ON FOOD AND WATER. 
155 
It is an opinion, at least as old as Pliny*, that the blood is a 
living fluid; but it was reserved for our countryman, John Hunter, 
the celebrated physiologist of his day, to place this opinion among 
the number of those truths that can no longer be disputed. How 
the life of this fluid begins, and in what the living principle itself 
consists, are matters concerning which we shall, probably, for ever 
remain ignorant; but it has been established beyond all controversy, 
that the life of the blood immediately depends upon the action of 
the atmospheric air to which it is exposed in its passage through the 
lungs. In proof of its vitality, it is said that the venom of the viper 
is perfectly innocent when applied to the nerves only; but acts im¬ 
mediately upon the blood, and through the medium of this fluid de¬ 
stroy the irritability of the muscular fibres, and produces death. 
Food and Water .— I have been interested in the discussions 
which have lately taken place in your columns and elsewhere on 
the subject of food and water, the latter more especially. An ex¬ 
tract from the Old Sporting Magazine has been going the round of 
the papers, in which the writer says that “ it is by no means an 
uncommon notion, that, if horses are to be got into condition for 
work, they should be allowed to drink but a very small quantity 
of water,” I may here observe, that it is no uncommon occurrence to 
have one fool as the owner of horses and another as their groom ; 
but, who that knows any thing of the matter agrees to this stint 1 
Condition implies health, and health in horses is not to be attained 
under such a restriction. As for making it a practice to leave 
plenty of water at all times within reach of every horse, as the 
Avriter alluded to recommends on the result of his own experience, 
I at once condemn it as dangerous; and it induces me to believe 
that the said Avriter is one of the numerous class of imaginary 
OAvners of studs, many of Avhom have come under my observationt. 
To say nothing of the effect of ad libitum drinking of cold Avater, 
after or before work, I have had several good hunters Avhich would 
have been very bad ones, had they been watered after four o’clock 
on the day before hunting. As for the tAvaddle here introduced of 
a horse “ making up his mind to slake his thirst Avith a small 
quantity of water,” it is, under any circumstances, only Avorthy of 
ridicule, and the sapient allusion to “ the connexion between the 
stomach and the brain” is equally absurd here. We ha\"e in this 
instance, however, an example of the mischief that may be caused 
* Magna ct in co vitalitatis portio. Emissus spiritum secum trahit, tainen 
tactum non scntit.— Plm. Secund. Nat. Jfi.st., lxii, cap. 38. 
t I'hrec years ago, one of this class, when in Calais, sent to reejuest I would 
send him the Stud-book to make out the pedigrees of his large stud about 
to be sold at Tattersall’s. He was neither the owner of a horse, nor of fiv(? 
pounds, at the time ! 
