SOME OCCULT DISEASES MAY BE DUE TO SHOEING. 149 



proceed. By joining his evidence to that of the 

 Boston oculist, whose special study, reflection, and 

 acumen had enabled him to detect a cause concealed 

 under a lady's flounces, it may be assumed that 

 many puzzling infirmities in the horse may have 

 their source in shoeing. The experiment which 

 would prove this would be interesting, humane, in- 

 expensive, and devoid of all risk. There is nothing 

 in the shape of vivisection in anywise involved in it, 

 and, indeed, there is no valid reason why it should 

 not be made, as, in fact, it has been made, and, if 

 we say nothing of the help which it may give us in 

 accounting for occult infirmities, it has been found 

 to succeed ; and it will be so found again. 



Mayhew says : ' The various aspects which disease 

 can assume, of course, are multiform, and unfortu- 

 nately these, when exhibited by the horse, are all 

 exposed to the arbitrary conclusions of prejudice.' 

 'The diseases of the horse are not yet thoroughly 

 understood.' Although an advocate of the use of 

 tips, he did not go to the length of advising the 

 entire abolition of iron, which he regarded as a 

 ' necessary evil.' After saying that * seedy toe had 

 been much thought about, and the fancy somewhat 

 racked to account for its origin,' he theorised on 

 the subject until he persuaded himself that it was 

 caused by a debilitated and diseased state of the 

 constitution, and prescribed entire rest in the stable 

 (not in the field), with a liberal diet, until a cure 

 was effected. How could he possibly have left out 

 of account the true cause, which was staring him in 



