IN SEARCH OF A HORSE. 141 



sequent inflammation of the eye, is the cause, and 

 upon this assumption to reject the animal as unsound. 

 An eye naturally weak is far more liable to sustain 

 serious injury from the occurrence of those trifling 

 accidents to which all horses are exposed. 



It may be observed, as a general rule, that all 

 diseases of a horse's eye, except such as proceed 

 from accident and local injury, are incurable. To 

 couch the cataract in a man is not very difficult, and 

 generally perhaps, under ordinary circumstances, 

 successful : but the inflammation caused by the oper- 

 ation in the horse, and the uncontrollable power of 

 the retractor muscle, are too great to afi'ord even a 

 bare chance of success. A paralytic afi'ection of the 

 optic nerve is hopeless in the case of man, and of 

 course not less so in animals. No purchaser, there- 

 fore, should be tempted by the hope of cure. And 

 I would add, though I am aware that I am opposed 

 to some high authorities, that when one eye is lost 

 by disease, the sight of the other, however sound it 

 may appear, is not likely to be long preserved. My 

 advice is to have nothing to do with any horse where 

 the slightest trace of disease is visible in the eye, 

 unless you are purchasing him for a mill. In that 

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