No.4o3.] REVIEWS OF RECENT LITERATURE. 599 
a dumb creature, that cannot express clearly its needs, than a human 
being, and taxes one's intuition far more than can be realized by the 
inexperienced, who have never studied and contrasted the normal 
with the abnormal expressions and habits of animals. He discusses 
the above subjects very briefly, too briefly, in fact, as he advises some 
things which are opposed to the methods of many dog breeders, 
without sufficiently stating his reasons. For instance, on the subject 
of time of meals, he says: “Where only one meal is allowed [it 
should be given], at midday "; where only one meal is allowed it is 
necessarily a heavy one, and midday is, in winter, a time when a dog 
has generally just finished, or about to begin, his exercise, and in sum- 
mer is the hottest part.of the twenty-four hours. A heavy meal, while 
acceptable to the dog at any time, is generally given at the end of 
the day, when all exercise is over. 
He also states: ** Animal food (except an occasional bone) is not 
advisable in any breed of young dog,! until four or five months old, 
and it should then be gradually, not suddenly, introduced into the 
diet.” He gives no reasons for the above, which is a much discussed 
question, and about which every breeder varies in some degree from 
his neighbor ; but the best authorities advise the use of meat in some 
form or other and in variable quantities. 
Mr. Hill endeavors to correct the absurd ways in which the 
average feminine dog owner cares for her pets, and in reading his 
book it becomes obvious that, if it were not for her mistaken kind- 
ness and overfeeding, the veterinary would have much fewer rare 
diseases and abnormal growths to study. 
The diseases are classified in groups, according to the various 
parts of the system which they attack, and are described in a general 
way; then causes, symptoms, and treatment are given, and this 
method greatly simplifies the diagnoses, and the author’s explicit 
and brief style throughout cannot be too highly praised. 
The book is as interesting to members of the profession as to the 
amateur, on account of Mr. Hill’s large experience with rare diseases, 
which he fully describes. One of the rarest which he gives is 
“verminous bronchitis,” generally confined to animals under eight 
months old. An autopsy showed, in addition to pneumonia, 
“numerous small parasitic worms in the trachea and bronchial 
tubes," 
Throughout the book there are liberal quotations from other 
authorities: from Ainslie, a case of inversion of the stomach ; Hutch- 
1 Obviously meant to be * young dog of any breed." 
