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DEVOTED TO IGRICULTU: 



D ALL ITS KIND-RED ARTS AKD SCIENCES. 



DISEASES OF ANIMALS, 



Feu. 14, at the agricultural meeting, Hon. Scth 

 Sprague, of Duxbury, was called to the chair, and 

 the above subject was discussed. Mr. Sprague re- 

 marked, that as there was a groat want of skill in 

 treating diseased animals, it was better to leave them 

 to nature, than run th-c risk of injuring thera by 

 administering medicines injudiciously. 



Dr. G. IL Dadd, veterinary surgeon, cf Boston, 

 said that he approved of the remarks of the chair- 

 raan. He was in favor of a reformed practice in 

 treating animals, instead of bleeding and other harsh 

 modes, as had been the practice of the old school. 

 He then read from a work which he was about to 

 publish, showing the impropriety and the dangerous 

 effects of bleeding, which had been practised to a 

 great extent, and which was recommended generally 

 in foreign works on this subject. lie enumerated a 

 large number of diseases for which bleeding was 

 recommended ; and he contended that ns the prin- 

 ciple of life was in the blood, the extraction of this 

 fluid tended to death. Instead of this harsh and 

 dangerous practice, means should be used to promote 

 the general circulation of the blood, and produce an 

 equilibrium over the whole system. 



Col. Thayer, of Braintreo, said that he had known 

 cases in which he thought that bleeding was useful. 



Mr. French, of Braintrce, mentioned the case of a 

 gentleman who was unwell, and wished to bo bled ; 

 his physician refused ; he was afterwards bled, and 

 recovered. 



Mr. Cole, of the N. E. Fanner, said that case of 

 indisposition doubtless originated from too high liv- 

 ing ; and had the patient been abstinent, and lived 

 a few days on gruel or other light diet, he would 

 doubtless have recovered without the loss of blood. 

 He said that we should depend on good management, 

 as to pure water and air, wholesome food, protec- 

 tion from exposure, exercise or moderate labor, rather 

 than medicine, to keep animals in a healthy condi- 

 tion. He agreed with Dr. Dadd, generally; bleed- 

 ing was a harsh practice, usually unnecessary, and 

 destructive to health. Frequently the modes of doc- 

 toring animals, and the powerful and harsh med- 



ioincs given, would destroy healthy animals. Instead 

 of this, mild means and safe medicines should be 

 used. The restorative powers of nature are great, 

 and when the animal is placed under favorable cir- 

 cumstances, it will generally recover. 



Mr. Buckminster remarked that he liked the views 

 of Dr. Dadd. He thought that medicines given to 

 beasts generally do more harm than good. In most 

 cases mild cathartics should be given, to keep the 

 bowels open, and the patient left to nature. 



Dr. Dadd made some further remarks on the gcr.- 

 eral treatment of diseases, recommending mild and 

 safe means, and the use of such simple medicines as 

 may be found in the forests and the field. 



Mr. Vv'm. Parker, of Boston, stated a case of a 

 horse, in which blooding seemed to give immediate 

 relief. 



Dr. Dadd thought horses 7ni(jht recover after bleed- 

 ing, but that did not show that bleeding was useful. 



Hon. Mr. Newell, of Essex county, thought bleed- 

 ing was good in some eases. 



Hon. Mr. Calhoun moved that the thanks of the 

 meeting be jiresentcd to Dr. Edward Brooks, for the 

 interesting lectures which he had given at preceding 

 meetings, which vote was passed. And he said that 

 this discussion convinced him of the importance of 

 having an institution where more could be learned 

 of the diseases of animals and their remedies. 



DISEASES OF HORSES. 



We have a communication recommending three 

 grains of corrosive sublimate, and three grains of red 

 precipitate, as a dose for a horse afllicted with the 

 horse-ail, stating that a horse recovered after taking 

 two doses ; also recommending saltpetre, flour of 

 sulphur, and antimony, for a cough from common 

 cold and exposure. 



There may be cases in which horses have a consti- 

 tution sufliciently strong to withstand both disease 

 and the effects of unfavorable medicines ; but we 

 regard all such powerful minerals, some of which are 

 rank poisons, as dangerous, and liable to kill a well 

 animal. 



