70 TREATMENT OF DISEASES 



chrysalis stage, they appear as a gad-fly, and are then again ready 

 to propagate their species. 



I must confess that in former years I advocated the theory, as 

 taught at the schools and through the pages of our text books, that 

 bots loere innoxious, and seldom, if ever, did any harm to horses. 

 In fact one of our most distinguished writers on veterinary science, 

 (the late Mr. Percival), suggested that "bots might serve some useful 

 purpose by exciting the function of the stomach, they then arouse 

 the sluggishness of this organ, by which means digestion is pro- 

 moted." 



Mr. Percival also promulgated the following theory : " You may 

 boldly assert that bots are in nowise injurious; still you cannot per- 

 suade the world so, and, therefore, you must be prepared to meet 

 the complaints of those unbelievers, who will now and then declare 

 that their horses have bots — which must be got rid of. But I know 

 of no medicine that has the power of destroying them; and even if 

 we possessed such, I am not sure that we could, even when dead, 

 d,etach them from the cuticular coat of the stomach to which they 

 are attached with small horns." 



Hence, in accordance with the dictum of the schools, and popular 

 medical teachings, I formerly was a medical convert to their false 

 theories, and dare not use my own experience and intelligence 

 against that of the recognized authorities. But "facts are stubborn 

 things." At the present period, having emancipated myself from 

 the theory of the schools on the subject under consideration, I em- 

 phatically declare that the presence of bots in a horse's stomach is 

 conclusive evidence of an exciting cause of disease, peculiar to the 

 digestive organs ; they (the bots) are, in fact, a foreign body located 

 in the interior of the stomach, one of the most sensitive organs of 

 the animal economy ; they must necessarily pervert the function of 

 that organ. 



There is no doubt that a large number of bots congregated within 

 the stomach near the termination of the esophagus must interfere 

 with the passage of food into that organ, as the following case will 

 illustrate : I was requested sometime ago to see a horse, the subject 

 of a climatic aifection, which manifested itself in a discharge from 

 both nostrils, accompanied by some soreness of throat. The animal 

 had been treated by its owner and appeared to be doing well, up to 

 the time when my services were sought. I found the patient be- 

 dewed with a cold, clammy sweat, small, thread-like pulse, and 

 hurried respirations ; his head was extended and the mouth open; 

 he appeared to be choking, and made efforts to vomit. I explored 

 the esophagus, and found at the lower part a very perceptible tume- 

 faction, as if it were impacted with food. I had about determined 

 to cut down upon the esophagus and make an attempt to remove 

 whatever might be the cause of the obstruction, but suddenly the 

 animal fell down, went into convulsions, and in the course of a few 

 minutes died. 



The autopsy revealed the presence of a large cluster of bots, num- 

 bering two hundred and seventy-live, located within and around the 

 lower part of the gullet, and just within the entrance of the stomach ; 

 and so completely had they obstructed the passage, that it was im- 

 possible for the food to pass. I found the gullet completely packed 



