4 On the Use atid Abuse of Purgatives, 



But I have met with a great many persons of good sense and 

 judgment, who have for years been accustomed to the management 

 of Horses, and who nevertheless have a very inadequate and imper- 

 fect notion how easily, under certain circumstances, and in peculiar 

 constitutions, inflammation may be excited in the intestinal canal, and 

 how many cases of apparently slight indisposition there are, which 

 utterly forbid the use of Purging Physic, unless at the risque of 

 the greatest danger. 



Hence the astonishment which is always expressed by such people 

 when a Horse is found dead in 48 or 56 hours, after the administration 

 , of what was considered a proper dose of Physic. 



Then are the family receipts carefully examined, l)ooks arc handed 



,.down from the shelves of the library, one author is compared with 



.another, and the memories of the parties (who stand amazed at the 



fatal event) are ransacked in order to recollect, how many instance* 



they have known of the same dose having been given to different 



Horses, with perfect impunity. 



In all such cases it is fortunate for the apothecary, if he escape 



without some share of censure. For if the gr^om have given plenty 



of mashes, and refiaincd from the use of cold water, it is considered 



,ihat he has performed his duty most correctly, and the poor Pharma* 



copolist is thought to be alone in fault. 



Some years ago I knew an instance of a gentleman of a whimsical 

 . character, who, having lost a Horse in this way, wrote to a Veterinary 

 Surgeon who had (at his desire) examined the animal after death, 

 requesting to have a consultation with him respecting the dead Horse 

 and the apothecary. Indeed I should be almost afraid of having 

 my veracity impeached, were I to state the number of cases in which 



