1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



387 



of disease, with others which might be men- 

 tioned, may be and often are the effects of 

 diftei-ent and dissimihir causes ; and hence, it 

 is inijjortant that persons when describing 

 either diseased or deceased animals, sta^e mi- 

 nutely all the facts which may have a bearing 

 upon the case. If this is not done, it will be 

 difficult if not impossible to decide the ques- 

 tion as to the nature of the disease, or pre- 

 scribe the remedies most likely to remove it. 

 But farmers cannot generally do this with the 

 means now at their command. To do it they 

 must avail themselves of some instrumentali- 

 ties better tlian any which are in common use 

 among them at the present time. 



Permit me, then, to introduce to their no- 

 tice that wonderful little instrument the micro- 

 scope; sXso post-mortem or after death exam- 

 inations, as the best means for ac(|uainting 

 themselves with the causes, character and 

 proper treatment of the diseases to which 

 their domestic animals are liable. 



The microscope is an optical instrument de- 

 signed to assist the 636 in the inspection of 

 minute objects. In its simplest form it is 

 merely a double convex lens ; but in the form 

 adapted to the use of persons engaged in sci- 

 entific pursuits, it is much more complicated. 

 The microscopes employed by anatomists, 

 physiologists, pathologists and naturalists, pos- 

 sess a magnifying power equal to many hun- 

 dred diameters, and cost several hundreds of 

 dollars ; but instruments magnifying from one 

 hundred to five hundred diameters, may be 

 btained at a cost of five to twenty-five dol- 

 lars ; and these will answer the purpose of a 

 farmer very well. Caution, however, should 

 be used in the purchase of a microscope, for 

 some of the articles sold under that nanie^are 

 entirely worthless. I would advise persons 

 wishing to procure a good instrument to do so 

 through the agency of a reliable physician or 

 optician. 



But, I may be asked, can a person of only 

 a common education, by the assistance of a 

 microscope, discriminate the various diseases 

 which affect our domestic animals ? No, not 

 in every case ; and yet, almost any farmer can 

 by its aid determine whether or not the dis- 

 ease which may be threatening the life of his 

 horse, cow, hog, sheep or fowl, or which may 

 have destroyed one of his most valuable ani- 

 mals, was caused by worms or other parasites. 

 And with such knowledge as he may easily ac- 

 quire he can, by the use of a microscope, de- 

 cide with a good degree of certaint}^ respect- 

 ing a tumor or a swelling which may have ap- 

 peared on a favorite animal — whether it be 

 cancerous or otherwise — whether it be malig- 

 nant or benign. 



As to the importance of post-mortem ex- 

 aminations, little need be said. They have 

 done more for the advancement of medical 

 science, than all other things together ; and 

 they will accomplish equally as much for the 

 advancement of veterinary medicine and sur- 



gery, whenever they shall be frequently and 

 skilfully made. Until that is done, veierma- 

 rianism will never become what its importance 

 demands, — a science based on well established 

 facts. Until that is done, farmers will con- 

 tinue to be, as they have heretofore been, the 

 easy prey of ignorant and designing men, and 

 their poor dnmb animals will continue to be- 

 come the victims of all the foolish and cruel 

 quackery th^t foolish and cruel men can in- 

 vent. 



But we suppose most of the older farmers 

 will continue to do as they have hitherto done, 

 and as their fathers did before them ; for 

 farmers, like doctors and ministers, are apt to 

 become stereotyped in their notions, and 

 averse to the adoption of new ideas and prac- 

 tices. Therefore I address especially the 

 young farmers who may chance to read what 

 I have written, hoping that they may be in- 

 duced to occupy an advanced position, not 

 only as it regards the tillage of the soil and 

 the cultivation of crops, but also, as it re- 

 gards the care and management of the ani- 

 mals which contribute so much to their con- 

 venience and comfort, and constitute so large 

 a portion of the wealth of every civilized 

 country. 



As the object of post-mortem examinations 

 is to contrast the appearance of the several 

 tissues and organs of the dead body with 

 those of the living one, noting the various 

 changes which disease has produced, it is quite 

 important that a person have some previous 

 knowledge of the tissues and organs when in 

 a state of health. I would, therefore, advise 

 young farmers to become well acquainted with 

 "the general, and also the minute appearance 

 and structure of every part of the healthy 

 animal. This can be done by a careful ex- 

 amination of slaughtered animals. A few 

 books, also, which your family physician will 

 gladly name to you, and, perhaps, aid you in 

 procuring, -will be worth more to you, and 

 give you more real and permanent satisfac- 

 tion "than a whole library of the fashionable 

 literature of the day. J. H. Stedman. 



West Bratileboro\ Vt., 1871. 



Shovel Making and Geneualship.— In som'e 

 remarks suggested by Mr. Greeley's late visit to 

 the South, the New Orleans Price Current says, 

 "the hidu stria! doctrines professed by Mr. Greeley 

 have subjugated the South. * * * We liave al- 

 ways tliought that Ames & Co., the greatest man- 

 facturers of spades, shovels and axes in the world, 

 did more to conquer a people who had not a manu- 

 f\ictory of spades, axes or shovels, than any gen- 

 eral of the Federal army. * * * No people can 

 ever hope to be free that exchange staple produc- 

 tions, worth gold and silver, for commodities 

 which perish in the use ; nor who have to send 

 abroad for the guns that they fight with, the food 

 that they eat, and the very clothing that they 

 wear." ' 



