REMKDIES FOR SPAVIN. 119 



nerated after havino; once been destroyed. As baldness or " ble- 

 mish," therefore, according to the old mode of treating, or rather 

 of non-treating, fired limbs proved frequent and extensive, it be- 

 came an object of great importance to institute some plan of 

 treatment which should save the skin and hair bulbs, at the same 

 time that it afforded some relief to the animal, who, by being neg- 

 lected, was really suffering more pain in his fired parts than for 

 humanity's sake, after having undergone what he had in the 

 operation, he ought to have been allowed to do. To this point, 

 some years ago, my cousin, Mr. Charles Percivall, called my atten- 

 tion ; and it struck me at the time to be one of such consequence 

 that I begged of him to put his thoughts on the subject upon 

 paper. This he did, and sent the same, in the year 1842, to The 

 VeterinariAiS*. And so much did they please me on perusal 

 at the time, and such benefit have 1 derived from the application 

 of them in my practice since, that I feel I shall not be doing jus- 

 tice to this part of my subject if 1 do not make some extracts from 

 them in this place. 



" In the early part of my professional life, being in a sporting 

 country, I was frequently called upon to perform this operation ; 

 and, in accordance with the general custom, I paid very little at- 

 tention to my patient subsequently, and often had great cause to 

 be dissatisfied with the appearance of the animal afterwards, not- 

 withstanding I had taken the greatest pains in the operation. 

 It was not until I had experienced much annoyance from the 

 blemished and unsightly condition of the fired legs that I began to 

 think seriously on the subject, and to see the necessity of paying 

 more attention subsequent to the operation than I had hitherto 

 been in the habit of doing. The loss of hair, and consequent 

 blemish and disfigurement, which I had frequently met with in 

 fired and blistered horses, I for some time attributed to the pre- 

 sence of some corrosive ingredient in the blister, knowing it to be 

 a common practice with many persons to blister very soon after 

 the operation, and, with some, even at the time of operating : 

 however, experience soon convinced me that I was not altogether 



♦ Vol. XV, p. 20—21. 



