60 NOTITIA VEXATICA. 



" Laboratory, Royal Polytechnic Institution, April 6, 1843. 

 " I have this morning repeated my examination of certain samples of water brought 

 from the neighbourhood of Windsor. The water from Mr. Davis's house contains 

 lead, and although the amount may appear small, yet its continual absorption into 

 the system is most decidedly deleterious. Ijcad is an accumulative poison ; and the 

 continuous use of water containing even the quantity of lead found in the sample from 

 Mr. Davis's house is sufficient to produce paralysis. 



(Signed) "John Ryan, MD., LL.D., M.R.C.S." 



I will certainly grant that there were ver}^ strong grounds for suppos- 

 ino- that this disease was caused by the presence of lead ; hut, never- 

 theless, I think I can most positively prove, that although other diseases 

 may he produced by it, " kennel lameness" is the effect of a far diffei*- 

 ent cause, namely, as I have before declared, situation alone. I men- 

 tioned in a former part of this ai'ticle, that the hounds, when kept at 

 one of my kennels in Warwickshire were grievously attacked by the 

 complaint ; consequently, last spring, I sent for some water from the 

 very pump which was still in use, and had it analyzed by that scientific 

 chemist, Mr. Savory, of Bond-street, as I wished to be informed 

 whether it was the presence of lead that had produced the lameness 

 amongst the hounds or not. After examination, he informed me that 

 the water contained the usual salts, and that by the application of the 

 most delicate tests, he could not perceive " any presence" of lead. I 

 had almost forgotten to mention that, subsequently to my hounds being 

 kept at Milverton, a scratch pack of harriers were kept there for the 

 purpose of hunting deer, which were in an awful state of lameness from 

 the same cause as mine had been ; and after they had left these quar- 

 ters for a more distant kennel, a large stud of greyhounds were brought, 

 which still added to the number of cripples, which may date their de- 

 struction from the time they first entered these accursed walls. 



As it was about a year since the experiment had been tried with the 

 new earthenware pipes at the Royal kennel, I wrote to Mr. Charles 

 Davis, the huntsman, to know if any beneficial eftects had resulted from 

 the alteration ; and without making any further comment upon the sub- 

 ject here, I will subjoin his letter, only adding that the opinion of one 

 who has had such long experience with hounds and kennels ought to 

 have some weight in so important a matter as the one at issue. 



" Ascot Heath, near Chertsey, Dec. 9th, 1843. 



" Sir, — I received your letter to-day on kennel lameness (an unpleasant subject), 

 which I will answer as briefly as possible. 



" I never said that lead being in the water used for the hound's food caused the 

 lameness, I am sure, but that it augmented it. Since the water has been changed it 

 has not been so decidedly afflicting and obstinate, but by the change of water we have 

 lost many disorders which this kennel was never before free from. It is well known 

 that lead is a rank and insidious poison, for if once taken into the system it remains 

 there and undermines the constitution of either man or beast, causing divers 

 diseases. 



" I had the water analyzed by the most scieatific men in London : the result was, 

 that, after passing through lead to the boiler, the water had the proportion of clear 

 lead nearly two grains to one gallon. Now, supposing that each hound will eat 1 lb. 

 of meal boiled in three quarts of water (which is a fact) daily, besides what he laps, 

 who can be surprised at paralysis, indigestion, abcesses, &c., making their appear- 

 ance ? Such was the case here till withui a few months. Most of the senants have 



