ON F7\RCY. 441 



charafterirtic of tliis malady, when local, and in 

 its commencement. 1 have feen the local and 

 fpurious farcy, mentioned by the old writers, as 

 occafioned by fpur-galling ; it chiefly happens 

 to ftarved and hidebound horfes, from acrimo- 

 nious blood extravafated, which turns ichorous, 

 and fpreads a humour along the belly. It is 

 cured by any of the milder applications ufed in 

 the mange, alhfted by a certain fpecific called 

 OATS, exhibited in liberal dofes. 



The old farriers had fuch llrancre methods of 

 curing difeafes, that they feem at this time of 

 day, to have been the mere vagaries of mad- 

 men. In the farcy, after flitching up feme de- 

 vilifh medley in the ears of the animal, they put 

 him to hard labour upon ftraw and water ! And 

 both the ancient and the prefent have commit- 

 ted a great ei»ror in this cafe, by overlooking 

 the caufe, and confining their attention Iblely 

 to the vifible effefts : they expetl too fpeedy a 

 cure of a chronic difeafe, and inftcad of alterino; 

 and purifying by degrees the blood, where the 

 difeafe is grounded, they are foTely employed 

 in coring, and cauterizing, and poifoning the 

 ikin 



A farcy taken in time, may be cured by dif- 

 cuffing the tumours, and not fuffering them to 

 come to fuppuration ; a confirmation of which 

 I faw fome time a^o, in the cafe of a running- 

 horfe, which had been furfeited and negleftcd.' 



When 



