THE HOUSE IN THE AUTUMN. 
631 
of Henry Bracken, M.D., “ familiar in his mouth as household 
words 1 ”—and who, that has ever heard of the celebrated doctor, has 
not heard of, nay more, does not even know, every identical ingre¬ 
dient in his universal panacea, his all infallible cordial ball 1 I , 
never knew but one modern at all to be compared to the worthy 
doctor, and his name will, I am sure, be anticipated by every pupil 
who attended the Veterinary College during his lifetime;—it is Dr. 
George Pearson, of eccentric memory. Who does not respect the 
name of the old man, and who will not admit the truth of the com¬ 
parison 1 not indeed in horse knowledge—for there the M.D. of 
the seventeenth century had an infinite advantage—but in the 
ardent pursuit of truth, the love of the veterinary profession, and 
the straightforward, original, and absorbing manner in which they 
both communicated the vast stores of knowledge they possessed. 
Peace to their manes! 
One of these balls then, I say, or some similar composition—for 
which, as every one has an invaluable prescription, a recipe here 
introduced would be merely a piece of supererogation—should be 
given every day. Should alteratives be preferred, any of the pre¬ 
parations of antimony combined with a warm aromatic, with the 
addition of a little sulphate or carbonate of iron, will have a most 
beneficial effect, by restoring that secretion on the skin, from the 
want of which arises that dry arid state invariably found accom¬ 
panying a staring coat. Warm clothing, a warm—I had almost 
said a hot stable—not, be it remembered, a foul or badly ventilated 
one, will materially aid the object in view. The adoption of these 
remedies will to a great extent assist Nature in her operations, and 
in many cases considerably shorten the process; but whether they 
are had recourse to or not, the process will be accomplished, the 
extra demands will subside, and, the exciting cause being got rid 
of, the horse will be himself again. It is this fact that explains 
why the non-descript modes of treatment recommended by some, 
such as bleeding, physic, diuretics, and the like, are supposed to 
be efficacious, while the truth is, the animal rallies in spite of 
them. With respect to the second object to be had in view, the 
getting rid of the great coat, which too often becomes a wet blanket, 
we go the whole length of the warmest advocates for clipping, 
shaving, singeing, or any other more expeditious or scientific pro¬ 
cess that may be discovered, for removing at “ one (not) fell 
swoop” the whole of the naturally desirable but artificially incon¬ 
venient result of cold weather. A free escape of perspiration, a 
moist and softened state of the skin, an increase of health, a capa¬ 
bility of enduring fatigue, and a short and easy way of making him 
fresh after it, may be reckoned among its many good effects; letting 
alone the mere pecuniary consideration, that a horse so treated will 
