SECRETARY'S REPORT. 243 



and barbarous practices of the old English farriers, believed in 

 then as well by the peer as the peasant, and the scarcely less 

 hurtful, and certainly more expensive quackery, at present current 

 in the United States, and upheld there alike by the public and the 

 press, give the best evidence. It is not meant by this, that sound 

 and trustworthy information about horse-matters, cannot be popu- 

 larized without individual veterinary study ; but it is maintained, 

 that unless the popular ideas current on the subject, are derived 

 from the inductions of science, and confirmed by enlightened prac- 

 tice and experience, they can neither be reliable in themselves, nor 

 useful in their application. 



From a practitioner of this science, therefore, no apology is needed 

 for becoming its voluntary exponent, and advocating its diffusion, 

 where not before introduced ; neither does argument seem requisite 

 to enforce the importance of the subject, or illustration to show the 

 various ways in which it is interesting to every one in the community. 

 When the author came to New Brunswick, some years ago, he did so, 

 on the invitation of a few intelligent and spirited individuals, com- 

 posing the board of directors of the St. John County Agricultural 

 Society. These gentlemen had heard of the progress of veterinary 

 science in other countries, and of the advantages arising from a 

 knowledge ol the structure and nature of the horse, in the treat- 

 ment of his diseases ; and they judged that one who had made this 

 his study, where every facility for learning it existed, and who gave 

 his whole time and attention to following it out, was the most likely 

 to give sound advice, whether on the- ailments of the animal, or for 

 his general management. It was in this belief, no doubt, that they 

 invited the writer to their shores, and it was assuredly in the hope 

 of making himself useful in this way, that he came. 



Veterinary science being thus, as it were, a new thing in the 

 Province, at his arrival, it was to be expected that difficulties would 

 be to contend with, and obstacles to overcome, before its claims 

 come to be recognized, or its true position established in the public 

 estimation ; and such has been the case. Some of this discourage- 

 ment which the author has met with has arisen, no doubt, from 

 prejudice, and the opposition of parties interested in the continu- 

 ance of empiricism and quackery in horse medicine ; but the greater 

 part, from a want of reliable popular information, about horses 

 and their ailments generally, among the horse owning part of the 

 community. 



This deficiency of such knowledge about horse management, as 

 is current in countries where veterinary science has not been some 

 time established, has shown itself to the author in various forms. 

 In the case of some (from previous entertainment of over sanguine 

 expectations) disappointment has arisen, because impossibilities 

 could not be accomplished, by curing disease without the use of 

 time and means, or prescribing for cases without first seeing them, 

 or having them sufficiently described. Others again, have erred on 

 the opposite extreme, and because they could not comprehend the 

 why and wherfore, and the rationale of the means prescribed, have 

 disbelieved in the results that could be produced, even when these 



