320 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



cases, and I see no reason that we should not, we lose 

 a great deal of that feeling of ' utter helplessnes ' when 

 dealing with our patient ; for two very natural results 

 of allowing for this possibility of reduction are a much 

 greater care in diagnosis and a corresponding caution in 

 treatment. In very many cases we may fall short of 

 doing all that we may wish, but in just as many others 

 we shall do an amount of good we can hardly measure, 

 more especially if to what we deem efficient medicinal 

 means of effecting reduction we add the mechanical one 

 of manual interference. It opens to us a sphere of 

 action into which the vendor of quack nostrums and the 

 practitioner content with ' rule of-thumb ' methods cannot 

 possibly hope to enter — a sphere in which anatomical 

 knowledge, a complete understanding of the drugs we 

 employ, and a very thorough comprehension of the 

 manners and actions of our patients, are all necessary 

 to an elucidation of our case. More sure in diagnosis, 

 we become more sure in treatment. The owner and our 

 patient both benefit, and we ourselves, already gratified 

 with that, have an added satisfaction in the knowledge of 

 a good work well done. 



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