VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. 
271 
ingly called on the pursuers, who, after they had seen the horse, 
and had driven him, ultimately bought him, giving their old 
horse as part payment. During our conversation, the pursuers 
asked what was the age of the horse, and was answered by the 
defender, “ nine years old.” The horse, previous to being pur- 
chased by the pursuers, was tried in their van, in which was 
put six barrels of herrings, which was considered to be a suf- 
ficient load. Mr. Wight having noticed a slight swelling on 
his hock, found fault with it, saying he was afraid the horse 
would fall lame ; upon which the defender said that the horse 
was perfectly sound, and passed by Professor Dick ; but he 
here brought forward Mr. Pollock, and said he was a veterinary 
surgeon, who would also give his certificate of soundness, which 
was accepted. 
The next witness called was James Hutcheson , carter to the 
pursuers, who corroborated the preceding witness’s evidence, 
and who, by the desire of the pursuers, took the horse to Pro- 
fessor Dick for examination within a week of the time of 
purchase. 
Alexander Watt, veterinary surgeon, sworn : — I examined 
the horse on the request of Mr. Worthington, Mr. Dick’s as- 
sistant, and found that he was affected with stringhalt in the 
near hind leg, and which I considered as a disease in the 
nerves, and indicated by involuntary action of the muscles of 
the leg, drawing the leg nearer to the abdomen than is natural ; 
that the disease in question causes a horse to be unsound ; that 
it comes on very slowly ; and that, in the case in question, it 
must have existed for three months previous to my examination 
of him. I also examined the horse’s mouth, and found his age 
to be from eighteen to twenty years : the difference of age be- 
tween a horse nine and twenty years of age, as a professional 
man, I have no difficulty in determining : the elongated and al- 
tered position of the teeth is quite sufficient for that purpose. 
William Dick, professor of veterinary medicine, sworn, de- 
poned : — l have examined the black gelding in question twice : 
on the first occasion it was at the request of Messrs. Robertson, 
music-sellers, Edinburgh, and which was some days previous to 
my last examination of him, which was on the 27th May, 1848. 
I found that the horse was affected in a slight degree with 
stringhalt, and, that being a disease, I considered him unsound. 
The disease, in my opinion, was of very long standing. As 
to his age, I considered that he was at least eighteen years old, 
and that I have no difficulty in determining a horse’s age be- 
tween nine years and twenty. I gave a certificate to that effect, 
and which contains a correct statement of my opinion. I con- 
sider the disease called stringhalt to arise from a tumour of 
