PUBLISHED BY J. B. RUSSELL, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the. Acrkultdral WAfeKHOuSE.) — T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



vor^. X. 



BOSTOIV, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 14, 1832. 



NO, 35. 



ORIGINAL AGRICULTURAL ESSAYS. 



REMARKS ON THE "NEW THEORY OF 

 BOTS." 



By R. Green, Mansfield, Ma. 



Many species of insects, by their depredations, 

 force themselves into notice. . Not a plant, how- 

 ever noxious, nor shrub, nor tree, nor any animal 

 of the higher classes, but probably has, like Jo- 

 nah's gourd, an assailant. Such are theii numbers 

 and their destruction of ]>roperty, that anything 

 respecting them, especially whatever tends to les- 

 sefl their increase or prevent their injurious etJ'ects, 

 is interesting. 



In the 23d number, vol. 10, of the New England 

 Farmer, I observed a piece called, "New Theory 

 of Bots in Horses." To this, I paid particular at- 

 tention — but, I saw nothing in it to alter my form- 

 er opinion, which was founded on observation, 

 experiments, analogy and facts. I did not doubt 

 tlie good intentions of the author; but, to use his 

 own words, I thought that " prejudice had, in spite 

 of himself, got the better of his judgment." I 

 presumed that probably some, who are unacquaint- 

 ed with the general history of insects and had paid 

 little or no attention to the subject before us, might 

 draw wrong conclusions from the statements there 

 made. But when I saw the remarks of your in- 

 telligent correspondent of South Boston, I thought 

 further reply was unnecessary. 



Since which, however, I have been de.sii>;d to 

 make some further observations on the " New 

 Theory," by a friend, Mr Russell, whose request I 

 could not well refuse. The few remarks which 

 shall be made, will be merely an ajipendixto those 

 made by your aforesaid correspondent. 



It is not necessary to go. into every particular 

 contained in that paper — such a course would 

 swell this to some considerable lepgth, and be of 

 little use to the public. The whole sum and sub- 

 stance of the "new theory," are simply these po- 

 sitions : — 



1. That bots are bred in the horse. This, 

 however, is not exactly said, but I consider it im- 

 plied, therefore requires a passing notice. 2. That 

 the insects " never kill the horse." That " the bots 

 never injure him," but are " harmless insects, — 

 doubtless necessary to his health." That they nev- 

 er prey upon the horse while living. 3. That "so 

 soon as the horse dies," they " knoiving the animal 

 to be dead, endeavor to make their escape, by eat- 

 ing a passage out, or eat a last meal from choice," 

 of course many perforations are made in the 

 stomach. 



Now all these positions are either contrary to 

 reason, to analogy, or to fact, or to all of them. 



1. That bots are bred in the horse, is contrary 

 to fact. It is well known by naturalists, that in- 

 sects do not breed in the larva state. It is also 

 w^ll known, that the insects in question, inhabit 

 the horse's stomach only in that state ; therefore 

 they are not bred in the horse. 



2. That the insects " never kill the horse, nev- 

 er injure him," but are "harmless." That they 

 never prey upon the horse " while living." All 

 these are contrary to reason, to analogy, and I be- 

 lieve, t<5 fact. We admit, for a moment, that the 



liots do not prey upon the horse " while living." | still greater force. In many cases, if not in all 

 But in this case, we contend that they are essen- j that I have seen, the destruction of the stomach 

 tidily injurious to him. Can any one think that j most evidently appeared to be the work of time. 



the plunging of their tentacula or hooks, into the 

 inner and sensible membrane of one of the most 

 important organs of the horse, the stomach, is no 

 injury ? Undoubtedly the morbid stimulus, caus- 

 ed by their hooks, is amply sufficient to account 

 for many diseases. Although this morbid stimulus 

 should not directly destroy life, yet it may bring 

 on diseases which end in death. The morbid 

 stimulus of ardent spirit on the human stomach, 

 does not at first destroy, but it introduces a great 

 variety of diseases, which terminate in death. — 

 Comparatively, very few die of intoxication, to the 

 great numbers which are carried out of time, by 

 diseases caused by the morbid stinmlus of rum on 

 the stomach. And probably few liorses die di- 

 rectly from bots, to the nimiber which die of dis- 

 eases caused by the morbid stimulus, produced by 

 the action of the insects. I have seen an aduit 

 l)erson greatly distressed at the stomach, with 

 constant nausea and frequent attempts to vomit, 

 but nothing was brought up but ahttle frothy mat- 

 ter — on taking waim water largely, several worms 

 (Ascaris lumbricoides) were washed from the 

 stomach and brought up in the current. On which 

 the vomiting and nausea ceased, and the stomach 

 became immediately tranquil. Will any one deny 

 that this disease was the effects of the morbid stim- 

 ulus, occasioned by the worms in the stomach ? 

 That the worms were the cause, there is no posi- 

 tive evidence ; but there is the strongest presump- 

 tive evidence — the very best evidence that the case 

 admits ; perfectly satisfactory and conclusive. We 

 ought ever to be satisfied with the best evidence 

 that can be in the ease. 



What shall we say, when a horse moderately 

 used, well fed, with no apparent obstruction in the 

 intestinal canal, and in a season when no external 

 insect can annoy him, loses flesh, feils in courage, 

 now and then coughs, frequently turning his head 

 and with an expressive look views his sides, occa- 



It is naturally impossible that the destruction 

 which is often seen on dissection, could be done 

 by the number of insects found in one hour, nor 

 in one day, nor in one week. The membranes 

 about the perforations, in some cases, had become 

 hard and callous, which could not have happened 

 had the injury been done within twentyfour hours 

 of death, much less after that event had taken 

 place. This alone, I consider, is conclusive. It 

 shows most clearly, that bots prey on the stomach 

 while the animal is living. 



Horses are endowed with instinct which directs 

 them to pursue a certain course, without the in- 

 tervention of reason ; or in other words, it directs 

 them to avoid natural evils to which they are ex- 

 posed. They manifest a great dislike to the insect ' 

 in its perfect state, especially the smaller kind 

 although no pain is caused by it. They will often 

 leave their food and run from place to place, to 

 avoid a single bot-fly. The liorse which I now 

 own, often when a bot-fly is buzzing about him, 

 becomes so turbident that I am obliged, when on 

 business, to stop and kill the insect before I can 

 farther proceed— he then is perfectly docile. By 

 this it seems that they, by instinct, are aware of 

 the fatal consequences of the insect. If nature 

 had designed these insects for the health of the 

 horso. we should not exjiect to see so much antip- 

 athy 'to tnem, as is exhibited by the animal. 



Were bots necessary to the health of the horse, 

 then by analogy, we might conclude that worms 

 are necessary to the health of man ; that the borer 

 is necessary for the growth and fertility of our 

 fruit trees ; and that the curculio is necessary for 

 the jierfection of our most delicate fruits— all 

 of which, it is unnecessary to say, are contrary to 

 reason and fact. Insects are always injurious to 

 every living thing on which they prey. 



The presence of bots in a healthy horse, does 

 not prove that they will never injure and eventu- 



sionally biting or snapping as though an insect | ally kill him ; nor does the presence of the borer 

 was stinginff him ; and thus contiimes to do, more in a healthy tree, prove that the assailant will nev 



or less, day after day and week after week, grad 

 ually growing worse ? I ask again, ^vliat shall we 

 say .' Shall we call it a cholic ? a disease which 

 the author of the " new theory " tells us, kills sud- 

 denly. What stronger evidence can be had, that 

 the (;ause is the morbid stimulus of the bots? It 

 is the best evidence that the case admits. If the 

 horse could be made to vomit, (a thing impossible) 

 and the bots be made to relinquish their hold, the 

 insects iriight be brought up to ocular demonstra- 

 tion. In man, the placing the hand on the stom- 

 ach, is an expression of distress in the organ ; and 

 the motions of the horse are not less expressive. 

 This case is not a solitary one. The writer never 

 practised, nor studied the 'veterinary art, but a 

 number of such cases have have fallen under his 

 observation. 



But we do contend, that the bots do prey on the 

 stomach and perforate that organ, and frequently 

 in many jdaces, and this while the horse is living. 

 Undoubtedly the insects are carnivorous, and sub- 

 sist entirely on the horse. What has been said 

 respecting the morbid stimulus, applies here with 



er injure and eventually destroy it. Disease and 

 death, in both cases, depend on the amount of in- 

 jury done and other attending circumstances. 



Much more might be said, but I forbear. I will 

 close this head with an extract from a paper, writ- 

 ten on this subject, by Mr Clarke, a distinguished 

 natm-alist: — "It is fortunate for the animal infest- 

 ed by these insects, that their numbers are hmited 

 by the hazards to which they are exposed. Prob- 

 ably a hundred are lost for one that arrives to the 

 perfect state. The eggs often hatch of themselves 

 and the young larva without a nidus, crawls about 

 till it dies ; others are washed off by water— when 

 in the mouth of the animal, they have to pass 

 the dreadlid ordeal of the teeth and mastication. 

 Such are the contingencies, by which nature has 

 wisely prevented the too great increase of their 

 numbers, and the total destruction of the animals 

 on which they feed." 



3. That " so soon as the horse dies," the bots 

 " knowing him to be dead, endeavor to make their 

 escape by eating a passage out," and hence the 

 perforations seen on dissection. This is contrary 



