PURGATIVE MEDICINE ON RUMINANTS. 27 
If I might be indulged a little further, I would beg leave to 
make a few remarks on the point at issue between Mr. Harrison 
and myself respecting the effect of purgative medicines in cer¬ 
tain diseases of ruminant animals. I would not have troubled 
you again, except that Mr. H. has (unwittingly, I have no doubt, 
but yet to say the least of it) carelessly misstated me in his last 
paper on the subject, inTHEV eterinarian forNovember1833. 
He has there stated, that it is “ a generally admitted fact, that 
purgatives do not exercise their effects upon the stomachs; and 
he has quoted, or rather misquoted, an opinion of mine, from an 
article in the April number, to prove that I appear to entertain 
similar views on the subject. I must have written hitherto very 
obscurely if I have not proved to you that I hold a directly con¬ 
trary opinion. It has been my endeavour to shew the urgent 
necessity, in all such cases, of unloading the stomachs; and I 
find, on reference to the very article which has elicited these re 
marks from Mr. H., that I have actually congratulated myself 
therein, upon having, as I thought, successfully combatted this 
very opinion. 
But, gentlemen, I am aware that the old adage of there “ be¬ 
ing no rule without an exception 7 ' will apply to my opinion on 
this subject also; and it was in acknowledging and considering 
this exception to a general rule, that I made use of a remark, 
the misquotation of which by Mr. H. I herein complain of. 
He has stated this as my opinion, that I consider it “ pro¬ 
blematical whether medicine can at all affect the first, second, 
and third stomachs." Now, if he, or any one who cares a straw 
about the controversy, will refer to the remark in question, in 
page 201 of The Veterinarian for April, he will find that 1 
was considering the exception and not the rule; and that under 
this impression I said, that “ the most dangerous portion of the 
viscera is the first, second, and third stomachs, because we can 
most certainly give medicines to act upon the abomasum and 
intestines, while the certainty of affecting the first three is to me 
rather problematical," &c. 
Now, whoever looks at this, a correct quotation , will at once 
see that the gist of the argument rests on the uncertainty of at 
all times acting on the first three stomachs (and not on the im¬ 
possibility of so doing, as he makes me to say): an argument 
founded on positive fact, and in perfect keeping with my ex¬ 
pressed opinions, that there are occasional exceptions to the 
general rule, of medicines given in solution entering directly into 
the rumen. 
I feel a right to complain also of a question which Mr. H. asks 
me, viz.:—“ Does it not enter into his philosophy that his exer- 
