AMD SURGERY. 237 



As Ofmer fays, " now I will tell you a flory :" 

 About fixteen or feventeen years fince, an in- 

 fe6lious diforder crept in among my hogs. Many 

 died, and the furvivors were in a very unthrifty 

 {late. The weather was hot, and the ftyes full. 

 According to mycuftom, in all cafes of difeafed 

 animals, I confulted my furgeon. He very readi- 

 ly and liberally gave me his advice, and we tried 

 the effe6t of fome powerful medicines upon indi- 

 viduals, but without the fmalleft fuccefs : how- 

 ever I am at this day convinced, Hippocrates 

 himfelf could not have given me a better ge- 

 neral prefcription than this gendeman, which 

 was, " frefh air, and aperient and alterative 

 " medicines mixed with the food." But my 

 over-looker had heard of a famous cow-leach, 

 or farrier, at the diftance of about forty miles, 

 a man of fuch fovereign fivill, that no difeafe 

 could baffle him, and who my advifer fhrewdly 

 obferved, muft furely know better how to treat 

 pigs than the furgeon, who only knew how to 

 dotlor chriftians. Of all mankind, I was one 

 of the lead likely to have faith in the poflibility 

 of miracles ; however I acquiefced, the man o 

 praftice was fent for, and after making a bargain 

 for his fee, he fat out with ample promife of 

 fetting all to rights in a fhort time. I had al- 

 ready repented more than once, and the (iril 

 converfation I had with the do6lor, evidently 

 (liewed that I had juft caufe. He talked much 



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