240 ON VETERINARY MEDICINE 



language by a pra6litioner of that clafs, which 

 is a pleafmg evidence of their improvement ; 

 at the fame time I am convinced there is many 

 a journeyman apothecary, or mere tyro from 

 the College, who, without ever previoully 

 having had a beaft by the horns in his life, 

 would in two years pra61ice, produce a much 

 more comprehenhve and ufeful treatife. 



But the medical reader, or indeed any reader 

 of common information, (hall judge for himfelf 

 of Doftor Downing's medical knowledge and 

 ability, by the following extrafts : 



The BLACK WATER. " The caufe of this 

 difeafe may be any thing that coniliringes the 

 external habit, either conftipating or lubri- 

 cating the fluids beyond their due tone, 

 forcing an infurreftion upon the veffels, fo as 

 to rupture them, &c. &c." A drink is then 

 ordered of dragon's blood, nitre, roch allum, 

 bole, rhubarb, and red fanders — next a glyf- 

 ter — afterwards nitre, prepared fteel, red fand- 

 ers and bole ; and laflly, the following open- 

 ing drink, viz. Epfom falts, nitre, and cremor 

 tartar, to be repeated. Upon the virtues of 

 the opening drink, the Do61or holds forth in 

 the following extraordinary terms-^" This me- 

 " dicine moderates the acrid, incraffates the 

 " thin, and cools the hot boiling blood ; it 

 " flrengthens and corrugates the fibres, and 

 " clofes up the mouth of the 'ruptured veffels ; 



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