312 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse 



critical diseases — as for instance, pneumonia — 

 quite frequently not observed. These symptoms are 

 the accompaniment usually only of such disorders 

 as impose acute and incessant discomfort or pain. 



If it is difficult to diagnose the ailments of the 

 human patient, who can freely describe symptoms 

 and aid in. explaining conditions, how much more 

 arduous is it successfully to locate and combat the 

 troubles of the equine subject, which can neither 

 describe feelings nor relate possible causes. All 

 treatment must be speculative, and. although certain 

 evidences betray the presence of special troubles, one 

 can only experiment more or less vaguely until suc- 

 cess or failure is assured. Nature is the best veter- 

 inary, and if the strength is kept up, her indicated 

 prescriptions of rest ("quantum suf."), and light 

 feeding ("as directed"), air and warmth ("ad 

 lib.") will usually result favourably. Slowly made 

 physical repairs are the more enduring. We kill 

 more horses by mistaken kindness than we do by 

 abuse, and perhaps If we were content to adopt the 

 treatment accorded to mules in the South not so 



