DISEASES OF THE BONES. 83 



tongs. Near the end was a shoulder, so arranged as to take 

 hold of the teeth, which were thus wrenched out. This prac- 

 tice appeared to " put hack " the disease more frequently 

 than any of the others, but the horse always suffered irrepar- 

 able injury from the loss of his teeth, so necessary in grind- 

 ing his food. The writer has seen at least five hundred horses 

 with their teeth thus extracted, and while some of them were 

 much improved, none were entirely well. They remained 

 stiff and hide-bound, and with much impaired digestion. 



But the greatest enormity was the use of arsenic. The 

 plan was to cut through the skin to the jaw-bone, insert a 

 quantity of arsenic with a quill, and then close the wound. A 

 dreadful inflammation and swelling was the inevitable result, 

 the head sometimes becoming as large as a half-busheh An 

 abst^ess soon formed, terminating invariably in a running 

 sore, offensive almost beyond endurance. It was no uncom- 

 mon thing for the flesh and skin to slough oft', leaving the 

 bone exposed, when only the utmost care could save the 

 wretched animal from the maggot, the fly, and, at last, the 

 merciful interposition of death. This remedy was, indeed, 

 worse than the disease in its most aggravated form. 



Other equally revolting and barbarous systems of treatment 

 were current, but, as these are fair examples of them all, it is 

 not necessary to occupy further space in enlarging upon them. 



That these practices can be described mainly as things of 

 the past, must be a source of deep thankfulness to every hu- 

 mane person. They shocked and disgusted intelligent men, 

 even when at their height ; and, as the lesser choice of two 

 evils, many horses were given over to die, without the exer- 

 tion of any effort to prevent it. Still, no attempt was made 

 to introduce a rational substitute, and hence the ignorant horse 

 doctors of that period — or "butchers" as they were often 

 called — had every thing their own way. The people every- 

 where hailed with gladness the improved modes of treatment, 

 and presented the author with many valuable ^;okens of their 

 appreciation and gratitude. 



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