452 PBEIilMIITABT EEMAEKS. 



Causes or wottkds and injtjeies. — Before entering upon 

 a special account of eaeli particular form of injury, a few remarks 

 in relation to the causes which are productive of injury to the 

 horse may prove of advantage to the reader. 



Causes productive of disturbance to, and vrithin the animal 

 economy, such as are now implied, admit of being arranged 

 into two orders — inechanical and chemical. The principal me- 

 chanical causes are kicks, blows, punctures, striking one limb 

 against the other during the act of locomotion, falls, concus- 

 sions, injuries from shoeing, and a hundred others of a similar 

 character. 



Chemical Oattses are of a very limited class; that is, so 

 far as this class of causes are allowed to operate perniciously 

 upon the horse. Occasionally a veterinary surgeon is called 

 upon to afford assistance to one of the equine class, which by 

 some means or other, seldom very clearly ascertained, may have 

 fallen into a wet lime pit, or upon whose limbs a carboy of 

 nitric or sulphuric acid may have been spUt. Beyond an occa- 

 sional case of this nature, one rarely, however, hears of horses 

 suffering violently from the operation of chemical causes of a 

 direct character. 



MechaiticaIi CArsES.— For the convenience of pointing 

 out certain causes of injury of this class, it is proposed to have 

 a more limited classification, or rather it is proposed to divide 

 this class of causes into sub-classes ; the object in doing so is, 

 that I may the more efficiently point out defects which are not 

 only numerous, but are the most fruitful source of accidents 

 falling under the cognizance of the veterinary surgeon ; and if 

 by pursuing this course I am the means of inducing those who 

 are the owners of, or the attendants upon, these animals, to 



