COMMUNICATIONS FROM MR. KENT. 631 
of detecting amongst adulterated or substituted drugs ; but 
th^re was no trace to be found of either. The only substance 
found, not mentioned by you, was an oil of some sort, which 
1 cannot identify, it being too small in quantity. I think it 
right to add that a Mr. Thomas Roderick, has sent me from 
Pontypool four substances for analysis, which from his 
statement, and from his locality, I judge to have been used 
in your balls. In these I find nothing likely to cause the 
death of a horse, either in quantity or quality. There re- 
main only three chances of death and no discovery. First, 
the length of time occurring between the administration and 
death (three days), which still would have enabled me to 
find metal or minerals in the liver. Secondly, improper 
treatment by the groom, as I have known death to occur 
with not a large ball, if a large quantity of cold water was 
given immediately after. And thirdly, a substitution by 
mistake of one medicine for another by the dispenser, such 
as Croton oil for another variety. At all events, as 1 cannot 
find the poison, it is useless to speak of chances. 
I remain, sir, yours respectfully, 
William Herapath. 
To Alexander Edwards, Esq., Pontypool. 
.Bristol, September 17l/i, 1857. 
Sir, — From the copy of Mr. Herapath’s letter you have 
sent me, it is perfectly plain that he writes learnedly on a sub- 
ject respecting which he is perfectly ignorant, and sits as judge 
where he would have acted more prudently and wisely had 
he acknowledged his perfect ignorance of the proper treat- 
ment of horses during the operation of carthartic or purga- 
tive medicine. He says “ I have known death to occur 
with not a large ball, if a large quantity of cold water was 
given immediately after.” 
This is a mere gratuitous assumption of Mr. Herapath, 
and which I can abundantly disprove (that is if he means to 
say that it is a necessary consequence from drinking cold 
water) by thousands of cases. My regular practice is, and 
has been for more than thirty years, I believe forty, to give 
cold water. And in the case of cart-horses, to give the ball 
on Saturday morning, and let the horse work all day, 
whether it rains or not, and drink cold water; and I never 
had a horse die or made ill by it in the course of that time. 
Would not Mr. Herapath have acted with more discretion 
had he adopted the same course in reference to treatment as 
