Y KT E RIN A R Y JURIS PRUDE N C E . 
281 
twitching” of the hind-leg, which does not constitute unsound- 
ness. The professional witnesses dissented from this doctrine, 
and the Judge afterwards held that this book only expressed the 
opinion of an individual, and could not be received as an authority*'. 
Defendant’s counsel maintained two points : first, that the war- 
ranty had not been satisfactorily proved, which was over-ruled 
by the Court ; secondly, that the plaintiff was cognizant of the 
unsoundness at the time he purchased the horse; consequently; 
as it was visible to both parties at the time of sale, the warranty 
must have been with the exception of stringhalt, and therefore 
had not been broken. 
Witnesses were called on behalf of the defendant, who swore 
that the horse never had stringhalt, and even went so far as to 
swear that he was sound and free from the disease on the 4th of 
August, the day before the sale. When, however, they were 
pressed upon the point, they could not help admitting that 
stringhalt was unsoundness. 
Mr. Justice Patteson, in summing up the evidence, intimated 
his opinion that stringhalt did constitute unsoundness, but that, 
if the defendant had not called witnesses, he should have thought 
the defect, as proved on behalf of the plaintiff, so very visible, 
that it must have been known to both parties at the time of the 
purchase ; in which case the warranty must have been clearly 
with the exception as to the stringhalt, and would not have been 
broken. As the case stood upon the contradictory evidence, the 
jury were to decide which set of witnesses they believed. The 
jury, after an hour’s deliberation, returned a verdict for the 
plaintiff, damages £14. 
MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE 
VETERINARY PROFESSION. 
On Friday, the 22d ult., a deputation from the committee of 
veterinary surgeons, associated for the purpose of using their 
endeavours to obtain some legislative recognition of the profession 
at large, waited, by appointment, on Sir James Graham, Secre- 
tary of State for the Home Department, and were most courteously 
* The author of this book, written many years ago, confesses that his 
opinion on the subject of stringhalt has undergone a very considerable 
change. The professional witnesses were perfectly right in dissenting from 
the doctrine which he then taught, and he agrees with them that stringhalt 
is unsoundness. — Y. 
vol. xv. p p 
