50 Worms, 



part of the gullet^ and coupled at the same time with such violent 

 spasm, as to prepare the spectator to expect every instant, the 

 completion of the act of vomiting-. — So that the inference which 

 Mr. Clarke draws from the presumed fact, that nausea cannot be 

 excited in the stomach of Horses, must share the fate of all such 

 inductions as proceed from false premises, in other words, it must 

 fall to the ground. Nor do I imagine that more dependance can be 

 placed upon this Gentleman's speculative notion, that the Bots may. 

 occasionally prevent the attack of contagious disorders, such as 

 Farcy and Glanders ; or of Moon-blindness, Inflammations of the 

 Lungs, Spavins, Splents, &c. For the only incontrovertible fact 

 connected with these suggestions, is, the unquestionable greater fre- 

 quency of Farcy and Glanders amongst such Horses as are kept in 

 Stables, which from not being turned out to grass, are therefore-on 

 that account, precluded from the attack of the Fly, whose egg pro- 

 duces, the Bot. The presence or absence of Bots however, is, I ap- 

 prehend in no degree or manner connected with these two diseases^ 

 which spring indisputably, from other and less equivocal sources. 



Much less is it reasonable to suppose, that the formation of 

 Splents or Spavins is likely to be prevented by the presence of Bots 

 in the Stomach. Upon the whole then, I consider the arguments 

 which Mr. Clarke has used to support the notion of the probable uti- 

 lity of BotiS to the system, as resting upon a basis far too vision- 

 ary. Nor can I help being of opinion that the bare admission (even) 

 of the probability that they may now and then, occasion the death of 

 the Animal, is likely (on such high authority as Mr. Clarke's) to lead 

 to very mischievous effects in Veterinary practice. For by thus 

 stamping currency on some of the old mysterions and superstitious 



