THE RECKLESSNESS OF IGNORANCE. 99 



* Aloes and nitre are the chief perils of the stable. 



' More horses have diseases of the kidneys through 

 the abuse of nitre than would be effected if left 

 entirely to Nature. As to aloes, the poisonous and 

 perilous nature of that drug has already been dwelt 

 upon ; the pitiable infatuation with which grooms 

 regard it constitutes one of the heaviest and needless 

 extravagances of every hunting establishment.' 



Mr. Ransom mentions that in 1879 a number of 

 Lincolnshire farmers met together and formed them- 

 selves into a society for suppressing the administration 

 of poisonous drugs to horses by servants. One of 

 the members stated that he had lost more than thirty 

 horses by this practice. 



It would have been better if the word 'poisonous' 

 had been omitted, and that all drugs had been pro- 

 hibited. 



Ignorant men cannot be expected to discriminate 

 between poisonous and harmless drugs, nor to be at 

 all nice as to the amount which they administer or 

 the ailment for which they administer it. To them 

 a drug is ' physic,' and therefore a panacea, and they 

 will with astonishing complacency administer the 

 same ' physic ' to a horse, or a cow, or a pi<?, or 

 themselves, or their babies, without the least refer- 

 ence to the composition of the ' physic ' or the nature 

 of the ailment. 



H 2 



