REMARKS ON A CASE OF ENTERITIS IN A MARE. 195 
ing to report, by treating the mare as just described, would re- 
store her to a healthy condition : but while I remained on the 
spot they returned without having found him. 
Perceiving, however, that my employer was growing impatient, 
and that his great credulity — the offspring of ignorance and the 
parent of folTy — induced him to confide in every ridiculous sug- 
gestion offered by the most perfectly uninitiated and worthless 
pretenders, I remarked to the owner that he must have a little 
patience; for it was by no means necessary to attempt the re- 
moval of the feces with the hand ; and, to convince him of the 
truth of this, I took off my coat and examined the rectum. The 
result of the examination proved the correctness of what I had 
asserted. 
I then asked, “ Are you satisfied on this point V* adding that, 
if any feces had been lodged in the rectum, some portion of it, 
at least, must have been evacuated before, even by means of the 
clysters that had been used from time to time. 
I repeatedly desired him to have patience, and, just before my 
departure, I requested that I might be informed, early on next 
morning, how the mare was getting on, and stated that it would 
not be advisable to repeat the purgative medicine, as the appear- 
ances led me to suppose that the bowels would be shortly moved. 
These were, the grumbling noise produced by the bowels, and the 
pain coming on at intervals, instead of being continued. 
Instead, however, of receiving the anticipated intelligence, 
a note, of which the following is a verbatim copy, arrived : — 
“ Mr. Dawber — My neighbour Hewit called on me last night, 
and wished to look at the mare. He said the pain lay alt in the 
chest. He took off the fore shoes, and put the feet in bran poul- 
tices. He condemns the clystering; he says it drives the dung 
back : so, of course, I shall try him, and you need not come till 
1 send for you. — P. Rimmer.” 
In consequence of being discharged I heard nothing of the 
mare until Saturday, February 26th, when Mr. Rimmer called 
at my house, and said he wished to have a little private conversa- 
tion with me. “ Well/' replied I, “ what is it you desire to say ?” 
He answered something to the following effect : “ I have called 
to inform you that my mare is dead, and that I attribute the loss 
of her to your being ignorant of the seat of her disease. The af- 
fection was all in her feet, and to such an extent that I was com- 
pelled yesterday afternoon to have her destroyed. We examined 
her; many of my neighbours were present, and talking very much 
to your discredit. We could see nothing the matter with the 
bowels, but her lungs and feet were both diseased.” I then made 
the following answer : “ Sir, I cannot but feel very sorry that 
you have lost your mare, and I am aware that the loss, to you, is 
