared, and the power of deglutition was fully restored. The other case occurred in a horse belonging to Mr Anderson, Leith. The animal was found in a grass field on the 23d June, hanging his head, breathing laboriously, and with a profuse discharge of saliva and mucus issuing from his mouth. The horse was brought here soon after being discovered ; and it was evident the obstruction in the oesophagus had existed for some time, as indicated by the great debility, anxious coun- tenance, and cerebral oppression which were present. There was a diffused swelling extending for about eight inches along the middle region of the throat on the left side, which partially yielded to pressure, but could not be forced either up or down by external friction. Gruel and oil were for a short time tried; but as the case demanded immediate relief, their use was not persevered in for any great length of time. Still considerable doubt existed as to the propriety of using the probang, as it was probable the impacted food, which appeared to be grass, might be forced into a more compact mass by using that in- strument. The round small end was, however, passed, the horse standing, and pushing some of the food along, and forc- ing the tube through the rest. By care, and the subsequent administration of gruel, all obstruction was effectually over- come, and the horse rapidly and perfectly recovered. Cases of disease among animals kept in the Eoyal Zoological Gardens, although not introduced into any of the reports, oc- casionally occur. Among the rest, as the most recent, may be mentioned that of a young lion labouring under great consti- tutional debUity, and suffering also from the existence of an encysted tumour in the neck. Although his condition was evidently a discouraging one, stiU, being a valuable animal, it was resolved to try the effect of treatment in his case, which, it is satisfactoiy to say, has been so far successful as to induce the hope that he will ultimately recover. As was already stated, although human patients are not enu- merated in the reports, or considered as patients, during the xjuj.±^ u u xvur JTL V siix Jhjxin AliY COLLEGE. 415 month medicine has been applied for in a case of ringworm in the head of a child, and which was cured. A medical gentle- man in Leith has reported that he had cured thirty cases in three weeks, of the same disease, in a charity school, by using the remedy we are in the habit of employing in our patients, and which was suggested to him as one likely to succeed in overcoming this frequently intractable disease in the human being. Account of Cases of Disease occurring among Domesticated Ani- mals at the Edinburgh Veteeinart College, from the 1st to the 31st of July 1845, inclusive. Number OF Cases Deaths. QJ > jj cattle and si eep, . . * . 27 tt J) dogs, pigs, &c., . . 30 540 The coincidence is somewhat remarkable that cow-pox, which, generally speaking, is a very rare disease in the bovine tribe, should have made its appearance in certain dairies, since the date of last report, at the same time that small-pox in the human race should have raged as an epidemic in various localities. Two of the students attending the classes, as well as two of my workmen, have been affected with the latter in a severe form. Both of the students and one of the workmen have recovered, but the other workman is still confined with the disease. From murrain and cow-pox prevailing among animals at the same time with small-pox in man, and all these being constitutional diseases, the most prominent symptoms appearing in an affection of the skin, it would seem that the EDINBURGH VETERINAEY COLLEGE. 451 atmospherical constitution of the season during which they have simultaneously occurred must have exerted a consider- able influence on their origin and progressive development. The case of hysteria occurred in a mare seven years old. She was brought to the yard for examination and dissection. The mare, the property of a farmer, had been more or less affected for four years. Every time she was put into harness, either in the plough or harrows, and worked for a quarter of an hour, she became excited, was seized with a shivering fit, dropped suddenly down, rolled about, and in a shoii time re- covered and rose to her feet. On getting the same amount of work she was again affected in a similar manner. This having continued so long, with no hopes of recovery, the owner deter- mined to have her destroyed. This was done by opening the carotid artery, and after death a careful examination was made. The only morbid lesions that could be detected were a vesicu- lar enlargement of one ovary, and a chronic inflammation and thickening of the mucous membrane of the uterus, the passage into it allowing of the introduction of two fingers. On the first appearance of the disease the owner was advised to put her to a horse, which was done, and she bore a foal, which she nursed. The disease, however, stiU continued, and the par- oxysms appeared to be uninfluenced by the lactary secretion. After the first foal, although frequently in season and stinted, she never held. On looking over the list, the most notable fact is the large proportion of injuries of the feet occurring in horses. During the three months no fewer than twenty-four horses were brought to the yard lame from pricks in shoeing. This may in some measure be accounted for, that in November, in con- sequence of the sudden changes from fresh to frost, as a matter of course the shoes of a greater than usual number of horses required to be removed for roughing or sharpening. On the appearance of a hard winter morning, it is the usual custom, from mere local convenience, for parties having horses to frost to rush to the nearest smithy, temporarily giving up the one 452 PROCEEDINGS IN THE they are in the habit of shoeing at ; and the consequence is, the smith, partly from being hurried, and partly from want of previous knowledge of the foot of the horse, either drives the nails in to the quick, or too closely and injuriously upon it, the effect of which is to cause inflammation and suppuration in the injured part, and subsequent lameness. Amongst the cases of sprains recorded, the only ones worthy of note are those of the muscles, in both cases the psose muscles being the ones injured. The common cause of this injury, as in these cases, is — the animal, when dragging a load up an ascent during frost, slips with its hind feet, and, in struggling to recover itself, strains, and frequently even rup- tures, these muscles. The symptoms somewhat resemble those of paralysis of the hind quarters, in both cases the animal being unable to rise. Sprain of these muscles can, however, easily be distinguished from paralysis, inasmuch as in the former lesion, the animal, although unable to rise, still retains the use of its legs, and also of its tail, the parts likewise pre- serving their sensibility. In paralysis the parts have not only lost motion, but also feeling, which can easily be proved by pricking the parts with a pin. Again, in sprain, by intro- ducing the hand into the rectum, the parts may be felt hot, swollen, and painful. Swelling and excoriation of the legs, followed by desquama- tion of the hair, painful cracks of the heels and grease, began to make their appearance towards the end of December. Many of these cases proved very troublesome, causing considerable irritation and sometimes sloughing. Indeed, in one case, sloughing of the skin of both fore legs, extending upwards from the knees, set up so great amount of irritation that death was the consequence. The cause of these excoriations is to be traced to the long-continued wetness and coldness of the season, aggravated no doubt by the occasional carelessness of the groom, who, after washing the feet and legs, allows the parts to dry of themselves without the necessary aid of salu- tary friction, or the application of bandages. In one or two EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 453 cases the hair on the lower surface of the belly has been thrown off, attended with a degree of anasarcous swelling of the sheath and other dependent parts. A liniment composed of 4 oz. of rapeseed-oil and 1 oz. of Goulard's extract of lead, seemed to be the best application to rub into the parts once or twice a-day. Although a great number of cases of catarrh, sore throat, and influenza have occurred during the three months, they have generally been mild and recovered favourably, so that the past season has been on the whole more healthy than might have been expected from the roughness and inclemency of the weather. The case of eversion of the uterus occurred in a cow, the property of a gentleman in the neighbourhood of the city. Being otherwise engaged, I requested my assistant, Mr Strange- ways, to attend to the case. Accompanied by two of the students, he proceeded to the byre ; and his report of the case is as follows. On his arrival he found the whole of the uterus everted and protruded through the vulva, the viscus very much inflamed, and the adjacent parts much swollen. On inquiring of the man in charge, he learned that the cow had been in milk for several months — a remarkable fact, as in the majority of cases this accident occurs almost immediately after parturition ; that the day previous he thought the cow was a " bulling," she straining and bellowing. He added, that on going into the byre that morning about six o'clock, he found her in the state she was then in at mid-day ; and that a farrier had been sent for, who had made long and ineffectual efforts to return it, but had given it up as a bad job. Mr S., before proceeding to replace the parts, administered 3 oz. of laudanum, partly to quiet the animal, and partly to relax the muscular fibres of the neck of the uterus. The next thing done was to get a stout cart-rope and pass it round the body, giving the ends to two assistants, with orders to tighten it at every strain made by the animal. These arrangements made, the next proceeding was to get the uterus well washed with tepid water. 454 PEOCEEDINaS IN THE so as to remove all dirt. lu the mean time she got down, which still further pressed out the uterus. Finding it impos- sible to get her up, he had her hind quarters packed up with straw, the ropes tightened, when he commenced the difficult task of returning the viscus. This was done by holding it up with a wet cloth, and with one hand at the neck, compressing it slightly, and with the other doubled, maldng continued pressure at the fundus, the organ was returned, the animal straining violently — so much so that it was necessary to retain the hand within the cavity for some time, the assistants aU the while keeping the rope tight. On the straining somewhat ceasing, the uterus was spread out in its right place with the stm clenched hand. On removing the hand a truss was applied against the vulva. The rope was tied tightly round the body ; to this on each side were brought bands from the truss. A second rope was next tied round the animal's neck, to which the body-rope was fastened by three cords, one below the brisket, the others, one on each side of the shoulder. All being properly adjusted, the animal appearing quiet, she was left, with orders to the man that after her rising, if necessary, the several ropes were to be tightened. On calling the next day, all was fou.nd right, and she continued to improve daily and do well. To allay any inflammatory symptoms, a dose of saltpetre and salts was administered, the latter tending to pre- vent also the constipating effects of the laudanum. EDINBURGH VETEEINARY COLLEGE. 455 [From the Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, July 1S63.] Summary of Cases, comprising Diseases, Injuries, &c., amongst Do- mesticated Animals, registered in the Clinical Tbansaotions of the Edinburgh Veterinary College, which have been under treatment during tlie months of January, February, and March 1863. m 0, ft ■1 S ^ ^A m +^ aj fcD " -S-a o S S ja o oT fi"3« to S fio CC Q M J8 S Abscesses in various parts, 14 2 Indigestion, chronic & acute 9 3 1 Abortion, ... 1 Influenza, 31 Apthse epizootica (mur- Joint-ill, 2 ... rain), . . . . ... 23 Jaundice, 1 ... Bones, fractures and in- Lameness, elbow, 1 juries of, . . . 6 ... 2 ,, coronet. 2 Brain, diseases of, . 3 ... fetlock, . 8 Broken knee, . 1 ... ,. hip. 10 Bursaa, distension of, with ,, hock, 8 1 ... lameness, i ... knee, . 2 Capped liock, . 1 ... ,, pastern, . 2 Castration, 6 ... S „ shoulder. 1 Catarrh and sore throat, . 44 ... 1 stifle, 4 Chorea, . . . . 1 Leucorrhoea (whites). 1 ... Colic, 31 ... Mammitis, 1 ... Colon, rupture of, . 1 ... Mange, .... 9 1 3 Constipation (obstinate). 1 ... 2 Nasal gleet. 2 Cracked heels, . 10 ... Over-exertion, . 1 Curbs, with lameness, 6 ... Paralysis, ... 1 Debility, . 3 ... Parturient peritonitis. 1 .. Diabetes, . 4 ... Parturition, difficult. 2 .. Diarrhoea, 1 ... Patella, luxation of. 1 Distemper, 4 Pharyngitis, 1 Examinations as to sound Pleurisy and pneumonia, . 5 ness. 39 ... Pleura-pneumonia, . 2 .. Eyes, diseases of. . 4 ... 4 Phthisis pulmonalis. 1 .. Eyelids, inversion of. 2 Poll-evil, .... 1 Feet, corns in, with lame Purpura hsemorrhagica, . 2 ness, . . 10 ... Ringbones, with lameness. 1 ,, inflammation in. . 2 ... Roaring, thick wind, &c.. 6 „ navicular disease in , 33 ... Scalded legs, . 2 ,, pricks, &c., in, . 22 ... Spavin, with lameness, . 6 quitters in. . 2 ... Spine, injuries of, , 3 ,, sandoracks in. . 4 ... Splints, with lameness, . 3 „ seedy toe. . 1 ... Sore backs. 2 „ side-bones. . 4 ... Sprains, tendons and liga- ,, wounds and bruises , 18 ... ments, . 21 Foot-rot, sheep. . ... 25 ,, muscles. 2 ... ] Frost-bites, . 8 ... Starvation, 1 Glanders, 1 ... Stomach, distension of Grease, . . 3 ... (hoven), . 2 Heart, diseases of, . 2 ... rupture of, 1 456 PROCEEDINGS IN THE ill p.i> i 1 Cattle & Sheep. Dogs, , Pigs, &c. strangles, . . . 10 ... Vagina, cancer of, . 1 Stringhalt, . . . 3 ... Vomition, 1 Teeth, diseases, &c., of, . 3 ... Weed, 7 Tetanus, , . . 2 ... Worms, intestinal, . 5 ... 2 Treads, . . . . 1 ... Wounds and bruises other Tumours, various, . 11 2 than feet. 28 1 2 Geneual Abstract. Cases amongst horses. 507 ,, ,, cattle and sheep 70 dogs, pigs. &o,, 35 612 During the quarter ending March 31st, the cases registered have not only been more numerous than those of the preced- ing quarter, but also of a more varied character. Many of them were very interesting, and singly would have provided sufficient matter for a lengthened report to the pages of a purely professional journal. The fact, however, of the majority of our readers being more interested in the preservation of and restoration to health of the domestic animals than in the mere technicalities of the diseases to which they are subjected, leads me to think that a brief notice of a few cases is prefer- able to, and would be more interesting and useful than, a long scientific article on one, however replete with interest that case might be to a veterinary surgeon. Amongst the cases of fractures of bone recorded there is one worthy of a short notice. A Clydesdale horse, belonging to a corn -miller in the city, whilst dragging a heavy load up a slight incline, slipped, fell upon his knees, and his nose at the same time struck the ground heavily. On rising, blood was found flowing freely from his mouth. On examination, the lower jaw was found to be fractured in the space between the incisor and molar teeth, a large splinter of bone protruding from the gums. This was carefully removed, the wound dressed with a gentle stimulant, and a dose of laxative medi- cine administered, strict orders being given to the man in charge to feed on sloppy food. These orders being strictly EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 457 attended to, the wound healed rapidly, and in a very short time the animal was enabled to return to his work without showing any untoward symptoms. The next cases on the list worth noticing are those of diseases of the brain, in two of which the animals were de- stroyed at their owners' request, while the third recovered under treatment. The first occurred in a black mare brought to the College from Fife, on the 4th of January, for examina- tion. The owner, who accompanied her, stated that for a con- siderable time the mare had shown peculiar symptoms, which, in spite of all treatment, had gone on gradually increasing in intensity. He wished to have my opinion whether it would be advisable to try further treatment, or to destroy her. The symptoms described somewhat resembled those of me- grims or vertigo, and were a peciiliar bearing of the head to one side (the near one), a sort of spasmodic tendency to run backwards if suddenly checked, glassiness of the eye, with partial stupidity. When put to work, she would after a while stop suddenly, look duU and stupid, fall to the ground, and, after a few struggles, become almost insensible. After remain- ing in this partially insensible state for a short time, she would rise up, look vacantly round, and then go on with her work. These symptoms led me at once to diagnose the case to be one of serious cerebral lesion, or of tumour in the brain; and as they had gone on gradually increasing, both in intensity and in frequency, in spite of all treatment, such as blood-letting, laxatives, and nervine tonics, I recommended the owner to have her destroyed. This was done, and a careful post-mortem examination made in the owner's presence. AU the internal organs were found to be in a perfectly healthy state, with the exception of one of the ovaries and the brain. The near-side ovary was found almost double its natural size, and on cut- ting into it, it was found to contain a quantity of watery fluid, enclosed in several small sacs or cysts, along with a kind of fibrous degeneration of the remainder of the organ. On cut- ting into the brain, the choroid plexus of the right side was 458 PROCEEDINGS IN THE found very much enlarged ; and attached to it, and protrud- ing into the lateral ventricle, was a large fatty tumour — this latter evidently the cause of all the peculiar symptoms. The two remaining cases afforded both good examples of inflammation of the brain, and both proceeded from external injuries. The one, by powerful antiphlogistic treatment, re- covered ; the other, which I am about to notice, was destroyed. It occurred in a hack horse belonging to a gentleman in the city. On the 13 th of March he was found standing in the stable with his head depressed and inclined to one side, eyes staring, pulse quickened, and breathing hurried. On being moved, he seemed to have lost the power of his limbs, more particularly those of the off side, accompanied with a peculiar twitching of the off fore leg. On attempting to turn, he stag- gered, at the same time throwing his head violently up. On trying to rouse him, he became excited. These symptoms gradually increased, until at last he dropped down, his eyes became red, and appeared as if starting from their sockets ; he panted, and at intervals became almost frantic, dashing him- self about most violently. Mr Moir, Y.S., an old pupil, who first saw the case, diagnosed it to be one of phrenitis, proceed- ing on to the formation of an abscess ; which opinion was con- firmed by my assistant, Mr Worthington, who was called in to see the case. The owner, not wishing to prolong the poor animal's suiferings, ordered liim to be destroyed. This was skilfully done by Mr Moir by what is termed pithing — that is, dividing the spinal cord in the opening between the first and second bones of the neck. On inquiring into the previous history of the case, the groom stated that three or four days before, the horse, on going out of the stable, had struck his head violently against the top of the doorway, which blow had made the animal appear for the time, and a short period after, somewhat stupid. This, however, going off, nothing more was thought about it, until the violent symptoms above noticed made their appearance. The treatment adopted was blood- letting, purgative medicines, and the dashing of cold water on EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 459 the head ; the latter, if anything, increasing the violence of the symptoms. On making a post-mortem examination, the skin covering the poll was found quite entire, as were the bones ; but on removing the roof of the cranial cavity, the coverings of the brain, more especially those on the left or near side, were found highly congested. On removing these coverings, the substance of the brain on the same side was found greatly injected with blood ; and on making a vertical section on a level with the bottom of the fissure dividing the right from left hemisphere, a dark spot was found in the ante- rior part of the brain substance ; and in the centre of this spot was a small abscess, about the size of a field-bean, containing about a fluid drachm of matter, — the cause, without doubt, of all the poor animal's sufferings. Amongst the cases of pricks in the feet recorded, is one worthy of a few remarks, from its practical bearing, and from the fact of numerous similar cases having come under my notice. In the middle of February, a horse belonging to one of the railway carters was brought to the yard, the man stating that he had injured his back from slipping during the frost. The poor animal was scarcely able to drag himself along, the hind quarters dropping under him at every step. In fact, this apparent loss of power in the hind legs had all the appearance of a horse jinked in the back. On making inquiries of the man in charge, he stated that the horse had been in that state for several days — that they had slung him — given him a dose of purgative medicine, and kept cold-water cloths continually applied to his loins, but without any benefit. On seeing him walk, or rather stagger across the yard, I at once concluded that the seat of mischief was the feet, and not in the loins — in a word, that he had been pricked in both hind feet. I ordered him into the forge, and had the shoes removed and the feet carefully examined. On removing the first shoe, I saw that he had thick strong soles, and these I caused to be well thinned, so that I might be able to make an impression on the sensitive parts beneath with the pincers when pressed. On doing this 460 PROCEEDINGS IN THE at one poiut, the pain induced almost brought the animal down upon the blacksmith who was holding up the leg. On further examination at this point, I found that one of the nails had been driven into the sensible part of the foot. Following this nail-hole upwards with a small drawing-knife, a large abscess was laid open, when a quantity of pus made its escape. On fui-ther search being made, it was found that nearly the whole sole, and also part of the inner quarter, was under-run. The whole detached horn was removed, the shoe tacked on with a couple of nails, and the other foot examined in a similar man- ner, and with like results. The second shoe was then tacked on, the parts stuffed with tow and tar, so as to prevent the en- trance of extraneous substances or dirt from the road, orders being given to have both dressings removed on the arrival of the animal at its stable, and the feet placed in poultices, so as to allay the inflammation. This was done, and the parts thus relieved speedily took on the healing process, and in a very short time the horse was able to return to his work. These cases, as I have already noticed, are not uncommon, and they show, what I always urge upon students, the absolute necessity, in all cases of lameness, of examining the foot. They also show the advantages, in all cases of injury of the foot, of freely opening up the seat of injury. In some cases I have found it necessary to pare away almost the whole crust. The same rule holds good in foul of the foot in cattle, and in foot- rot in sheep, where we can never expect to effect a cure until we have removed every portion of loose or detached horn, which acts as a foreign body by originating and keeping up irritation in the parts. During the quarter, assistance was required in two cases of difficult parturition, both occurring on the 7th March. Not being able to attend personally, I requested two of the more advanced students to supply my place. In both cases they proved successful, saving the lives of both mother and calf. The first one was a breech presentation, the method adopted being that of pushing forward the hind quarters, and bringing EDINBUEGH VETERINAEY COLLEGE. 461 the hind legs, one after the other, into the passage. The most noticeable fact in the second case was, that the cow had gone twenty days beyond her proper time. The students who at- tended this case reported on their return that they found the cow very weak, labour-pains regular, but by no means strong, and on examination the uterine passage almost closed. They administered a dose of stimulating medicine to support the mother, and with the fingers gradually dilated the passage. After persevering for a short time, they had the satisfaction to induce an increase of the labour-pains ; the water-bag soon made its appearance, and a fine calf was ushered into the world. In both cases there were no untoward results. In the two cases of Purpura hcemorrhagica recorded, both followed bad attacks of influenza. This is a true blood disease, depending upon a deterioration in the quality of the circulat- ing fluid, which is thin, and has lost its natural powers of co- agulability. In both cases we had the usual symptoms, which, however, were much more severe in one of them than in the other. In both we had swelling of the head and extremities, the skin being hot and painful, and tlie swellings soft and pufiy ; pulse weak and quick ; breathing in one case not much affected, in the other quickened. Both animals were very weak. The lining membrane of the nose in both presented small purple spots or blotches, from which exuded a sort of thin bloody serum, which also escaped from some of the sweUings in the worst case. In this latter the swelling of the head in- creased to such an extent as to threaten suflbcation. In one case the animal rapidly recovered under the use of tonics and stimulants, good air, and plenty of nourishing and easily- digested food. The other proved more tedious ; and in addi- tion to stimulants and tonics, such as camphor, ale, and sulphate of iron, I found it necessary to scarify the swellings very freely, and keep hot-water fomentations constantly ap- plied. In some cases of this disease, when sloughing is apt to supervene, mild astringents, such as a solution of acetate of zinc, wiU be found of great benefit. In addition, the strength 462 PROCEEDINGS IN THE of the animal must be kept up by good food, such as malt- mashes, and stimulants and tonics, the best of which is pro- bably the tincture of muriate of iron. Amongst the strains, &c. of tendons, was one worthy of notice — viz., the displacement of the tendon which passes over the point of the hock. From some accident which the owner could not explain, the tendon had slipped off the point of the heel-bone, and was foimd situated on the outer side of the hock. In such cases no treatment can be adopted, the only plan beiug to leave the case to nature, the tendon in course of time form- ing for itself a groove on the outer side of the bone. And al- though it may appear strange, yet still it is a fact that the horse is able to do its work, after a short period, in spite of such an injury. In some cases it may be necessary to sling the animal, and apply a smart blister to the part to keep it quiet. The case of starvation recorded is one of a peculiar nature. It occurred in a hunter belonging to a party in the city. The horse was boxed at one of the Edinburgh railway stations for a station in the country, at which place it ought to have been delivered to a gentleman in the neighbourhood ; but owing to some unaccountable negligence, either on the part of the com- pany's servants or of the party to whom it was sent, the poor animal was kept confined in a railway horse-box for 114 hours without either food or water, or the possibility of its lying down. The horse, I presume, on reaching its destination, would be shunted in the box to a siding until called for, and had been there left in the state above mentioned. The way in which the culpable mistake was discovered, was, I believe, in consequence of the box being returned to Edinburgh as an empty one, when, on looking into it, the poor brute was found in a state more easily imagined than described. By the assistance of several men it was taken down to Mr Moir's stables in ISTottingham Place, where I was called in to see it. On my arrival, I found the pulse weak and quick, the animal scarcely able to stand, and straining fearfully ;' his back arched, belly tucked up, and eyes staring. I at once ordered him a stimulant, with hand- EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 463 rubbing and warm clothing. After administering the stimu- lant in a little warm ale, he, after several efforts, succeeded in staling, which seemed to afford him great relief. The stimu- lants were continued for some days, with a good allowance, at the same time, of good sloppy food, administered in small quantities at a time, and repeated at frequent intervals. This plan of treatment was persevered in for a few days, after which he made rapid improvement, and by the end of the week he appeared as if nothing had been the matter, eating his food and able to take gentle exercise. Amongst the cases of wounds recorded were several of a very severe nature. Two which proved fatal are worthy of notice, as showing the time an animal may linger with injuries of such an extensive and alarming character. The first case occurred in a cab-horse, on the evening of the 4th February, during the raging of a severe thunderstorm. On passing down Green- side Place, a peal of thunder so frightened a van-horse going in the opposite direction as to cause him to spring suddenly round. On doing so, the end of the van-shaft struck the chest of the cab-horse, penetrating it to the depth of about a foot. After getting the horse released, he was removed down to a stable in the neighbourhood, when I was sent for. On my ar- rival I found the animal sinking — his pulse so quick and hard as scarcely to be felt under the finger, his respirations so rapid as not to be counted. In this state he lived for several hours, eventually dying in intense agony. The next day a careful post-mortem examination was made, when the wound was found to enter the chest through the cartilages of the true ribs, pass- ing through the diaphragm, and entering the abdomen, ruptur- ing the colon or large gut, whose contents escaped partly into the abdominal and partly into the thoracic cavity. On its passage through the thorax, the shaft had grazed and shghtly abraded the lung. The second case occurred on the evening of the 11th of March, in a horse belonging to a gentleman in the neighbourhood. The accident was caused by the animal running away with the gig it was drawing, when the shaft was 464 PROCEEDINGS IN THE broken and penetrated the chest, entering the lungs. The horse was brought to one of the College infirmary boxes, and on examination of the wound, I immediately prognosced— from the fracture of the ribs and depth of the internal wound— the case to be a fatal one. However, to my astonishment the ani- mal lingered for nearly two days before succumbing. In this case, as in the preceding one, the pulse was scarcely to be felt, the symptoms somewhat resembling those of acute pleurisy. After death, a wound was found in the lungs to the depth of nearly two inches ; the thoracic cavity containing a quantity of clotted blood, with a considerable quantity of serous fluid, the whole lining membrane of the cavity being intensely in- flamed. Two other cases of wounds occurred in runaway horses, both of which, however, recovered. One was woimded in the shoulder, just in front of the arm; the other grazed in the shoulder, with a large wound in the hip. The only treatment in these cases was to pin up the wounds, dress with cold water, and administer purgative medicine, with an injunction to give perfect rest. Although the wounds in both cases were exces- sive, yet in neither was any important organ injured, and the animals, both being in good health, rapidly recovered. On the 20th of February a peculiar case of wounding was brought to the College yard. The man stated that that morn- ing the pony, when feeding, had taken up with his hay a darn- ing-needle. He said that the pony had ceased eating suddenly commenced to foam at the mouth, work his tongue from side to side, and appeared as if choking. On examining the mouth, he felt a piece of a needle sticking above his tongue, and, being frightened, brought him at once to the College. On his arrival, the tongue had swollen so much as to cover the offending agent. Ordering him to leave the animal, he was put into a sick-box, and a dose of laxative medicine given. The next day a swell- ing appeared between the jaws ; to this warm poultices were kept constantly applied. The animal appeared easier, and ate greedily of some gruel placed before him. On the 25th, an ab- TSUnSiJUKUH VK'J'KKiJSIAKY nOLLEdE. 4G5 scess which had formed between the jaws was opened, and on exploration the sharp point of the needle was felt. This was seized with a pair of forceps, and, with a little force, a darning- needle 3 inches long was extracted. The wound was then dressed, and healed rapidly. On the 27th he was able to return to his work. [From the Transactions of the Sigltland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, October 1863.] Summary of Cases, comprising Diseases, Injuries, &c., amongst Do- mesticated Animals, registered in the Clinical Transactions of the Edinburgh Veterinary College, which have been under treatment during the months of April, May, and June 1863. \bscesses in various parts. Bones, diseases and juries of, Bones, fractures of. Brain, diseases of, . Broken knees, Bursae, distension of, with lameness. Castration, Catarrh and sore throat. Chorea, . Colic, Constipation (obstinate). Cracked heels. Curbs, with lameness, Debility, Diabetes, Diarrhoea, Distemper, Docking, Epistaxis (bleeding from nose), . Enteritis, Examinations as to sound. ness, Eyes, "diseases, &c., of, Fistulse and sinuses. Farcy, Feet, corns in, with lame- ness, ,, canker in. 40 41 2 7 7 1 2 1 52 n 2 1 3 3 14 Feet, inflammation in, „ navicular disease in, ,, pricks in, ,, pumiced, ,, quittors in, ,, sandcracks in, ,, seedy toe in, . ,, side-bones, ,, thrushes in, ,, wounds and bruises in. Glanders, Gastritis, Grease, Hair balls, Heematemesis (vomiting blood), . Hfemoptysis, . Hernia, ventral. Hoof, casting off. Indigestion, Influenza, Lameness, elbow, „ fetlock, . ,^ hip, hock, ,, knee, ,, pastern, „ shoulder, „ stifle, Mange, a 7 45 3 3 2 9 1 5 2 23 1 1 1 1 4 14 2 13 16 6 3 2 2 5 4 2g 466 PROCEEDINGS IN THE Nettlerash, (Esophagus, dilatation of. Open joint. Over-exertion, . Paralysis, Parturient fever. Parturition, difficult, Pleurisy, &c., . Pleura-pneumonia, Poll-evil, Poisoning, Efictum and vagina, in^ jury of, Pheumatism, . Ringbones, with lameness. Roaring, thick and broken wind, , . , . Sore backs, ,, shoulders. Scalded sheath, W 4 1 2 3 1 1 2 Spavin, with lameness. Spermatic cord, thicken iug of, . Splints, with lameness, Sprains, muscles, ,, tendons, liga ments, &c., . Stomach, rupture of. Strangles, Stringhalt, Surfeit (eczema). Teeth, diseases, &c., of, Tetanus, Thoroughpin, . Treads, Tumours, various. Weed, Worms, intestinal. Wounds and bruises, other than feet. W 21 1 4 7 31 2 11 2 1 2 2 1 1 4 11 1 32 Generai Abstract. Cases amongst horses, ,, ,, cattle. Not included in above, Uama, paralysis, . Total, 568 13 46 627 1 628 The most striking fact establislied by the preceding sum- mary is the great increase which, it will be seen, has taken place in the number of cases of disease affecting the organs of digestion. During the quarter ending 30th June, it appears that upwards of sixty cases, depending either directly or in- directly upon derangement of the digestive organs, have come under treatment, of which number not fewer than forty-one were cases of colic or gripes. The great majority of these occurred amongst farm and draught horses. Colic is well known to be a disorder almost entirely occasioned by irregularity in feeding and accompanying mismanagement; and that it should be found to prevail to such an extent among our work -horses indicates, in my opinion, a want of superintendence and attention, as well as neglect of duty, by no means creditable EDINBURGH VETEEINAEY COLLEGE. 467 to those intrusted with their charge. That carelessness, or mismanagement, or both combined, is the chief cause of this disorder, is no longer a matter of doubt, but, on the contrary, is well known, and very generally acknowledged. Take, for instance, the case of a farm horse. How common an occur- rence it is to find this class of horses attacked with cohc on a Monday ; in fact, how rarely do we find them attacked with it excepting on a Monday ; and why ? The explanation is very simple. Sunday being a day of rest, the horse is confined to the stable during the whole day from Saturday night to Monday morning, a period of about 36 hours. The driver, partly through mistaken kindness, and partly to save himself labour, keeps the rack fuU, and the animal's whole occupation is to empty it ; and cramming into his stomach food beyond satiety, he greatly overfeeds himself. As a consequence, on Monday when put to work, his bowels, overburdened with a quantity of crude and half-digested condiment, have their functions arrested, the mucous membrane lining them becomes irritated, and the natural result is violent contractions of the muscular coat, producing the too well known spasmodic pains. The natural process of digestion being thus arrested, the food undergoes a process of fermentation; gas is evolved, and we have distension. The question next arises. How is the increase of such cases during the spring and early summer months to be accounted for ? It may be thus solved. During winter, cart and farm horses are fed chiefly on hay and straw, or dry chopped food ; but these articles of food in the latter end of spring and beginning of summer becoming scarce, their use is substituted by succulent grasses. Now nothing tends so much to cause indigestion and consequent colic as a sudden change of food to which the stomach has not been accustomed, more particularly when the change is from a dry one to one of a soft juicy nature; the latter being more palat- able, the animal eats rapidly and ravenously, and thus over- loads his stomach and bowels. Much has been said and written about the treatment of colic, and many plans of treat- 468 PEOCEEDINaS IN" THE ment have been recommended; but in my practice I have found nothing better than the administration of a draught composed of linseed-oil, laudanum, and some stimulant. And as regards stimulants, I find that the best are those which are generally at hand, or most readHy prociired — viz., turpentine, whisky, or ether. I certainly prefer, and almost invariably use, turpentine, simply because it is the cheapest, and I find it answers all the purposes required. In addition to the draught, I always foUow up its administration with repeated glysters of warm water and soap, and, where there is evident constipa- tion, a dose of aloes. I think it generally advisable to give a laxative, to prevent any tendency the opium might have to bring on constipation. In addition to medicine and glysters, hand-rubbing the abdomen will be advantageous, with slow walking-exercise at intervals.* In many cases, more especially those of simple flatulent colic, I have found that exercise was all that was necessary to relieve the animal. As a preventive of colic, I would strongly urge upon horse-owners the neces- sity of regular feeding, and during Sundays, or other rest days, a decrease instead of an increase in the quantity. I would also suggest, during these days, an hour or two's gentle exer- cise during the middle of the day, or the turning out of the animals for a short time into a convenient paddock or park where there is little grass. The two cases of rupture of the stomach which are reported were both brought on as consequences resulting from an attack of colic, caused by engorgement of the stomach with food. One occurred on the 27th of April, in a bay mare, the property of a farmer a few miles from the city ; the other on the 1st of June, in a horse belonging to a carter in town. On being called in, the symptoms which presented themselves, in both cases, were strongly marked — viz., quick feeble pulse, rapid breathing, tremors, cold sweats, an anxious look, symptoms which, in addition to excessive nausea and vomiting, while * In tad cases I have found great benefits resulting from the repeated appli- cation of hot water or stimulants to the surfaces. EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 469 the animal assumes the posture of a dog, sitting upon his liaunches, are peculiarly diagnostic of rupture of some internal organ. Both cases, as might he expected, rapidly proved fatal. The case of dUatation of the cesopliagus occurred in a horse brought to the yard for examination as to soundness. A large swelling was noticed about the middle of the neck on the near side, which, on examination, I discovered to be a dilatation in the oesophagus or gullet. The animal was also found to be a roarer, the roaring being, no doubt, occasioned by this large pouch pressing upon and distorting the windpipe. I regret not being able to give the subsequent history of this case, the horse not having come under treatment, being solely brought to be examined as to soundness. In analogous cases, by care- ful examination, the nature of the affection cannot be mistaken, although at times it is difficult to determine the exact situation of the pouch. In a cow which some time previously came under treatment, the following symptoms presented themselves. She was in very low condition, hide-bound, hair hard and dry, bowels very irregular, and she was subject to frequent fits of choking, followed by vomition, the food being forcibly ejected through both nose and mouth. During the choking fits she showed all the well-known signs accompanying this accident — great restlessness, rapid breathing, foaming at the mouth, and grinding of the teeth. In these cases I find the best and safest plan of treatment is to feed on sloppy and easily- digested articles of food, and these given in small quantities at a time, and at frequent intervals. These pouches, I have no doubt, are caused by, and arise from, in the first place, a stric- ture in an inferior portion of the gullet, above which the food accumulating gradually, distension or dilatation of the tube becomes a necessary result in a longer or shorter period of time. These pouches may form at any part of the gullet, but most frequently they are found towards its termination in the stomach, where they can only be detected, or rather diagnosed by the above symptoms. When they form in the neck, I have found the use of a pad or truss, applied with gentle pressure, 470 PEOCEEDINGS IN THE to be of great service. The greatest care is necessary in not placing before the animal too much food at a time, and especially avoiding giving it any dry food, as they are generally greedy feeders. Where stricture prevails without dilatation, I have found, by the occasional introduction of the probang, that I have been able to afford great relief by reducing the stricture. The only other cases of diseases arising from derangement of the organs of digestion in the horse which claim attention are those of nettlerash, Urticaria. This disease, although an affection of the skin, is, without doubt, due primarily to im- perfect digestion. The symptoms are wheals or blotches, varying in size from that of a bean to a walnut, upon the skin, which blotches always make their appearance suddenly. They are generally most abundant about the neck and shoulders, though scattered over the whole body. I have seldom found the affection accompanied with any constitutional disturbance, a dose of laxative medicine, with a little change of food, being all that is required to effect a cure. One case of surfeit, Eczema, came under treatment towards the end of June, and, like the former disease, arises partly from derangement of the organs of digestion. It may be dis- tinguished from nettlerash by the eruption appearing in small vesicles instead of blotches, which are mostly found in clusters. The vesicles soon burst and scab over, the scabs eventually dropping off, and with them the hair, leaving small bare patches, which give the skin an unsightly appearance. It is accompanied with intolerable itching, which may be relieved by fomentation with warm water or the application of a solution of the acetate of zinc. The administration of a lax- ative, followed up by alteratives, is all that is required in the majority of cases. I would advise the animal's head to be tied up, so as to prevent him getting at the parts affected with his teeth, which the excessive irritation inclines him to do. A great diminution, it will be observed, has taken place during the three months of the quarter which this report em- EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 471 braces, in the number of cases of diseases affecting the respi- ratory organs, the decrease, no doubt, occasioned in a great measure by the mild state of the weather. The mildness of the affection was also not less remarkable, the majority of the cases which came under treatment being chiefly attacks of simple catarrh, accompanied in some instances with laryngitis and sore throat. The general treatment required was, the free admission of good air, steaming the head, administering a gentle laxative, and following these up with laxative food and careful nursing. If accompanied with sore throat and cough, the application of a mild blister to the throat, and the solu- tion of a little saltpetre daily in the water, which ought to be chilled, was all that was necessary in the majority of cases to put the animal all right. During the quarter three cases occurred in connection with the air-passages, which deserve more than passing notice. The first was a case of hemorrhage from the lungs, Hcemoptysis. It occurred in a chestnut horse belonging to a gentleman farmer in the neighbourhood. On the 7th of April the owner's son brought the horse to the yard, stating that he had driven him up from Musselburgh at a quick pace, but not over-fast. " I noticed," he said, " nothing amiss with the animal, for he started on the journey in perfect health, and continued so untU near the city, when I observed he suddenly began to fag and to perspire freely, and in a short time he staggered as if blown. He then commenced to cough, and with the cough considerable quantities of blood were thrown up." The gen- tleman naturally feeling alarmed, brought the horse directly to the College yard for advice. On his arrival, the horse, which was apparently in good condition, presented the follow- ing symptoms : the pulse quick, the breathing hurried, the extremities cold, and the body covered with diffused perspira- tion He was seized with frequent and violent fits of cough- ing and snorting, during which blood was ejected from both nostrils in considerable quantities. The blood was of a bright arterial colour, very frothy, and mixed with mucus. After 472 PROCEEDINGS IN THE examination by auscultation and percussion, I was satisfied the blood came from the lungs, and ordered him to be put in a loose-box, to have plenty of cool fresh air, to be well clothed, and to have cold water dashed frequently against the breast and sides. I prescribed cold water as his drink, and when not drinking, I ordered his head to be tied up. This plan of treatment was rigidly persevered in for some time, and I am happy to say with the desired effect, for on the following day he was sufficiently recovered to be enabled to return to his own stable. On leaving, I gave strict injunctions to the man to lead him slowly, and in the gentlest way, home ; that he be kept strictly quiet for some days ; and that his food should consist of cold bran mashes, and cold water for drink. The other two cases referred to were examples of hemor- rhage from the nose, Epistaxis. The one occurred on the 18th of April, in a bay horse belonging to a railway carrier in town ; the other on the 16th of June, in a chestnut horse, the pro- perty of a cab proprietor. In both cases the bleeding pro- ceeded from one nostril only, and when first brought to the yard, the blood came away in a continuous stream ; but before long it began to collect and coagulate within the nostril. The collection in the nasal chamber, irritating the lining mem- brane, caused the animal to snort, when the collected blood was thrown out in clots. In neither case could the driver account for the lesion ; but in my opinion it had been occa- sioned by excessive collar-work in both cases, as the one horse had been employed dragging a heavily-loaded cart — the other a cab, also laden — up hill. The same mode of treatment was adopted in each case — ^viz., perfect rest, and the continual ap- plication of cold water to the head and sides of the face, which proved quite successful in arresting the flow of blood. Some authors recommend blood-letting in such cases of accidental hemorrhage ; but in none of these three did I think it advis- able, as I considered that all of the animals had lost sufficient blood before they came under my treatment. I am happy to say that in none has there been any return of hemorrhage. EDINBURGH VETEKINARY COLLEGE. 473 Seven cases of fractures of bone were registered during the quarter — viz., one of the os sufFraginis, or pastern-bone, on the 10th of April; one of the os metatarsi, or shank-bone, on the 23d of April ; one of the ulnar portion of the os brachii, or elbow-bone, on the 3d June ; one of the os coronse, or coronet- bone, on the 19th of June ; one of the pelvis, or haunch-bone, on the 24th of June ; a second case of fracture of the os suffraginis, also on the 24th of June ; and a second one of the pelvis on the 25th of June. It will be seen that out of the seven cases three occurred within a period of 24 hours, and to these I would claim a few moments' attention. Tlie case of fracture of the os suffraginis occurred in a large Clydesdale horse belonging to a railway carrier in town. He had been bought a few days previous to the accident, and was tried, on the morning it happened, in harness by them for the first time. The man stated that they had yoked the horse to an empty cart in their own yard, and in taking him out in the street he made a sort of stumble, from which he immediately recovered, but on his again moving forward he was found to be dead lame. I was immediately sent for, and went, accompanied by the owner's shoeing-smith, who had previously seen him, and diagnosed it to be a case of fracture. On my arrival I pro- ceeded to examine the leg, and found, as stated, the pastern- bone to be broken. I ordered the hair to be clipped off the part, a plaster bandage to be tightly rolled round between the foot and the fetlock-joint, and the animal to be placed in a loose-box. Considering the great weight of the horse, I deemed it advisable to shng him. The case progressed for several days, when he was attacked with congestion of the lungs, which, running on to inflammation, speedily carried him off. On making a post-mortem examination, the pastern- bone was found broken : it was obliquely fractured from above downwards and outwards. This is the usual form of fracture of the pastern which I have met with in practice. Several similar specimens to the above, collected by me, are to be found in the College Museum. 474 PROCEEDINGS IN THE The cases of fractures of the pelvis occurred — one in a bay horse belonging to a cab proprietor, the other in a bay mare belonging to a coal- merchant at the Canal Basin. Such osseous injuries are far from uncommon ; and in the majority of instances, as in the present cases, are caused either by the animals slipping while drawing heavy loads up some of our steep and by no means weU-paved streets, or during some sudden and unexpected exertion. In fractures of these kinds, I find that rest, the avoidance of all unnecessary motion, along with patience, are the best means of cure. A popular error prevails, that the extremities of fractured bones in the horse do not readily unite ; but, so far as my own experience enables me to pronounce an opinion, I have found the reverse to be the case, and that fractures in the horse reunite much more rapidly than in any other quadruped, and even than in man. Our only, and I own it is a great, difficulty is to keep the poor animal at rest. In cases of the pelvis I order the, animal to be placed at once in slings, and a smart blister to be applied over the seat of the fracture, which acts as a counter-irritant, and has the effect of keeping the part at rest, in consequence of the pain occasioned by motion. If such cases, not compli- cated with other serious lesions, be promptly and carefully attended to, I have no hesitation in asserting that ultimate recoveries in nine out of ten cases will be effected, and the usefulness of the animals preserved. But if sound practical rules of examination be neglected, and instead of a search, new discoveries in the hidden regions of invention be substituted, a mistaken diagnosis will be a necessary consequence — a notable instance of which came under my notice, when " plug- ging of the aiieries" was diagnosed in a case of fracture. After death the mistake was indisputably proved, and the fractured portion of the pelvic bone has been preserved, and forms a very interesting specimen of a partially-reunited pelvis, in my museum. It was sent to me from Fife, and occurred in a horse which was, after having been some time under treat- ment, destroyed for " plugging of the arteries." Tlie body was EDINBURGH VETEEINAEY COLLEGE. 475 buried ; but the groom, hearing of a mistake in a similar case, and anxious to satisfy himself of the correctness of the diag- nosis in his own, had the carcass disinterred, and the parts removed, when the injury was found to have been a simple fracture. In the summer before last I was sent for to a case near Cramond, which was condemned, by the same party who had ordered the Fife horse to be destroyed, for this mythical disease, plugging of the arteries. On examination I found the case to be one of fracture of the pelvis — a very extensive one — but from which, by rest in slings and the repeated applica- tions of blisters, the animal recovered so far as to be able to travel the country in a baker's van. But notwithstanding that horses so injured may recover sufficiently to be useful, I candidly admit that in many cases there is left more or less disfigurement of the haunch or quarters, occasioned by an overlapping of the ends of the fractured bones, accompanied with slight lameness, more or less apparent. In both of the cases reported, I am happy to say, the horses have so far recovered as to be able to return to work. The case of casting-off of the hoof occurred in a horse that had some time previously been, subjected to the operation of neurotomy, or unnerving. The animal, it appeared, had been intensely lame from navicular disease, to relieve which the plantar nerves had been divided. After the operation the horse became sound, and did regular work for some months. But through some cause, probably a prick in shoeing, inflam- mation had been set up in the foot. Owing to the parts being deprived of sensation, the animal could not, as he otherwise would have done, point out by lameness the seat and cause of injury. The consequences were that the inflammation and suppuration proceeded until the whole vascular surface of the coffin-bone became involved, the pus causing the separation of the vascular and horny laminse, and the loss of hoof occurred. 476 PKOCEEDINGS IN THE [Frmi the Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, January 1864.] Summary of Cases, compriising Diseases, Injuries, &c., amongst Do- mesticated Animals, which have "been under treatment during the months of July, August, and September 1863, as registered in the Clin- ical Transactions of the Edinburgh Veterinary College. Moo W Abscesses in various parts 9 .. . 1 Glanders, . 1 Apthie epizootica {mur Glandular swellings. . 1 rain), . ... 3 ... Grease, . . 3 Angleberries, removal of. 2 .. Gastritis, . Ascites, . 1 Head, injury of. 1 Bones, diseases and in Hfemoptysis, . 1 juries of. 2 .. Heart, diseases of, . 2 Bones, fractures of, 5 ., Indigestion, chronic anc Broken knees, . 8 .. acute, , 4 Bursee, distension of, witl: Influenza, 6 lameness. 1 .. Knee, swelling of, . 1 Castration, 2 . . 1 Lameness, elbow, 1 CataiTh and sore throat. 32 . . 6 „ fetlock, . 4 Chorea, . 2 . 1 , hip. 11 Colic, 28 . , hock, 9 Constipation (obstinate). 1 . . 1 , knee, 3 Cracked heels. 2 . , pastern. 1 Curbs, with lameness, . 5 . , shoulder. 1 Debility, 2 . , stifle. 6 Diabetes, 2 . Mallenders, 1 Distemper, . 11 Mammitis,, 1 Docking, . 1 . Mange, . 16 Epilepsy, . . 1 Nasal gleet. 1 Examinations as to sound Nettlerash, 3 ness. 54 . Open joint. 1 Eyes, diseases, &o., of. 3 .. . 3 Over-exertion, 1 Fistula, . 1 . Parotid gland, inflamma Farcy, 3 .. tion of, . . . 1 Fardel-bound, . Phlebitis (inflammation ol Feet, canker in, 1 .. vein), . . . . 1 „ corns in, with lame Paralysis, 1 ness, , 2 .. Pleurisy and bronchitis. 6 „ inflammation in, 2 .. Pleura-pneumonia, . „ navicular disease in 23 .. Rectum, obstruction of. 1 ,, pricks in. 6 .. Eingworm, ,, quitters in. 4 .. Ringbones, with lameness, 6 „ sandoracks in. 4 .. Roaring, thick and broken ,, seedy toe in, . i .. wind, . . . . 6 „ side-bones. 2 ., Sore shins, 1 „ thrushes in, . 3 .. Sore back, 2 ,^ wounds and bruises Spavin, with lameness, . 10 in, . . . 15 .. Spine , injury of, 1 EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 477 o M 1 P 1 1 Splints, with lameness, . 17 Surfeit (eczema), 4 Sprains, muscles. 2 Teeth, diseases and in- Sprains, tendons, liga- juries of, . . 4 ments, &c., . 18 Tetanus, .... 1 Stomach, 1st, distension Tumours, various, . 3 2 of (hoven), . 2 Weed, .... 19 Stomach, 1st, inflamma- VensB cavae post, rupture tion of, ... 1 of, .... 1 Stomach, ulceration of, . 1 Worms, intestinal, , 2 1 Stomach, staggers, . 2 Wounds and bruises in Strangles, 7 other parts than feet, 29 1 Stringhalt, 2 General Abstract. Cases amongst horses. , 458 >» cattle. &o.. 20 1) dogs, &c.. 38 Total, 616 The cases registered during the quarter ending September 30th are, with few exceptions, those usually met with in the ordinary routine of practice. In the list of injuries, a number considerably exceeding the average is recorded of cases of broken knees. The great majority of these occurred in cab- horses, and can readily be accounted for as follows : — During the summer months the periodical influx of strangers visiting our city takes place ; these commonly are most anxious to husband their time to the best advantage, and to see in as short a period as possible the varied romantic beauties for the possession of which Edinburgh has been long and deservedly known. For this purpose a cab is engaged, and the poor horse, with a heavy load, not unfrequently amounting to as many as five grown-up people in addition to the driver, is driven about for a protracted period. The poor tired animal, when ascending the steep streets with which the city abounds, and in, consequence of the slippery state of the causeway, occasioned in a great measure by the late wet season, slips and comes down upon its knees. The result of this is an abrasion or laceration of the skin, in many cases the cuts being so severe as to penetrate and lay open the joint. The treat- 4V8 PROCEEDINGS IN THE ment to be adopted in such cases depends in a great measure on the extent of the injury. In the first place, it is absolutely- necessary to remove carefully any dirt which may be adhering to the part. This is best done by the application of a poultice. In simple abrasion, or laceration without penetration into the joint, aU that is required is rest, with a dose of laxative or purgative medicine ; the application of cold water or white lotion being the best local remedy. After the part has been properly cleaned, should synovia be found making its escape, then we conclude the wound has penetrated either into the joint or into the sheath of the large tendon which passes over the front of the knee ; the injury then is of a more serious nature, and the treatment much more difficult. If the wound in the joint be small, with very little synovia escaping, the horse's head should be tied up, so as to prevent him walking about ; but if very extensive, then I would have him placed in slings. In either case, cold-water cloths should be applied to the part. Should these not have the desired effect in stopping the flow of synovia, then recourse must be had to some styptic, of which I prefer new-slaked lime, flour (to which is added a sulphate of copper), or the tincture of myrrh and aloes. In some cases the actual cautery to the part will be found bene- ficial, at the same time giving the animal a dose of laxative medicine. Should febrile symptoms make their appearance, then I would advise the administration of saltpetre or other febrifuge. Amongst the cases of diseases of the eye one is worthy of notice from its rarity. In the beginning of the quarter I was sent for in the country to castrate a colt. After finishing the operation, I was requested to look at one of the work-horses, which the owner said had been suffering for some months with a peculiar growth on one of its eyes. On examination I found the case to be one of Fungus hcematodes, or bleeding cancer, only a few cases of which have been recorded as occur- ring in the horse. The eye was more prominent than natural, and from the inner canthus or angle projected a peculiar soft, ^^^i:77z==. . ^^^^-^^TTT^rr^ COLLEGE. 479 red, spongy-looking tumour, which bled on the slightest touch. This was firmly attached to, and sprang from, the haw or mem- brana nictitans. After making a careful examination, I told the owner that, owing to the malignant nature of the disease, no remedial means of relief woiild succeed without complete removal of the diseased tumour, even should it necessitate the entire loss of the eye. As the animal's general health did not appear to be affected, he said, he would prefer not resorting to such an extreme measure in the mean time, but wait till some more simple means were tried. But I tried to persuade him, but in vain, that the dernier ressort, without loss of time, held out the only hope of success. I then had the animal secured as completely as possible without casting, and had the whole of the tumour projecting beyond the orbit removed. This was without much difficulty accomplished with the fingers and a pair of forceps, the tumour being quite friable. The part bled very freely during the operation, but stopped on the applica- tion of caustic. After removing as much as possible, I directed the person in charge carefully to attend to the application of lunar caustic twice daily to the surface of the wound. Being at some distance from Edinburgh, I have not had another opportunity of seeing the case ; but within the last few weeks I have had a letter from the owner, stating that in spite of the continued application of the caustic the tumour or fungus has continued to grow. Should I again be consulted, the only alternative left, and which I would strongly recommend, would be the melius anceps quam nullum remedium — viz., extirpation of the whole contents of the orbit. I need scarcely add that all such cases are most intractable, and are dependent upon and connected with a malignant constitutional diathesis. The case of phlebitis occurred in a horse belonging to a cab- man in town. The horse was brought to the College yard with the whole of the upper part of the near side of the neck swollen, hard and tender, and a wound on the course of the jugiilar vein, from which issued a thin sanious fluid. On inquiry I found he had been bled a few days previously by a 480 PROCEEDINGS IN THE blacksmith. I at once removed the pin with which the edges of the wound had been brought together, and ordered the part to be well fomented with warm water. The following morning I found the swelling much reduced and softer ; but from the wound there were springing up unhealthy granulations. These I touched with lunar caustic, and recommended the fomenta- tions to be continued. After the second day the hot-water applications were discontinued, as the swellings had become less painful. The granulations were again touched with caustic; and after continuing this mode of treatment for about a week, the wound took on a healthy action, and speedily healed up, but with total obliteration of the vein. This is one of those accidents which frequently occur under the most judicious treatment. In the majority of cases, how- ever, it can be traced to some want of care. For instance, the use of a rusty or otherwise dirty phleme in bleeding is a common cause of phlebitis. This untoward result frequently also proceeds from carelessness in pinning up the wound, the neglect being in not bringing both edges of the incision in apposition, or in leaving an inverted hair within the lips of the wound. Another and not unfrequent cause is the itching produced on the commencement of the healing process, which induces the animal to rub his neck against the manger, the friction acting as an exciting cause by setting up irritation and subsequent inflammation. The animal being allowed to hang his head after the operation is another cause, the dependent position interrupting the return of blood. Putting the animal too soon to work, also, often produces inflammation of the part. Constitutional diathesis must not be omitted in the enumera- tion of causes to be set down as an important predisposing one. In bleeding a horse, simple as the operation may seem, there are nevertheless several precautions necessary to be observed — viz., a clean instrument, the wound to be carefully pinned up, the animal's head to be kept tied up for at least some hours afterwards, and the horse not to be put to work immediately, more especially to collar-work. On the first appearance of EDINBURGH VETEPJKARY COLLEGE. 481 inflammation the pin should be removed, the head tied up, and the parts fomented with warm water, and a dose of purgative medicine administered. There is another form of accident occa- sioned by careless bleeding — viz., what is termed a Thrombus. This differs from phlebitis, inasmuch as in the latter case there is more or leas violent and extensive inflammation of the coats of the vein ; whereas in thrombus there is only simple effusion of blood or serum into the cellular tissue below the skin, the removal of which sometimes requires no inconsiderable atten- tion. In both cases great local swelHng supervenes, which, in the former, is hard, tense, and painful on pressure, and which generally proceeds upwards along the course of the vein, the vein feeling hard and wiry ; whereas in thrombus the tumour is softer, less tender, and more diffused. In thrombus the application of hot fomentations, if speedily and persistently resorted to, embraces all the treatment required, and under it the swelling rapidly disappears. The case of rupture of the posterior venae cav£e occurred in a well-bred young horse belonging to a horse-dealer in Edin- burgh. On the morning of the 1st September, I was sent for in great haste to see a horse which had received a kick from another horse, both having got loose in the stable. On my arrival at the stables, I found, on examination, that there was a slight abrasion of the skin on the buttock, but no other ex- ternal mark of injury. The animal, notwithstanding such an apparent slight injury, was evidently fast sinking. The pulse was quick, feeble, and irregular or fluttering. The body was covered with a profuse perspiration. The poor animal was sighing heavily, and scarcely able to stand, as indicated by the continual restless shifting of his feet. The visible mucous membranes were pale and blanched. These symptoms led me to diagnose the case to be one of rupture of some large blood- vessel, the animal becoming exhausted evidently from the loss of the vital fluid. To prevent fainting, I at once ordered stimulants to be administered ; but at the same time, I warned the proprietor of the hopeless nature of the case, and that my 2h 482 PROCEEDINGS IN THE prognosis was most unfavourable. In spite of the stimulants the animal got rapidly weaker, the pulse becoming more and more feeble, and the prostration more marked, until he dropped down and died without a struggle, about an hour and a half from the time he was first observed to have been injured. On inquiry, I found that the horse had never been noticed as aibng, having been able to do what work was required of him, but that he was of a highly nervous temperament, and easily frightened. After death, I requested that the carcass might be sent round to the College yard, so that I might have a care- ful 'post-mortem examination made. On removing the skin, the whole of the muscles appeared pallid and bloodless. The abdominal cavity when opened was found almost full of par- tially-coagulated blood. After this blood was removed, the intestines and other abdominal viscera were carefully and separately examined and taken out, so as to expose the large trunk-vessels. On reaching the posterior venae cavai, the large vessel which conveys the venous blood from the posterior parts of the body to the heart, and which is situated along the roof of the cavity, a rupture of about half of an inch in extent was discovered, immediately in front of the right kidney. Although satisfied that this was sufficient to cause death, I desired the examination to be continued, which was done, but no further injury could be discovered, with the solitary excep- tion of the bruise on the buttock before-mentioned. The thoracic cavity, as well as its contained viscera, the heart and lungs, were perfectly healthy, only that the heart was quite empty, and its walls, as well as the structure of the lungs, resembled the muscles in being pale and bloodless. The vein at the place of rupture presented no appearance of having been dilated, nor did its coats present any thinning or alteration in structure. The stomach was full and quite healthy. The liver, spleen, and kidneys also appeared in perfect health. The question now remaining to be solved is the cause of this fatal lesion. And the only way I can account for it is, that the horse, in his sudden fright from the kick, must have made a EDINBUEGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 483 sudden bound forwards, bringing into rapid and violent con- traction the muscles lying between the vessel and the back- bone, thus impeding the flow of blood, and, as a matter of course, suddenly arresting the circulation ; and the coats of the vein being tliin, from congenital organisation— for no morbid condition could be traced on any part or structure — had given way under the violent and sudden shock. These cases are extremely rare. I never witnessed a similar one before, in the whole course of my long and extensive practice. The litera- ture of the subject is also very circumscribed ; only two cases, so far as my research goes, have been reported in the pages of ' The Veterinarian ; ' and no English pathological work, either veterinary or medical, contains a precisely similar example. Two cases of stringhalt have been brought to the College yard for examination during the quarter. Into the history of one of these I have been induced to enter into details, because the case was not only a well-marked instance of the disease, but remarkable for the intense violence of the symptoms and their progressive inveteracy. The affected animal — a well- bred brown horse aged twelve — belonged to a gentleman re- siding a few miles from Edinburgh. The servant who brought him, on the 4th of September, delivered to me a note from the owner, requesting my opinion whether the case admitted of relief, or if I thought there was no hope of ultimate recovery, to have him destroyed. On the animal being walked out, the peculiar symptoms — so characteristic of this disease, and from which the popular name applied to it in some parts of the country, "white mare's click," is derived — presented them- selves in the most severe form, and were painful in the highest degree to witness. I had no hesitation in conveying my opin- ion to the owner, that the case was beyond cure — utterly hope- less and irremediable. In the attempts which the animal made to walk, both hind legs were caught up with such force as to bring the anterior part of the fetlock in contact with the belly at every step. When the horse was placed in the stable, and an attempt made simply to move him from one side of the stall 484 PROCEEDINGS IN THE to the other, the spasmodic jerkings of the legs were indescrib- ably harassing, the effort causing violent agitation of the ani- mal's whole frame. On inquiry, I learned from the servant that he had the horse under his charge for several years, and had worked him sometimes in the plough and sometimes in the cart ; in fact, that he had performed the ordinary work of a farm -horse. The affection, which was very slight when the horse was first purchased, had gradually increased from bad to worse, and had latterly become so aggravated that it was almost impossible to do anything with him ; and as for getting his hind feet shod, it was dangerous even to attempt it. When suddenly moved, or spoken sharply to, the body became sud- denly and convulsively affected, and the eyes appeared as if about to start from their sockets. The animal was kept for a few days for the purpose of ascertaining whether, under rest and quietness, the symptoms would in any way subside ; but as no improvement took place, I had him destroyed by opening the carotid artery. The operation speedily terminated both his sufferings and his life. I requested Mr Strangeways to make a careful post-mortem examination. As this was an extreme case, I was impressed with the belief that, in all probability, some trace of the cause of this obscure disease might be discovered. Mr S., assisted by Dr P. Young, the lecturer on physiology and microscopical anatomy in the College, commenced their examination by ex- posing the brain and the spinal marrow from its origin to its caudal termination. These, with their respective coverings, were carefully and minutely examined, as was the spinal canal; but all were found entirely free from any abnormal appearance. The next step was to expose the large plexus of nerves, sacro- lumbar, from which the whole of the posterior extremities are supplied with both sensation and motion. This done, the whole of the branches leaving the posterior extremity of the spinal cord, and assisting in the formation of this plexus, were carefully examined, as were their several sheaths and the foramina through which they made their exit from the spinal canal ; still nothing wrong could be discovered — no apparent EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 485 discoloration or thickening. Next the large trunk-nerves pro- ceeding from this plexus to the different parts of the hinder extremities were examined, more especially the greater sciatic nerve, generally supposed to be the one affected in the disease ; a minute microscopic examination, however, proved all to he in a healthy state. The nerves were traced down the whole leg, from their origin to their termination, and they, with the areolar tissue surrounding them, examined ; but still without any result. The large joints, more especially the stifle and hock joints, next claimed attention, but presented no abnormal appearance. I was desirous that these joints should be very minutely examined, owing to an opinion having been expressed to me by an old friend in a very extensive veterinary practice, that, after several ^os^-morfew examinations of animals suffer- ing from this disease, he considered it was caused by, or origi- nated in, some affection of one or other of these joints. The bones of the vertebra were next examined, but presented no signs of having been fractured, no anchylosis of any of their joints, nor yet any bony tumours or spiculse, which might have caused irritation of the roots of either the sensory or motor branches of the nerves. The only abnormal appearance which was observed was in the extensor muscles of the leg and foot, which were very largely developed, and very hard and firm. From the 2^ost-mortem appearances, the only deduction we could arrive at was, that the disease consisted in functional derangement of the nerves supplying the extensor muscles, occasioned by some morbid affection, which could not be de- tected even with the assistance of the microscope. Since the above post-mortem examination was made, a letter from a ISTew York physician, named Dr Busteed, has appeared in ' The Veterinarian,' copied from the ' New York Spirit,' wherein he states, " that, after numerous dissections, he was inclined to believe that the disease was located in the hock- joint, and that the spasmodic action was caused by the friction of the tibia passing over an irritable ulcer on the astragalus." There seems to be no ground for such an opinion. What Dr Busteed has mistaken for an " irritable ulcer " is nothing 486 PROCEEDINGS IN THE more than a portion of the bone devoid of articular cartilage, and, so far from being a morbid product, is a sort of natural cavity, wherein, by a beautiful provision of nature, joint-oil can be stored up for the better lubrication of the joint. These depressions, termed sulci, may be found in most if not in all the large joints, as explained by me in 1837, in a controversy I had with Mr Spooner, V.S., of Southampton, in the pages of ' The Veterinarian.' In the October Number of ' The Veterinarian,' the one in which Dr Busteed's letter appears, are some observations of Professor Varnell of the London Veterinary College, where, although admitting the doubtful pathology of stringhalt, he, in my opinion, fuUy replies to and controverts Dr Busteed's so-called discovery. During the qtiarter seven cases of nervous affections, exclu- sive of the two of stringhalt, have been registered. Five of these occurred in horses, the remaining two in dogs. First in the list are three cases of chorea, or St Vitus's dance. This disease, which consists in a series of involuntary spasmodic movements of one or more of the motatory muscles, arises in all probability from some irritation of the roots of the motor branches of the nerves proceeding from the brain or spinal cord. In the domestic animals, the aifection is met with most frequently in the dog, and is of less common occurrence in the horse. Oxen, sheep, and pigs are, as far as my experience goes, exempted from it. In the dog it generally occurs as a sequel of distemper, although it occasionally depends upon intestinal irritation, occasioned by the presence of worms. The two cases which presented themselves in the horse, occurred in animals brought to the yard for examination as to soundness. The first, on the 21st of July, showed no symptoms of unsoundness until an attempt was made to move him backwards, when the whole muscles of the hind quarters were thrown into violent spasmodic convulsions. The other case, on the 28th of July, presented the pecuhar symptoms which have led horsemen to describe an animal suffering from these as a shivercr. When he is run out his progression is affected with a peculiar stag- EDINBUKGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 487 gering gait, followed by a twitching of the muscles or shivering when the animal is allowed to rest. In neither case was any treatment recommended, as no advice was asked for, the horses having been brought simply for examination. The primary object, when called upon to treat this peculiar form of disease, is to get the bowels well opened, and afterwards to administer some nervine tonic. The disease in its chronic stage is, how- ever, at all times difficult to treat ; the only prospect of arrest- ing its progress and affording relief invariably occurs in recent cases and in young horses. In the dog the cases are even more unmanageable, especially when the disease supervenes on an attack of distemper. In such cases I have found most benefit from the insertion of a seton in the neck, and the free use of quinine and tonic medicines. The case of epilepsy occurred in a small Prince Charlie dog, belonging to a gentle- man in town. The animal was very fat, and evidently lived on the good things of this life. He had periodical fits, accom- panied by violent spasms, followed by coma. The fits lasted for a few minutes, and were gradually increasing both in fre- quency and intensity. From his appearance I had the impres- sion that the disease depended a great deal on plethora ; and I accordingly administered to him a good dose of purgative medicine, and ordered him warm baths, and to be fed on spare diet. The alvine evacuations were to be regulated by means of castor-oil. This plan of treatment, rigidly followed out, had the desired elfect, the fits gradually disappearing as he fell off in condition. Of the remaining cases, one occurred of paralysis in the tail of a colt ; another from injury of the spine, occasioned by a fall into the hold of a ship ; and the third was a case of tetanus. The case of paralysis for which I was con- sulted occurred on the 21st of August, in a foal having no power to move his tail, which hung down suspended, as it were, over his dock, and was continually covered with dung. I ordered a blister to be applied to each side of the root of his tail, at the same time to administer tonic medicines, and to support the strength of the animal by good nutritious food. I regret not having it in my power to give further particulars of 488 PROCEEDINGS IN THE this case, the owner of the foal having been seemingly con- tented with receiving advice, without taking the trouble to inform me whether it was followed with success. The case of the injury of the spine produced the following symptoms — viz., a partial loss of power of the hind quarters, more parti- cularly noticed when the animal was turned suddenly round or put back, on which occasions the hind legs appeared to lose their power completely, the animal coming down on his side. The treatment which I have found most successful in these cases consists of the repeated application of blisters along the course of the spine at the seat of the injury, with continuous attention to rest and quietness. The case of tetanus was a very mild traumatic one, yielding to the ad- ministration of strong purgatives, and repeated small doses of extract of belladonna. Amongst the cases of wounds was one of such an extensive and frightful character as to deserve more than passing notice. It occurred on the 23d of September, in a grey horse belonging to a soda-water manufacturer in the city. On the day of the accident the animal was left in a light van in the street in charge of a boy, during the time the driver was delivering some goods. The boy, more intent on play than work, left the horse's head, and something occurring to frighten the animal, he ran off at full speed. In his mad career he encountered another vehicle going in an opposite direction, violently dash- ing his chest against the shaft. The blow fractured the shaft, the splintered end of which entered the horse's breast in front of the shoulder, passing right under that joint, separating the whole of the muscles that attach the fore leg to the trunk. The wound extended along the ribs, nearly to the very hip- joint. I was sent for, but being from home, Mr Worthington, my assistant, hastened to the spot ; but on his arrival he found the case to be a hopeless one, the animal rapidly sinking, partly from the great loss of blood and partly from the shock. The leg was nearly detached from the trunk, hanging to it merely by a portion of skin. EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 489 [From the Transections of the Highlmid and AcjricuUural Society's Journal, March 1861.] Summary of Cases, comprising Diseases, Injuries, &c., amongst Do- mesticated Amimals, registered in the Clinical Transactions of the Edinburgh Veterinary College, which have been under treatment during the months of October, November, and December 1863. Abscesses in various parts, Abortion, Angleberries, removal of, ApthsB epizootica (mur- rain). Ascites, . Bone, disease of, ,, fractures of, . Brain, disease of. Broken knees, . Bursse, distension of, -with lameness. Calculus, vesical, Canker in the ear, . Castration, Catarrh and sore throat. Chorea, . Colic, Constipation (obstinate). Cracked heels, . Curbs, with lameness, Debility, constitutional. Diabetes, . Diarrhoea, Distemper, Emphysema, . Enteritis, . Examinations as to sound- ness. Eyes, diseases, &c., of, Fardel-bound, . Feet, corns in, with lame- ness, . „ inflammation in, „ navicular disease in „ pricks in, „ quitters in, . „ sandcracks in, ,, seedy toe in, . „ side-bones in, „ thrushes in, . 1 16 1 4 2 1 1 55 1 i5 75 1 3 3 40 15 3 4 2 3 2 Feet, wounds and bruises in. Grease, Gastritis, . Head, injury of. Hernia, ventral. Heart, diseases of, ,, rupture of. Hip-joint, dislocation of. Indigestion, chronic and acute, ... Influenza, Lameness, cofQn-joint, , , elbow, . ,, fetlock, . „ hip, ,, hock, ,, knee, ,, shoulder, ,, stifle. Mange, . Nasal gleet. Neurotomy, Over- exertion, . Overgrown claws. Paralysis, Parturition, difficult. Phthisis pulmonalis. Pleurisy and pneumonia. Pleura-pneumonia, . Purpura hsemorrhagica. Rectum, injury of. Ringbones, with lameness. Roaring, thick and broken wind, . . . . Shoulder-slip, . Sore neck. Spavin, with lameness, Spine, injury of. Splints, with lameness. Sprains, muscles. 29 1 2 4 17 4 1 2 3 15 3 1 1 1 1 4 5 1 1 13 2 490 PROCEEDINGS IN THE Sprains, tendons, liga- ments, &o., . M (302 Q 25 ... o Tumours, various, . Vena3 cavse, rupture of, . W 7 1 Stomach, rupture of, „ staggers, Strangles, Teetli, diseases, &c., of. 1 ... 5 ... 1 ... 8 ... Vomiting, Weed, Worms, intestinal, . „ bronchial, . 5 6 Tetanus, . 1 ... Wounds and bruises in Treads, . 2 other parts than feet, . 22 General Absteaot. Cases amongst horses, 652 cattle and sheep, . . 36 dogs, &c., . 41 Total, 629 Among the many modifying influences aff'ecting tlie type of epidemics and epizootics, no medical fact is better estab- lisbed by observation and experience than this, that the differences in the constitution of the seasons, as well as changes of the seasons themselves, greatly influence the nature and character of prevailing diseases. This fact is very clearly exemplified by comparing the summary of the cases registered in the College during the three months ending December 31, with those of the preceding quarter. It will be noticed that a considerable increase has taken place in the number of cases of disease affecting the organs of respiration, more especially in the form usually denominated influenza. This is a disease which may occur at any period of the year, but it is found to be most prevalent during the autumn and spring months. It generally occurs as an epizootic, afiecting simultaneously whole districts, and is in all probability produced by sudden changes, either of the temperature of the atmosphere, or its humidity. It is otherwise impossible to account satisfactorily for the fre- quent outbreaks of the disease, which accompany the sudden transitions, in our variable climate, from heat to cold, from cold to heat, or from cold dry, to moist and foggy weather. It occurs under a variety of forms — one season appearing as a sort of epizootic catarrh, the disease being confined to the EDINBUIIGH VETERINAKY COLLEGE. 491 upper air-passages ; at another as "broncho-pneumoniaj the bronchial tiibes and substance of the lungs being the parts chiefly affected ; in a third as pleuro-pneumonia, the lungs and their covering membrane being the seat of the affection ; while at other times the liver and other digestive organs seem to participate in the disease. It may, however, be correctly de- fined as typhoid, and the morbid changes to consist in sub- acute inflammation, or a passive congested state of the lining membrane of the respiratory tract, frequently extending to the substance of the lungs, and to their investing membrane, the pleura. It is always accompanied by fever, and to a greater or less extent with derangement of the heart, and by excessive lassitude and weakness, which, in my opinion, is one of the most marked characteristics of the disease. Young horses, and those of the heavy or cart breeds, are most liable to its at- tacks, and in the latter it is always more severe than in those having more breeding ; in fact we always find that coarse-bred horses suffer more from, and are less able to withstand the effects of, debilitating diseases than well-bred horses. In- fluenza is ushered in by dulness, loss of appetite, shivering, the eyes becoming clouded, and tears flowing down the cheeks. These symptoms are speedily followed by quickened breath- ing, quick weak pulse, and a frequent painful cough, aggra- vated by deglutition, or even an attempt made to swaUow. The progress of the disease is sometimes arrested in this stage, but in a greater number of cases other symptoms make their appearance — great debility sets in, a copious effusion of mucus is discharged from the nose, the mouth becomes hot and dry, pulse quick and small, visible mucous membranes become red and injected, and, should the liver have become involved, they are tinged with yellow. The temperature of the body varies, being sometimes hot and sometimes cold, but chiefly noticed in the ears and legs. The urine becomes high-coloured, and the fiBcal discharges hard, scanty, and light in colour. As the disease goes on increasing in intensity, the debility increases, the dul- ness becomes stupor, the discharge from the nose also increases, 492 PKOCEEDINGS IN THE the cough gets worse, while the pulse becomes quicker and wccaker, and also irregular, and a well-marked line or ridge appears along the under side of the flanks, the breathing be- coming almost abdominal. The prostration continues, and the animal sinks from sheer exhaustion. When a favourable change makes its appearance, it is ushered in usually by a copious nasal discharge, and the resumption in the extremities of their natural temperature, while the breathing and pulsa- tions become more natural, and the coat, which has hitherto been dry and staring, assumes its sleek and healthy appearance. On observing an animal attacked with this insidious disease, the first step to be taken is to place it in a well-ventilated loose-box, with plenty of clean dry litter ; to clothe its body with warm rugs, to bandage its legs, and otherwise to attend to its comfort. By simply attending to these precautionary measures in the primary stage, many animals will recover without any other medical treatment. Blood-letting ought not to be resorted to unless in the very early stages, when I have seen it do good. As a rule I would advise abstaining from this practice. If the bowels are very much constipated, I would recommend a small dose of aloes, in quantity not suf- ficient to purge, on the ground of avoiding the great danger, in these low typhoid diseases, of bringing on superpurgation, and increasing the weakness. The bowels may be kept in order by the use of glysters of soap and water. Alterative medicines, such as nitrate of potash in combination with cam- phor, wUl be found of great service, along with a blister to the throat, and, if possible, a plentiful supply of water in which nitre has been dissolved. Should the lungs or pleura become involved, a strong blister of cantharides, or cloths wrung out of hot water, applied to the sides, will prove advantageous. If the cough be troublesome, sweet spirits of nitre and extract of belladonna should be given. In cases where there is great prostration and weakness, give stimulants, such as warm ale, port-wine, carbonate of ammonia, sweet spirits of nitre, or ether. When all chances of a relapse have passed off, then EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 493 tonics and diuretics must be administered. In all cases every endeavour should he made to get the animal to eat, by placing before him good nutritious diet — such as green food, carrots or bran mashes mixed with crushed corn or malt — at the same time supplying him with thin gruel or cold water to drink. A very severe and rapid case of purpura hjemorrhagica occurred during the quarter in the stables of a large post- master in town. The patient was a bay thorough-bred mare, which had been sent to Edinburgh for sale. She had been used for racing purposes, and had proved successful at several meetings. She was first observed to be ill on the morning of Saturday the 28th of November, when I was sent for. On ex- amination I at once diagnosed it to be a case of purpura. The symptoms presenting themselves were : she was blowing hard, the breathing also very much troubled ; pulse soft and faint ; the head and neck very much swollen, and the lips tumefied ; the appetite was quite gone, and purple spots were observed on the lining membrane of the nose. In the following morn- ing, on my again visiting her, I found the swelling of the head, neck, and lips was considerably increased, and had extended down to the breast, the swellings being soft and pitting on pressure, the skin hot and painful ; the breathing had become much quicker, and, in addition, a suffocating cough had super- vened, with a bloody discharge from both nostrils. From the severity and urgency of the symptoms, I had little or no hope of her recovery, the symptoms indicating the lungs to be affected in a very serious manner. However, I ordered her stimulants, as port-wine, with mineral tonics, and to have plenty of fresh air, her legs to be bandaged, and her body well clothed. As I prognosed, the disease proved fatal — she suc- cumbing early on the Monday morning from suffocation. I had the carcass brought to the College yard on the Monday mornino-, and a post-mortem examination made. On removing the skin, extensive extravasations of blood were found through- out the whole extent of the head, neck, and fore extremities The nostrils were full of blood, and on opening the trachea or 494 PROCEEDINGS IN THE windpipe, it was found filled with bloody frothy mucus. The chest contained a large quantity of bloody serum, the lungs were highly congested, and, on cutting into them, the air-tubes were filled with frothy bloody mucus. The heart was larger than natural, very soft and flabby, and was filled with dark uncoagulated blood, as were the large veins. The blood, on exposure to the air, changed its colour from purple to a bril- liant scarlet colour. The mucous coats of the intestines also showed purple blotches, but not to any considerable extent or marked degree. I may remark that the animal was excessively fat internally. In this disease I have always found, when the lungs become involved — which may be diagnosed by the quick troubled breathing — that the case almost invariably proves fatal, al- though I do not remember one where death followed so rapidly as in this. On inquiry, I learned that the animal had been in apparent good health on the day previous, having been out at exercise, and that she possessed a good appetite, but her coat always appeared on end. This is a well-marked example of a fatal attack not depend- ent on any apparent exciting cause — such as excessive previ- ous fatigue, or long exposure to cold, or, as is frequently the case in purpura, succeeding some debilitating disease, as stran- gles or influenza, when the blood has been deteriorated. Amongst the cases recorded is a very curious one of emphy- sema, produced by a simple wound in front of the chest, just below the arm. On the 22d of November last I was requested to visit a mare belonging to a gentleman residing ia the city. On my arrival at the stables I found her presenting a peculiar appearance, the whole body, from head to taQ, being emphyse- matous, the swelling extending as low down as the knees and hocks. "When the body was gently pressed with the fingers, a peculiar crackling or crepitating sound was produced, and when tapped, the skin resounded like a drum. On inquiry, I learnt from the groom that on the previous day, when his master was out hunting on the mare, and just at the com- EDINBUKGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 495 meneement of the run, the animal had struck her chest against a stake. The gentleman, on examination, finding only a small wound of about an inch in extent, on the inner side, and to the front, of the off elbow-joint, and thinking it of very trifling import, remounted and rode her after the hounds. At the finish of the day's sport he rode her home to the stables in Edinburgh, a distance of about 15 miles, without noticing any bad symptoms. With the exception of a slight swelling or pufiiness of the skin, nothing appeared amiss. The swelling, however, after reaching home, continuing to increase, and the owner becoming alarmed, I was sent for. After a careful ex- amination, I could find no lesion, excepting the small wound before-mentioned, which was a punctured one, and only through the skin. The pulse was quite natural ; the animal, with the exception of the swelling, and appearing a little nauseated, was in good health and condition. I gave her a dose of laxative medicine, and punctured the skin in sundry places where the swelling was greatest ; ordered her to be well clothed, to be kept perfectly quiet, and to have a soft laxative diet. The fol- lowing day the swelling had slightly subsided, the mare keep- ing well and eating her food. The swelling decreased daily, and in little more than a week had resumed its natural state. Cases of emphysema are very uncommon, and may occur in one of three ways. In the first place, we may have it follow- ing a simple punctured skin-wound in particular parts of the body, more especially if the wound has been produced by a blunt instrument, which, in penetrating the skin, forces a por- tion inwards, forming a sort of flap or valve. In the case of this mare the wound was situated in a part where there is a large quantity of loose skin and cellular tissue, and great mo- tion. 'Now, at every step the animal took, air would be sucked into the wound, and prevented from returning by the valvular flap. The air, by every fresh addition, would be forced into the meshes of the subcutaneous cellular tissue, until the whole became infiltrated, or, at any rate, the quantity would increase as long as the animal was kept in motion. In this form of 496 PROCEEDINGS IN THE emphysema very little treatment is necessary ; all that is re- quired is to puncture the skin at those parts where there are large accumulations of air, and to keep the animal quiet and the bowels open. The second form of emphysema sometimes follows or is caused by the fracture of one or more ribs, the end of the rib pene- trating and wounding the lungs and the pleura costalis, at the same time the skin remaining uninjured and entire. The in- spired air in such a lesion finds its way from the lungs into the thoracic cavity, and thence through the opening into the cel- lular tissue below the skin, and gradually diffuses itself over the whole of that side of the chest, and sometimes, in bad cases, over the whole body. In these cases, as in the former, the skin must be freely punctured so as to allow the air to escape, the animal must be kept quiet, and fever medicines, as nitre, administered. The third variety of emphysema is caused by penetrating wounds into the chest or the windpipe, caused by sharp in- struments. In such cases the instrument, after penetrating the thorax and wounding the lung, is withdrawn, and the ex- ternal wound not being of sufficient size or in such a situation as to allow the whole of the air escaping from the wound in the lungs to be discharged externally, part becomes infiltrated into the cellular tissue beneath the skin ; or, again, the valvu- lar form of the external wound may allow a certain quantity of air to be admitted during inspiration which cannot escape during expiration, but produces emphysema and all its conse- quences. Wounds of the thorax, whether inflicted by fractured ribs or the penetration of any instrument, are frequently productive of very serious consequences, besides being the cause of em- physema — such as hemorrhage, accumulation of air in the thoracic cavity, inflammation of the lining membrane of the cavity, or of the lungs themselves. Hemorrhage may proceed from some wounded vessel in the walls of the thorax — such as the intercostal artery— when the blood may either escape EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 497 through the external opening or into the chest, where it accu- mulates, causing what is termed hsemato-thorax. Again, the blood may escape from some vessel in the lung, where, in addi- tion to htemato-thorax, there is the danger of its finding its way iuto the bronchial tubes, producing hsemoptysis, which may be recognised by a discharge of blood from the nose. An accumulation of air in the pleural cavity constitutes what is termed pneumo-thorax, which may exist with or without em- physema. In both this and htemato -thorax there is more or less oppression in the breathiag, with duLuess on percussion in the case of accumulation of blood, and great resonance in that of air ; in both the pulse is feeble and irregular. Pleurisy, or inflammation of the membrane Haing the cavity, and pneu- monia, or inflammation of the lungs, may proceed directly from wounds of the walls or of the lungs, or supervene on h^mato- thorax or pneumo-thorax. A case of pleurisy following frac- ture of the ribs, where there was neither emphysema nor any of the above-mentioned lesions, occurred in the practice of the College on the 24th of November, in a horse belonging to a carter at Craigleith. The horse, wlxile drawing a load of stones from the quarry, fell, and besides other injuries, broke one of his ribs, which, by wounding the costal pleura, set up acute inflammation in that membrane. The pulse was hard and wiry, and the breathing quick and oppressed, with a short cough, &c. The treatment consisted in blood-letting, a dose of laxa- tive medicine, and a plentiful supply of cold water in which nitre had been dissolved. The horse gradually recovered. Amongst the cases recorded during the quarter is one which did not occur in the College practice, but which, from its ex- traordinary character, is, I think, worthy of being placed on record, — I mean the case of rupture of the heart. It occurred in the practice of Mr Lawson, veterinary surgeon, of Manches- ter, an old alumnus of the College, who kindly forwarded me the morbid specimen just as he had removed it from the ani- mal. The heart presents a large oblique rent, of about four inches in length, in the external waU of the left ventricle. On 2i 498 PROCEEDINGS IN THE laying open the cavity, the rupture was found much less in extent internally than it was on the outside, the internal rent measuring only about two inches. From the appearance of the rupture, there can, I think, be no doubt of its having taken place suddenly — at first probably very small, but gradually increasing in extent. The walls of the heart, its lining mem- brane, its valves, and also the aorta or large vessel leaving the ventricle, all appeared perfectly healthy. The muscular walls were quite firm, although pale, but this can be readily account- ed for by the great loss of blood ensuing on such a serious lesion. The only apparent change was a slight discoloration around the edges of the laceration. In a letter from Mr Law- son which accompanied the specimen he says : " On opening the chest a few quarts of serum escaped, and the pleura was much inflamed ; the lungs were also much congested ; but what attracted most attention was the enormous size of the pericar- dial sac ; and on cutting into it, a quantity of serum escaped, and a clot of blood which weighed no less than eleven pounds." The horse, on his arrival at Mr Lawson's establishment, pre- sented the following symptoms : " Had his mouth wide open, as if gasping for breath, and had a very weak and very inter- mittent pulse. These symptoms gradually increased, but still bore the same character, until he died." I regret that I cannot detail more minutely the circumstances under which the animal was placed when these urgent symptoms were first noticed, but hope to be able to furnish in the next quarter's report further particulars. In the last quarter's report, a case of rupture of the venae cav£B is recorded — a lesion which I stated was extremely rare, having never met with a similar one in the whole course of my practice. It is, however, somewhat singular that I have to report a fatal case from the same cause, so immediately occurring in the practice of the College as in the quarter at present under review. On the morning of Monday the 14th of December, I was requested to proceed to a knacker's yard at the back of the Castle, to make a post-mortem examination EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 499 of a horse that had died very suddenly the precediug day. Being engaged at the time, I requested Mr Strangeways to proceed to the place and make the necessary examination. On his return he reported as follows : " On opening the chest it was found filled with blood, which being removed, the heart and large blood-vessels connected with it were carefully exa- mined, when a large rupture was discovered in the posterior venae cavse, a short distance from the heart. The rupture was about an inch in extent ; the coats of the vessel at the part were very thin, and presented the appearance of having been dilated." As no other lesion could be found, it was obvious that the great and rapid loss of the vital fluid from the rup- ture had been the immediate cause of the sudden death of the animal. On inquiry, I learnt that the mare, which belonged to a gentleman residing in the suburbs of the city, had been driven to church in a Light carriage by the groom, and appeared in her usual good health. On returning home, she proceeded so far all right, but then began to reel, when sh6 suddenly dropped, and after a few struggles, accompanied by heavy sighs and laboured breathing, died. Cases of sudden death from diseases of the heart and large blood-vessels, or other causes, not only in the horse but also in man, are, without doubt, on the increase, and form a fitting subject for physiolo- gical research. A paper in a recent number of the ' Cornhill Magazine,' on the " Philosophy of Training," throws some Hght on this subject, and, in my opinion, deserves careful considera- tion. The writer argues that in training— and most of the horses intended for fast work undergo, to a certain extent, a species of training — " the muscular system has been forced into undue development, and this development has been at the expense of the general vitality." As a proof of the truth of this, I need only refer to the case of the racing mare, in the earlier part of this paper, where the vitality of the blood had undergone a serious change. The above writer, speaking of the athletes of Eome, says, on the authority of Sinclair, " they were short-lived, and liable to rupture of blood-vessels, to 500 PROCEEDINGS IN THE apoplexy, and lethargic complaints. The training system," he goes on to remark, " is a forcing system ; were it continued long, would kill — even for a brief space is injurious. It is an exceptional process for an exceptional result, not the normal process for a healthy organism." Amongst the cases of tumours was one of an enormous size, situated at the side of the withers, just behind the shoulder, in a large grey Clydesdale horse, the property of a carting agent in town. The size of the tumour, and particularly its situation, being in the seat of the saddle, interfered so much with the usefulness of the animal, that the owner determined to have it removed. The horse was brought to the CoUege yard, and cast in the usual manner and properly secured ; a free crucial incision was then made down to the substance of the tumour, and the skin dissected from it. After this, as much as possible was removed with a knife, it being difficult to get the whole mass away, owing to the extensive adhesions between it and the neighbouring parts. After dissecting out the greater part of the tumour, the few small arteries cut through during the operation were secured with ligatures, and the skin brought together by metallic sutures. The animal was then allowed to rise, the wound dressed with cloths dipped in cold water, and a dose of laxative medicine administered. The wound, as might be expected from its extent, did not heal by the first intention, but inflamed and suppurated, when the sutures were removed and the part treated as an open ulcer or sore. It was dressed daily with a pledget of tow saturated with a weak solution of acetate of zinc, the strength of the animal supported with tonics and good food. Healthy granulations sprang iip, and the wound rapidly healed, without producing any bad consequences — the skin gradually closing, and leaving but a comparatively small cicatrice. The animal is now able to work, which he was quite unable to do before the operation, although there is stiU a slight enlargement in the part. The tumour, of which nearly twelve pounds was removed, belonged to the fatty variety, adipose sarcoma, bearing a close resem- EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 501 blance to ordinary fat, with which it corresponded in struc- ture, only appeared a little darker in colour. The only other case of tumour worthy of notice in the horse was one of the melanotic variety, which occurred ia a grey horse. It was ver}' large, and was so closely connected with the rectiim that I considered operative interference dangerous. This variety consists in a deposit of colouring matter, and is rarely met with in the horse, excepting in those of a white or grey colour. They occur in any organ or tissue, but generally are found of greatest extent in the neighbourhood of tail and anus. The only plan of treatment is excision, but is very frequently unsatisfactory, owing to their rapid return, the cause of the deposits being entirely constitutional. THE END IINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, EDINBDBGH. MESSRS BLACKWOOD AND SONS' N£W PUBLICATIONS. This day is published, THE BOOK OF THE LANDED ESTATE; CONTAINING DIRECTIONS FOB THI! MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OE THE RESOURCES OF LANDED PROPERTY ; DETAILING THE DUTIES OP THE LANDLORD, FACTOR, TENANT, FORESTER, AJiD LiVBOURER. 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By Jolin Hill Burton, In Crown Octavo. Second Edition, 7s. 6d. "We have not been more amused for a long time : and every reader who takes interest in typography and its consequences will say the same, if he will begin to read ; beginning, he will finish, and be sorry when it is over." — AthmcBvin. ■* Mr Burton has now given us a pleasant book, full of quaint anecdote, and of a lively bookish talk. There is a quiet humour in it which is very taking, and there is a curious knowledge of books whifh is really very sound." — Examiner. " One of the most charming volumes we have ever read, abounding in quaint anecdote, and printed in appropriate fashion on cream-coloured paper. It is impossible anyst^here to open the book without coming upon a ' good thing. ' " — Literary Budget The Sketcher. By the Rev. John Eagles. Originally published in Blackwood s M-ayazine. Octavo, 10s. 6d. 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Two Lectures on the G-enius of Handel, and the distiac- tive Character of his Sacred CompositioDS. Delivered to the Members of the Edinburgh Philosophical Institution. By the Very Eev. Dean Eamsat, Author of ^ Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character,' In Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d. Essays : Critical and Imaginative. By John Wilson, Professor of Moral Philosophy and Political Economy in the University of Edin- burgh. Edited by Professor Ferrier. Four Volumes, Crown Octavo, 24r. Homer and his Translators, and the G-reek Drama. By Professor Wilson. Crown Octavo, 4s. Blackwood's Magazine, from Commencement in 1817 to December 1861. Numbers 1 to 554, forming 90 Volumes. £31, 10s. Index to the Eirst Eifty Yolumes of Blackwood's Magazine. Octavo, 15s. Lectures on the History of Literature. Ancient and Modem. By Frederick Schlegel. Translated by J. G. Lockhart. Foolscap, PUBLISHED BY W. BLACKWOOD AND SONS.