120 
MISCELLANEA. 
The Origin of the Custom of having Goats among 
Horses. 
The smell of goats, of their urine and dung, is said to drive 
away serpents, vipers, and other venemous creatures ; the dung, if 
immediately applied, to cure their bites, and those of mad dogs. 
They are said to prevent the farcy, scab, glanders, staggers, and 
other epidemical' diseases in horses, & c., by their disagreeable 
smell, which drives away the animalcules that cause these dis- 
tempers. 
A Case of Ventral Hernia. 
By Mr. JOHN SCOTT, Kildare. 
In July last, I operated successfully on a thorough-bred filly, 
on whom a hernia had existed from birth. It was as large as in 
the case described by Mr. Holmes in The Veterinarian for 
this month, but was similarly situated posteriorly to the umbilicus. 
Mr. Tombs’s operation also succeeded most admirably, for I was 
enabled to twist off the sloughing parts in about fifteen days, but 
which might have been done sooner, and the cure accomplished in 
the time of that of Mr. Tombs; but as it was my first case, I thought 
it was better for me to be cautious. I never had occasion to regret 
the exercise of caution : it is good practice to let well alone. I 
cannot, however, conclude without expressing my thanks to Mr. 
Tombs, who has enabled me to gain considerable credit by a very 
simple operation. 
There is a five-years’-old horse, a few miles hence, affected in 
the same way. His owner is afraid ; but I offered to lose fifty 
pounds if the operation did not succeed. He applied to his sur- 
geon, who, when he was informed that the hernia had existed from 
the birth of the animal, advised that nothing should be attempted. 
Will some of your correspondents 
opinion ? 
kindly favour me with their 
CHARCOAL Powder blended with and sprinkled over putrid 
portions of a subject under dissection, will, in the course of a night, 
in great measure remove the offensive effluvia. The hands of 
students rubbed well with the charcoal before washing them, will 
dispel the usual stench of dissection. 
