VJU PREFACE. 



Throughout the volume, though I naturally evaded all 

 r-ontroversy, yet in a few instances it seemed necessary to 

 advert to certain existing errors and authorized mistakes; 

 to disabuse the public mind, to negative the mischiefs these 

 were calculated to spread of themselves, and to assure the 

 reader that I was not wholly unmindful of the dissonance 

 of opinion betwixt the authors mentioned and myself. To 

 the ** Annals of Sporting," a monthly publication much 

 devoted to the natural history of animals, I have frequent- 

 ly referred, and often quoted; because in the course of its 

 earlier volumes many desirable facts, some good and useful 

 hints, and valuable suggestions, appeared from time to time; 

 some new opinions and statements were started, and met 

 with repulse, or were more securely placed upon their pro- 

 per bases. * In these respects a favourite project, first com- 

 municated to me by Mr. Badcock in 1802, and partially 

 acted upon,t was therein realized, viz. of collecting together 

 the scattered opinions, remarkable cases, and fugitive sug- 

 gestions that should occur to various isolated practitioners 

 throuo;hout the kingdom, in the same manner as had long 

 effected so much progressive good for human medicine. He 

 had engaged me and Mr. Rickword to assist him in this 

 undertaking, and w^rote to Mr. White and others for their 

 contributions; but it failed at that period, like many other 

 projects of a similar nature; and I observe that the last- 

 named gentleman, in every successive edition of his "Com- 

 pendium," constantly inserts his correspondents' letters on 

 various topics at length, though it was clear to me that dis- 



* In that useful publication ordinary passing events are recorded monthly, 

 under the head of "Horse Intelligence," with brief comments, accompanied 

 at intervals with exhortations to veterinarians to contribute their experiences 

 lo the same stock. In one instance, a vivid appeal, in the number for Sep- 

 tember, 1824, page 191, produced several valuable communications concern- 

 ing hydrophobia, that are embodied in the present work, and acknowledged 

 at page l()2-3. The intelligent papers of Mr, Perry, of Svvafl'ham, and 

 others, also owe their origin to the same stimulus to publicity and the desire 

 to establish a name for ingenuity in their profession to the writers. 



1 1 took occasion to advert to that project in my preface to La Fosse's Pock- 

 et Manual, and to lament that "the want of a more liberal practice is felt as 

 an insuperable bar to iinjirovement in the art of farriery, which would behest 

 served by communications of the discoveries made, and the mode of treatment 

 most successfully followed by various practitioners. This it is which of late 

 years has done, and is still doing, so much for other branchesof medicine, and 

 which, for the sake of humanity, it is devoutly to be wished could be extended 

 •X) this branch also." Pacje vi. 



