INTRODUCTORY LECTURE. 
607 
receive the medicine with greater faith. They excite courage, 
more liberal confidence and hope ;” and so on. But that the 
like means were, and still are, employed by the mere pretender 
to veterinary science, and also maintain their hold on the 
minds of the vulgar, bear with me while I adduce a few 
instances in proof. 
Visiting, during the past summer, a member of the pro- 
fession, who stands high in the estimation of his employers— 
and I believe all may who will — he told me that it was by no 
means uncommon for a certain class of farmers in his neigh- 
bourhood, when any of their horses or cattle were ill, to 
solicit him to “ charm ” them ; and although he strongly 
condemns the thing on account of its absurdity, many, never- 
theless, believe he does “ charm/’ because, say they, he is so 
clever in the cure of diseases ; but he does it “ quietly,” lest 
it should be known. 
Some years since, as a great favour, the secret of one of 
these charms was communicated to me. It was a cure for 
red water in cattle, and consisted of some perverted portions 
of Scripture, which the impostor read on the name of the animal 
being given to him , for it was not necessary for him to see it 
even. 
When a boy, I knew one of these so-called “ wise men ” or 
“ conjurors” well, for we supplied him, and that pretty 
largely too, with drugs for cattle and horses; but, whether it 
was by their aid, or the magic arts he practised on those 
deluded creatures who ignorantly sought his assistance, that 
he effected his cures, I will leave you to judge. 
During the present year, a farmer regrettingly said to a 
bookseller, What a great misfortune it is that old “ Moore’s 
Almanack ” no longer has the signs in it. On being asked 
the reason, he replied, “ Why, you see we used to wean colts 
and calves by those signs, and as there are now none in it, I % 
weaned a colt at the wrong time, for it died of disease of the 
heart.” 
We have in this last a little of the remains of alchemy, for 
the alchemists considered the human body a microscosm. The 
heart, representing the vital principle, was placed by them 
under the influence of the sun ; while the brain was regulated 
and controlled by the moon ; hence, the word lunacy, it 
being supposed that insane persons were differently affected 
during the phases of that luminary. The planets also exerted 
their influence over the body : thus, Jupiter presided over 
lungs, Mars over the liver, Saturn over the spleen, Venus 
over the kidneys, and Mercury over the organs of gene- 
ration. 
