610 
MEGRIMS. 
desired point. Since I last wrote to you upon the subject I have 
taken every opportunity of inquiry with reference to the cause, 
with the view of ascertaining whether I had thrown too much stress 
upon the collar’s producing it, and, I believe, I may say not: at 
all events, the following cases will appear to shew that I have not. 
Mr. Woodger desires to take the present opportunity of making 
the remark that, in the majority of instances, his views of the 
principal cause of megrims perfectly coincide with my own, and 
that he is likewise unable to bring to memory, from twenty-four 
years’ practice, a single instance of the disease having occurred to 
a horse when ridden. There is one case that has recently occurred 
to his notice favorable to the views we take of the leading cause. 
The horse belonged to Mr. Hardwick, of Hammersmith. He had 
been in his possession for upwards of four years without shewing 
any tendency to the disease, until last Epsom races, on which 
occasion he was one of four selected to go to the races with a four- 
horse coach ; on which particular day the horses all appeared in 
new harness, and this one, in the course of the journey, suffered a 
somewhat severe attack of megrims. For it he was bled in the 
mouth and from the jugular vein, and for the next five or six 
successive days he continued to shew symptoms of it, when Mr. 
Woodger’s attention was called to him. He prescribed a dose of 
purgative medicine, and from learning that the horse had never 
before going to the races been subject to megrims, he was neces- 
sarily led to look to the collar rather suspiciously, and he found 
it to be too tight. Now, the horse was wearing his new collar 
at the time of every attack. Mr. Woodger, therefore, ordered that 
when again worked he should wear his old collar, which he did, 
and has continued so to do up to the present day, without having 
shewn the slightest appearance of megrims. 
Mr. Hartley, of Walham Green, some four years since pur- 
chased a fine looking-horse at one of the repositories, which was 
occasionally ridden, but more frequently driven in harness. He 
soon became the subject of megrims, and to such an extent that he 
was obliged to sell him. This horse never exhibited the complaint 
with the saddle. He was frequently seized in the evening by gas 
light- 
Mr. Price, of Paddington, some short time since possessed a 
horse very subject to it, at any season, hot or cold, by daylight or 
by gas light. I have noticed that the majority of horses subject 
to it carry their heads high. We had a horse in our own pos- 
session some time since, which Mr. Woodger had had nine years. 
Towards the latter part of that period he began to be affected with 
the disease in harness; sometimes it was quite dangerous to sit 
