FISTULA, OR FISTULOUS WITHERS. 211 



proportion of the human family have the seeds of scrofuhi in 

 their systems, and that it is liable to manifest itself at any 

 time of life in some of its many forms, whenever any exciting 

 cause is brought to affect the person; or it may commence 

 without any particular provocation. I shall now state a few 

 of my reasons for this opinion, and for rejecting the common 

 view of the causes of fistula and poll-evil. 



In some particular countries, States, and localities, these 

 diseases are very prevalent, a large per cent, of the horses 

 being affected by them, while in others they are of very rare 

 occurrence — indeed, almost unknown — whereas the accidents 

 and violence to which they are attributed are very generally 

 distributed, being of quite as frequent occurrence in one 

 locality as another. 



Some breeds of horses are so perfectly healthy that disease 

 of any kind is seldom met with among them. They are 

 equally exempt from fistula and poll-evil, though it can not be 

 supposed that they are less exposed to the accidents referred 

 to than others. 



Some horses may be bruised ever so much by the saddle 

 pushing forward, by the collar, and stand in a low stable with 

 a low door, and often have severe strokes about the withers, 

 and may be beaten over the head with a club or Avhip-handle, 

 or even knocked down, and yet never show any disposition to 

 either poll-evil or fistula, the bruises getting well just as they 

 would on any other part of the body. 



It may be safely stated that no positive evidence of any 

 injury can be found, in five cases out of six that may be met 

 with ; but, on the contrary, in more than one-half of them 

 there are strong evidences that there had not been a possi- 

 bility of such injury. 



It is not unfrequently the case that, when treating a horse 

 for fistula, or soon after he has got well, he will take poll-evil ; 

 or when treating for poll-evil, or cured of it, he will take 

 fistula ; or he may have fistula on one side, and in the same 



