Light, 253 



free adinission of light. My advice was accordingly taken, and in 

 a few months afterwards, he called to thank me for curing* his Horse 

 of starting. And a little reflection, I should thinks would easily con- 

 vince every man, that there is a species of inhumanity in purposely 

 condemning a Horse, unnecessarily, to a state of darkness ; so long 

 as it remains incontestable, that in common with other animals, he 

 is capable of receiving enjoyment from the exercise of the faculty 

 of sight. But, setting aside the plea of humanity, which some 

 may think too frequently alluded to in a work of this kind, the im- 

 policy of keeping Horses in astate of darkness, mustbe manifest to every^ 

 unprejudiced mind. For, besides producing the evils already glanced 

 at, it is indisputable that dark stables must materially aggravate the 

 pernicious effects of hot vitiated air upon the eye, and thus prore an 

 additional means of laying that organ open, to the attack of moon- 

 blindness. For, though a dark stable that is cool and well ventilated, 

 is, undoubtedly, favourable to the recovery of a moon-eye^ when the 

 inflammation is high, and when, consequently, the stimulus of light 

 becomes painful to the organ, yet, the darkness of stables under other 

 circumstances, will not only pave the way for the first attack, but 

 render the eye more liable to a recurrence of this complaint, by ex- 

 posing it to great and rapid vicissitudes of light. Again, we may 

 lay it down as a general rule, that the air of stables will always be 

 foul and hot, in proportion to their darkness, not only for the reasons 

 which have been already adduced, but, because of the impossibility 

 of detecting the negligence of Grooms and stablemen and of perceiv- 

 ing the bulk of those hot-beds, which are left constantly fermenting 

 under the nostrils of Horses. Let the light of heaven, therefore, be 

 admitted into stables, as freely as it is given. It is a natural and health- 



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