OBSERVATIONS ON MADNESS 57 



Madness, thou dreadful malady, what shall I say to thee ; or what 

 preservative shall I find against thy envenomed fang ! Somerville, who 

 declines writing of lesser ills, is not silent on the subject of this. 



Of lesser ills the muse declines to sing, 



Nor stoops so low ; of these each groom can tell 



The proper remedy. 



I wish this worthy gentleman, to whom we have already been so much obliged, 

 had been less sparing of his instructions ; since it is possible that grooms 

 may not have all the knowledge he supposes them to have, and their masters 

 may stand in need of it. No man, I believe, will complain of being too well 

 informed ; nor is any knowledge unnecessary which is likely to be put in 

 practice. The executive part is fully sufficient to trust in a groom's hands. 

 Somerville's advice on the subject of madness is worth your notice : 



When Sirius reigns, and the sun's parching beams 



Bake the dry gaping surface, visit thou 



Each ev'n and morn, with quick observant eye, 



Thy panting pack. If in dark sullen mood 



The glouting hound refuse his wonted meal, 



Retiring to some close, obscure retreat, 



Gloomy, disconsolate ; with speed remove 



The poor infectious wretch, and in strong chains 



Bind him suspected. Thus that dire disease, 



Which art can't cure, wise caution may prevent. 



Plenty of water, whey, greens, physic, air, and exercise, such as I have 

 before mentioned, have hitherto preserved my kennel from its baneful influ- 

 ence ; and, without doubt, you will also find their good effects. If, not- 

 withstanding, you should at any time have reason to suspect the approach 

 of this evil, let your hounds be well observed at the time when they feed : 

 there will be no danger while they can eat. Should a whole pack be in the 

 same predicament, they must be chained up separately : and I should be 

 very cautious what experiment I tried to cure them ; for I have been told 

 by those who have had madness in their kennels, and who have drenched 

 their hounds to cure it, that it was the occasion of its breaking out a long 

 time afterwards, and that it continued to do so as long as they gave them 

 anything to put it off. If a few dogs only have been bitten, you had better 

 hang them. If you suspect any, you had better separate them from the 

 rest ; and a short time, if you use no remedy, will determine whether they 

 really were bitten, or not. Should you, however, be desirous of trying a 

 remedy, the following prescription, I am told, is a very good one : 



Of Turbith's mineral, eight grains, 

 Ditto, sixteen grains, 

 Ditto, thirty-two grains. 



This is to be given for three mornings successively ; beginning the first day 



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