THE 
VETERINARIAN. 
VOL. XXVI, 
No. 308. 
AUGUST, 1853. 
Third Series, 
No. 68. 
ON BURSAUTEE, A DISEASE OF THE HORSES OF INDIA. 
By Jas. Western, V.S., Horse Artillery, Madras. 
Dear Sir, — The perusal of Mr. Hodgson’s paper on 
“Bursautee” in India, in the Veterinarian’ for March, 
. affords me an opportunity of going a little further into the 
subject than he has done, and at the same time giving my 
humble opinion on the mode of treatment, which he has but 
slightly touched upon. 
The disease, as it exists in this Presidency, has never in my 
experience, except on my first arrival in the country, now 
many years ago, approached the very virulent form that it 
appears to do in Bengal ; but, with all diffidence, I have my 
impression that this arises, in that Presidency, from mistaken 
management at the time of attack. 
The regiment I was posted to on reaching India was the 
5th Cavalry, to which, previously, a veterinary surgeon had 
never been attached. Here I found twenty-seven cases, in 
the month of August, 1 828, under the treatment of the farrier 
major, an ignorant Indo-Briton. Some of these cases were so 
severe that, as a matter of mercy, I put an end to their 
sufferings by having them destroyed ; the others were cured 
by the precise treatment I adopt in farcy, the actual cautery 
locally, (which Mr. Hodgson disapproves of, but which I 
have never found the slightest difficulty in managing,) and, 
constitutionally, by tonics, vegetable or mineral, or both 
combined, accompanied by full feed and plenty of exercise : 
the last two recommended, most judiciously I conceive, by 
Mr. Hodgson. 
In the upper provinces of Bengal I have never been; but 
three consecutive years in the city of Calcutta gave me no 
slight insight into the nature of the disease as it there exists, 
for I have had sixty or seventy cases to treat daily, and with 
very few amongst them had I much trouble : these few being 
patients of former seasons badly treated. 
We are most unfortunate in India in having no one to 
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