LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 



Sir.: I have the honor to submit herewith a report upon diseases of 

 the horse, which has been prepared with great care by a number of the 

 most eminent members of the veterinary profession in the United States. 

 The production of a work of this character is a task of such magnitude 

 that it could not be undertaken by any one man with a prospect of its 

 early completion. It was deemed best, therefore, to divide the subject 

 into sections and to place the preparation of each section in the hands 

 of a veterinarian whose practical experience and reputation would in- 

 sure a valuable contribution. By adopting this plan the contents of 

 the volume have been made ready for the printer within a year from 

 the time the work was begun. While, on account of this method of 

 preparation, there may not be quite the same uniformity of style and 

 treatment which would be expected in a volume written by a single 

 author, it is hoped that this will not be found objectionable, and the 

 speedy completion and the co-operation of authors who have given 

 special attention to their subjects will prove of great advantage. 



The need of a work on the diseases of the horse, which could be dis- 

 tributed to farmers as a safe and scientific guide in the treatment of 

 this species of our domesticated animals, either when affected with 

 slight disorders or serious illness, has long been felt. This obvious 

 want has led to the preparation of the present volume, which is designed 

 as the first of a series to cover the diseases of all varieties of farm ani- 

 mals. The writer would not advise the farmer in ordinary circumstances 

 to dispense with his veterinarian, any more than he would advise him 

 to treat the diseases of his own family, to manufiicture his own furni- 

 ture, or to bo his own blacksmith. There are, however, only too many 

 cases in which the veterinarian can not be procured in time for success, 

 if at all; and, consequently, the farmer who knows or has the means of 

 learning the nature of the disease and the proper treatment will be able 

 to save an animal when otherwise he would lose one. It is common for 

 intelligent people to laugh at the idea of attempting to make every man 

 his own doctor, his own veterinarian, or his own carpenter, and in an 

 ideal condition of society no doubt this would be absurd. But under 

 the conditions which actually obtain on our farms, the farmer who can 

 use tools, if but awkwardly, often finds it extremely convenient to 

 temporarilly usurp the functions of the carpenter; and he also finds 

 that in many cases he must treat his ailing animals or allow them to 



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