888 DISEASES AND THEIE TBEATMENT. 



tend to be able to explain definitely the nature of the trouble ; but 

 they believed it was this, that, or something else, and the conse- 

 quence was that the poor horse was liable to be tortured for hours, 

 often killed, by cruelty or repeated dosing with remedies that were 

 not applicable to the case. While it is true a horse may show the 

 symptoms of colic, from a variety of causes, which would mislead 

 the judgment of even good practitioners, it is so exceptional as to 

 be scarcely worth referring to here. 



It was stated in another part, by the writer, that he employed 

 a veterinary surgeon of unusual skill and experience, to instruct 

 him in his method of treatment for the cure of such diseases as 

 are most common and dangerous to horses in this country, includ- 

 ing the prescriptions used by him for the same. 



The first morning, while waiting in the ofiice for the com- 

 mencement of this instruction, the doctor came in hurriedly, say- 

 ing, "There is a horse here that has colic; I wish you to observe 

 his condition carefully; notice what will be done for him; in the 

 meantime read every authority in the library on the causes and 

 symptoms of colic, but do not read the treatment, as the treatment 

 given in books is not reliable, and would only mislead you." 



As directed, I noticed carefully the condition of the case and 

 the effect of the treatment, which was favorable. In the mean- 

 time I read up on the subject, and that evening I was given a 

 lecture on colic, when the doctor informed the writer that he had 

 killed hundreds of horses before he knew how to treat it success- 

 fully; and that the treatment given in books, and generally ad- 

 vised, could not be depended upon to cure colic with anything like 

 certainty; that even veterinary surgeons of very high stand- 

 ing could not feel any certainty of being able to cure colic ; that 

 it was found especially difficult to cure flatulent colic, or tympan- 

 ites. " Now," said he, "we can cure every case that comes into 

 this stable, if we can have an opportunity of treating them within 

 a reasonable length of time, or before there is a colapsed condition 

 of the circulation." 



The opportunities for treating colic in the Infirmary were very 

 many. The Erie Canal heads at that place, which necessarily con- 

 centrated a large number of canal horses in the vicinity, which, 

 with those of the city, brought to the Infirmary almost every day 

 a number of horses suffering with colic ; and during my experi- 



