VETERINARY SCIENCE DEFENDED. 
501 
pressed to say what was the nature of the disease, and to what 
cause l attributed it. 1 told the owner that, in many instances, 
this spasmodic action, rigors, and disturbed breathing, &c. were 
caused by over-exertion, and that I could not help thinking that 
it had a little to do with it in the present case ; but, as to the 
soreness of the mouth, it must have arisen from some other cause, 
and, if they made inquiry where the pony had been put up, they 
might, probably, discover some clue to the cause of the sore 
mouth. T have since learned that they did so. The pony had 
been put into a stall where some chemicals had been unpacked, 
and had, no doubt, been poking amongst the litter, where he 
had got something into his mouth, which had produced the sore- 
ness. 
This being the first case of the kind that came under my no- 
tice, I frankly confess that I, at first sight, thought that it was pal- 
pitation of the heart ; but there being no irregularity of the pulse, 
nor any unusual action to be felt in the situation of the heart, I 
was soon convinced as to the real nature of the disease, although 
it seemed rather strange to me that the breathing should be so 
little disturbed, when one of the principal muscles of respiration 
was so much affected. 
VETERINARY SCIENCE DEFENDED AGAINST THE 
ASSAULTS OF CHARLATANISM. 
By Mr. Thomas Greaves, F.S., Manchester . 
** Mankind, in a state of ignorance, with little education, are credulous 
and fond of the marvellous ; and there have not been wanting, in all ages, 
men to gratify that passion and turn it to their own advantage.” 
Error is the cause of man’s misery. It is this which begets 
and cherishes within us many of the worst evils that afflict us, 
and we can never expect true and solid happiness but by a seri- 
ous endeavour to avoid it. Mal-information is more dangerous 
and hopeless than non-information ; for error is always more busy 
than ignorance. Ignorance is a blank sheet on which we may 
write, without much evil consequence, but error is a scribbled 
page, the contents of which we must first erase. It is almost as 
difficult to make a man unlearn his errors as to pursue the straight- 
forward path of knowledge. Ignorance is contented to stand with 
its back to the truth, but error is more dangerously presumptive, 
and proceeds on still in the same dangerous path. Ignorance 
has no light, but error follows a false one. Even in this en- 
