ON SOUNDNESS, 
258 
saying that u every horse is to be considered sound if he can per¬ 
form the ordinary duties of an ordinary horse/ 5 and vice versa ■ 
According to this doctrine there are a great many horses naturally 
unsound ; for instance, those of delicate stamina, or what are 
called washy horses, and others not gifted with much power of 
continuance. This is a thing the world will never subscribe to, 
no more than to the extreme point of Mr. Sewell’s rule, which 
declares not only a splent to be unsoundness, but includes broken 
knees—even a wart, or the least blemish of any kind. This, 
I say, the n on-veterinary community will never agree to—they 
term it fastidiousness on our part; and let me say, the opinion of 
the public is by no means to be either despised or neglected. 
Much greater people than we are, I may observe, are obliged to 
pay due attention to popular feeling, to opinions expressed, as it 
is called, “ out of doors. 55 Practical men have, therefore, found 
it right to steer a middle course; and I am convinced it is that 
which is best calculated to give satisfaction to all parties. It is 
upon this view of the matter that I venture the following propo¬ 
sitions, in which I have endeavoured to trace the line I have 
always found practically right; and they will be found in ac¬ 
cordance with the two or three plain and simple rules I recom¬ 
mended in my former letter. Let no one object that these rules 
are incomplete; for, whatever principle we may ultimately adopt, 
something must still be left to the discretion, or I would say to 
the discriminating judgment of the practitioner. 
In stating these propositions, that I may make myself as 
clearly understood as possible, I shall accompany each with a 
kind of “ interpretation clause, 55 or exposition of the extended 
meaning the words are intended to convey, and illustrate them 
with some examples as we proceed ; for laws should be plain and 
intelligible to the meanest capacity. I propose, then, 
1st, That all recognised disease constitutes unsoundness for 
the time being . This I take to be self-evident, sufficiently under¬ 
stood, and no examples are necessary. 
2d, That changes of structure, or an altered condition of 
parts, and derangement or impairment of function, are allowed 
by all to be our two great landmarks in conducting examinations 
for soundness. When both these states are present and visible, 
as, for example, in cataract, the loss of an eye, lameness where 
the cause is plain and apparent, we can have no difficulty in de¬ 
ciding ; or, when the structural change is not visible, but we 
can infer its existence from the interruption, the derangement or 
impairment of function which we observe and detect to be pre¬ 
sent, as in roaring, chronic cough, broken wind, spinal injuries, 
and lameness where the cause may not be plain and apparent, 
