446 
OBSERVATIONS ON LIEUT. JAMES’S BOOK ON 
THE DISEASES OF HORSES, CATTLE, &c. 
By Mr. W. C. Spooner, Southampton. 
I was some short time since at the residence of a gentleman’s 
steward in this county, who put into my hands a little book, 
with the request that I would give him my opinion on its merits. 
It was entitled, “ Practical Directions for the Treatment of cer- 
tain Diseases of Horses, Cows, Oxen, and Sheep, by Lieut. 
Robert James, Member of the R. V. College, and inventor of 
the celebrated Horse Blister, used in the Cavalry Regiments. 
Price Is. 6cL” 
I perused several of its pages, in which was asserted the 
immense loss that the nation annually suffered from the diseases 
of cattle, and the prodigious saving that could be effected by fol- 
lowing the directions contained in this book. Well, thought I, 
surely the author must be a great philanthropist, a mighty be- 
nefactor to his countrymen, to shew them how such a large sum 
of money, amounting to upwards of a million sterling, may be so 
easily saved; and shewing them this, too, for the low sum of one 
shilling and sixpence. 
I read further, and soon came to the first disease, “ The Drop,” 
the remedy for which I found was Cows No. 1. Well, I thought* 
I will read on and see what Cows No. 1 means presently. I 
soon came, however, to No. 1 again ; and I afterwards found 
that this number played the first fiddle throughout, for though 
No. 3 or No. 4 were sometimes prescribed, yet it was plainly 
evinced that the whole and sole object of the work was, the 
welfare and advancement of No. 1. 
After reading several pages more, I thought it would be as 
well just to see what these numbers stood for ; and for this pur- 
pose I turned to the end of the work, fully expecting to see the 
valuable prescriptions there detailed, such being the invariable 
custom in every good veterinary or medical work I had hitherto 
perused ; but, much to my surprise and disappointment, no pre- 
scriptions could I find, but in their stead the reader was kindly 
informed, that all the recipes, from No. 1 to No. 8, were kept 
ready prepared, and might be procured (on paying for them) 
from the author or his agent. 
I confess that, after my high-raised expectations were thus 
dashed to the ground — after searching for a treasure and finding 
a mare's nest — the work sunk not a little in my estimation ; but 
yet I should not have troubled The Veterinarian with any 
remarks on the matter, were it not to notice a libel contained in 
