XXXY. 
belief in the efficacy of many absurd modes of treatment and ill-compounded | 
mixtures is nothing more than superstition. Thanks to the efforts of the 
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, many: of the more 
cruel methods of erroneous treatment are being put:a stop to. In Japan, 
and certain other countries, every patentee of an advertised medicine is 
required to submit an analysis of its contents to the Government. If the 
mixture is deleterious, he is not allowed to dispose of it; whereas, if good, he 
‘may proceed with his business. The Japanese have thus to a large extent 
emancipated themselves from the thraldom of quackery. Scientific 
education is daily becoming more appreciated, more honoured, more revered 
throughout the world; and as it spreads, quackery, superstition, and all 
unfounded beliefs, must eventually sink into oblivion. 
Perhaps one of the worst of all errors, are those in accordance with 
which it is dogmatically stated, that certain curable diseases are incurable, 
and certain preventible maladies non-preventible. 
Many of our readers will doubtless be aware that beasts are subject to a 
certain disease of the tongue. The true nature of this affection, which is 
characterised by the growth of tumours of varying size on this organ, has 
only recently been determined. The affected animals slaver profusely, and 
lose flesh rapidly. As the tumours grow, the breath becomes fetid, the 
emaciation becomes still greater, and the animal is unable to take any solid 
food. This disease, termed actinomycosis, because it is caused by the 
growth of a fungus called actinomyces in the tongue, is popularly supposed. 
to be incurable. This is a very great mistake. The malady is in almost‘all 
cases curable by judicious treatment. In order to explain the symptoms 
and treatment of this emaciating disease to our readers, we may quote our 
remarks on this subject, recorded by us in Dr. Fleming’s Veterinary Journal,. 
and in the Veterinarian. A full exposition will doubtless be of interest to 
most of our readers, for, although the disease is not a very common one, it 
is capable of spreading ‘among a whole herd of cattle, in a comparatively 
short space of time. Moreover, it will serve to illustrate how unfortunate 
may be the result of the notions of those, who take for granted that curable- 
diseases are not amenable to treatment. The first case to which we wish to 
call attention is one of a two-and-a-half year old red bullock, the property of 
a cattle dealer, who had kept and fed him on the Lincolnshire Wolds. It 
was first noticed that the beast, which had fed badly for some time 
previously, was slavering profusely. He would eagerly champ and chew his 
hay and seeds, and would then throw them out of his mouth again. When 
the animal had been ailing for about three weeks, we were calledin. The 
tongue at the time was so bad, that the animal could eat no solid food. At 
the same time there was a heifer in a similar condition, and two other~ 
bullocks were also slightly affected. All had several hardened, yellow, 
nodulated masses on their tongues. In the animal to which we were called, . 
the tongué was much enlarged; and was very tender to the touch, and the- 
sides and back of it were studded with nodules varying in size from a marble 
to a pigeon’s egg. One at ‘the back of the mouth in particular was very 
