126 OTHER REMEDIES FOR SPAVIN. 



is more, this secondary or deferred soundness is likely to turn out 

 o[ permanent character. My interpretation of such cases as these 

 is — not that setoning has surpassed firing as a remedy, but — that 

 the actual cautery has left incompleted the process of cure, for lack 

 of time probably having been given to bring it about, and that the 

 seton, and the additional repose, have at last effected the object. I 

 believe that the firing has failed — if '' failure" such can be called — 

 either from its not having been practised with sufficient severity, 

 or from insufficient time being given before the animal's work was 

 resumed. 



In the year 1827 I had an opportunity afforded me of testing — 

 as far as the cases experimented on would test them — the com- 

 parative efficacy of the seton and the actual cautery. It was the 

 year I entered the First Life Guards, and it became requisite for 

 me, on joining, to make a general inspection of the horses of the 

 regiment. In the course of my inspection I found nine horses lame 

 from demonstrable spavins ; some three or four of which I was of 

 opinion offered prospects of amendment by treatment, and accord- 

 ingly these were taken into the infirmary. This occurring during 

 the time that setons had acquired a sort of specific fame from 

 their alleged ail-but universally successful employment in spavin 

 by Professor — then Assistant Professor — Sewell, at the Royal 

 Veterinary College, it was thought these cases might be made to 

 cast some light upon the much disputed question. With this in 

 view, two were selected, both chronic, both exhibiting stiff and 

 hobbling lameness on emerging in the morning from their stables, 

 both aged horses, both in fact as nearly similar as two cases of 

 spavin could be expected to be* ; and, at the period of my taking 

 them under my care for treatment, both horses, lame as they were, 

 actually at work in the ranks. After some requisite preparation the 

 spavined hocks of both these horses were blistered; but no relief 

 was afforded. A month afterwards, one of them (No. 6 of A troop) 

 had his spavined hock fired, but not deeply ; and across the spavin 

 place of the hock of the other horse (No. 26 of F troop) a seton 



* Unfortunately, I could learn nothing satisfactory concerning their history 

 or period of lameness. 



