HYSTERICAL DISORDERS. 
515 
pening in the neighbourhood of Chesterfield, to a mare worth 
£40, about half of which the owner of the horse paid. 
I am, dear Sir, 
Yours truly, &c. 
Leek, July , 22, 1854. 
LETTER FROM S. SIMPSON ESQ., TO T. HURFORD, 
ESQ., ON HYSTERICAL DISORDERS. 
Sir, — That veterinary surgeon who has written the book on 
hysteria in mares, knows much more of the ways of the 
world than you do ; as if he succeeds in getting such men as 
Mr. Percivall to believe it, his fortune is made, for there is 
not an hysterical old or young dame in England who has had 
a stud but will call in his aid, and by and by we shall hear of 
hysterical dogs and cats, &c. without number. Why, sir, I 
verily believe that two-thirds of the hysterical subjects among 
the human beings have them at will, and the other third 
nearly from want of it. Do you know what the old woman 
said when she kissed her cow ? Why, fancy. Well just some 
real, or fancied grievance is the mother of this evil with 
fifteen out of twenty cases. But where, I would ask, are those 
wonderful hysterical mares to be found ? only in the fancy of 
the veterinary surgeon who has written about them. 
I am a horseman from a child in town and country ; and I 
am nearly thirty-four years in India. My brother w 7 as well 
to do at one time, with a number of horses and mares, and 
we were surrounded by a multitude of large and petty pro- 
prietors of horses and mares, as well as horse-dealers on a 
large scale, and the great Mr. Hibbert, from England, with 
his large repository; and one andall kne wnothingof a veterinary 
surgeon ; all diseases treated by ourselves or the farriers ; but 
I have never seen nor heard of an hysterical mare in all these 
places. And in India, I have had medical charge of multitudes 
of mares, old and young, but I have never had nor ever heard, 
in all the regiments of Mysore mares I have inspected with 
the Major, of an hysterical mare : so from all my experience 
on this subject, the author w r ould as soon convert his ass 
(if he has one) to the opinion, as me, that there are hysterical 
mares. 
I am glad to hear that you take kindly to your new regi- 
ment ; I will give you a call when I come in, for a lesson in 
the lance exercise. Dont break your heart yet, sir, with 
hearing your horses cough : here am I, old pill garlic, with 
