major's BRITISH REMEDY. 
239 
quotations from Youatt, as to the nature and treatment of 
ringbones, spavins, splints, &c. With sorrow I exclaim, 
“To what base uses may we not return.” After plagiarising 
the able , true, and practicable quotations from the author in 
question, Mr. Major proceeds as follows: — “Allowing that 
the extract given from Mr. Youatt’s book represents pretty 
fairly (mark the effrontery — c represents pretty fairly ) the 
diseases of ringbones, spavins, splints, curbs, &c., as laid 
down by our scientific men, and the means there described 
as those necessary for the cure, in the jname of common- 
sense, does the actual cautery decompose the ossification, and 
remove the difficulty?” In reply, what in the name of com- 
mon-sense does Mr. Major mean by “ decomposing a spavin or 
ringbone?” He proceeds to ask, “does a blister lubricate the 
ligaments?” Where did Mr. Major ever hear of ligaments 
requiring lubrication, or has he the slightest idea of the func- 
tions of ligaments? He continues asking, “has nature given 
more ligaments or more cuticles than are necessary to per- 
form nature’s works?” Really, Mr. Editor, I cannot at all 
understand the last query. What in the name of conscience 
can possibly be its bent ? I am greatly afraid that a little 
learning is becoming truly a dangerous thing to Mr. Major. 
Again, he asks, “have more than one case in fifty of the 
cases in question been effectually cured by veterinary sur- 
geons’ treatment of firing, &c. ?” I will answer by reversing 
the tables, and state, that little more than five out of fifty 
remain uncured, under professional superintendence, and pre- 
vious judgment as to the propriety of using any remedial 
means ; knowing, as we do, from anatomical and physiological 
observation, when the diseases in question are curable, or, 
that is, whether arising from mechanical, or solely functional, 
(the result of pain,) or from other causes. 
He proceeds to say, “ but this, we are told, must be the 
practice; this the only mode of cure,” i. e., firing for the cure 
of spavins. I must kindly reply, that, whoever informed Mr. 
Major that such was the fact, deluded him with the most 
egregious “American,” inasmuch as the veterinary profession 
do not hold firing as a specific in the cases to which he refers, 
no more than they do setoning, blistering , or Major-izing; 
for if they did, they would be descending to the degradation 
of empirics or charlatans. 
Mr. Major goes on to observe, in the blandest manner — 
“ Supposing that I, by my simple application, without tor- 
ture or suffering to the animal, am able to cure no more than 
what has hitherto been done with the present practice in 
one half the time, and for one quarter of the expense, then am 
