On Diseases qfSxv'me, 29 



I believe might be called the staggers, it attacked them 

 generally in the month of September : the hog would 

 all at once turn round very rapidly, and if assistance was 

 not at hand, would in less than half an hour, die. It 

 seldom happened that one alone was attacked, six, eight, 

 or a dozen would be seized in the same way in the 

 course of a few hours : they were immediately bled 

 under the ear and at the tail ; some sweet milk and brim- 

 stone were given to them ; and on which they were af- 

 terwards fed till they were well, or died ; a few reco- 

 vered, but a greater number died ; this however was 

 the only remedy that I knew of, until the year 1803, 

 when a young man who had lately arrived from Wales 

 and who was then working in my still house, put into 

 my hands an old pamphlet, the title page of which was 

 nearly torn off, but it was printed, I think, in the year 

 1706 or 1707, and was composed of receipts for the 

 cure of animals ; there was described a malady among 

 hogs, which I was satisfied was the same as my swine 

 were attacked with and the cure pointed out was as fol- 

 lows. " You will see a bare knob in the roof of the 

 mouth, cut it and let it bleed, take the powder of loam 

 and salt, rub it with it, and then give him a little piss 

 and he will mend." (I give it you in the authors own 

 language.) Every year my pens were more or less sub- 

 ject to this disorder ; and since it came to my knowledge 

 I have invaribly followed this prescription, with certain 

 success, for where I used to lose six I do not now lose 

 more than one : but although the pigs recover they 

 never thrive so well after such an attack. The causes 

 which this author gives for the disorder, I cannot apply 

 to my pens, he says, " the staggers, in hogs proceeds 



