OX THE EXTERNAL CAUSES OF DISEASE. 887 
our judgment of the strength of the former; for Hippocrates 
has well observed, “ otium humectat et corpus reddit debile; 
labor siccat et corpus robustum efficit.” To see, therefore, vi¬ 
gour in perfection, we must look at the well-trained wrestler, or 
pugilist, whose turgid muscles, as in the statue of the Farnesian 
Hercules, can be readily distinguished through the skin. Nor 
is it in the plump carcass and fat-sid r ed horse that we estimate 
his racing powers, and capability oivenduring fatigue, but in his 
smooth silky skin, firm flesh, and prominent muscles; the for¬ 
mer condition being weak and powerless, whilst the latter is 
equal to greater exertion of power and speed combined than any 
other animal which the hand of nature has formed. 
Then a horse out of condition, and a horse in condition, are 
two different things-*—" in persona ” the same, but " in re” quite 
another kind of being. But what means, then, must we employ 
to get horses into “ condition ?” Condition is the work of time, 
and can only be acquired by slow degrees. Diet is one of the 
principal means, exercise is another; but neither of these will 
answer, unless accompanied by a certain degree oj temperature . 
“ The essential agent is heat , either generated by warm clothing, 
or conveyed by natural or artificial temperature*.” Without the 
agency of heat it is absolutely impossible to make horses look 
well in their coats; and this, as we said before, is one of the 
external signs by which we judge of their condition. 
It is, we believe, commonly supposed that horses possessing 
short silky coats are more liable to suffer from the vicissitudes 
of the atmosphere of our climate than those with long ones. 
The severe changes in the weather are, it is true, the most un¬ 
happy circumstances attending the situation of domesticated 
animals. Our atmosphere is, perhaps, more variable in point of 
temperature than that of any other country; but in our opinion, 
and we speak advisedly, horses possessing short silky coats are 
better able to brave the inclemencies of a wintry sky than any 
other. Nimrod, in his work on the " Condition of Hunters,” 
makes this pertinent remark on the subject. It coincides ex¬ 
actly with the view we have taken. " It is quite a mistaken 
notion,” he says, “ that a horse with a long coat on his back is 
less liable to catch cold than one that has a short one ; the latter 
is closer to him, is warmer, and is much sooner dry. A long 
hollow coat the wind blows up, and exposes the skin; but what 
is worse still, it is many hours before it is dry after a sweat or 
rain, during which time it must contain all the chilling proper¬ 
ties of wet clothes.” 
* Percivall on the hair. 
