688 
Communications and Cases. 
ON THE SOUNDNESS AND WARRANTY OF 
HORSES. 
By Chas. Dickens, M.R.C.V.S., Kimbolton, in reply to 
Mr. Hawthorn. 
The communication which you did me the honour of insert- 
ing in the September number of your Journal, relating to the 
warranty of horses, was commenced by my stating that the 
object I had principally in view in directing the attention of 
the profession again to this matter, was an earnest desire 
that the excellent letters of Messrs. Hawthorn and Gregory 
should not pass unnoticed, thereby hoping that something 
definite might be come to on this all-important division of 
the veterinary surgeon’s practice. I do not regret having 
acted as I did, as it has been the means of producing a 
second communication from Mr. Hawthorn, containing some 
amusing as well as much valuable matter, in reply to my 
observations. 
Mr. Hawthorn appears to think that I acted rather indis- 
creetly in recommending my client to retain the horse with 
diseased cord, and he supports his views by quoting two ex- 
treme cases of this kind which occurred in his own practice. 
By referring to my letter, he will see that I did not take 
this step without due caution. I might have added that, 
the horse being a valuable one, I consulted a veterinary 
surgeon of high repute, whose written opinion I also laid 
before my client. I am pleased to find that we have no 
reason to regret the decision; and so well does he continue, 
that I rarely visit the animal without feeling disposed to 
break the last commandment. With hunters, more than 
with any other kind of horse, when we have to take into con- 
sideration their capabilities as to pace, weight-carrying, and 
adaptation to particular countries, in which their services 
may be required, we must occasionally, or rather perhaps 
their owners must, put up with some minor defects. 
Mr. Hawthorn still clings to the title of his paper, — 
“Too much Science.” His fondness for this reminds 
me that 1 have somewhere seen the significant motto of. 
