THii EARLY HISTORY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 275 
We are acquainted merely with the names of two other vete¬ 
rinary writers, who probably lived about the same time, namely, 
Stratonicus, and Hyeronymus of Lybia. 
The most valuable of these early writers is Apsyrtus, who lived 
a little before the time of Oribasus. He accompanied the expe¬ 
dition of Constantine the Great against the Sarmatians, between 
the years 319 and 321, as veterinary surgeon to the cavalry. He 
acquired great celebrity, as is proved by numerous letters written 
by persons of different ranks in society, and particularly by vete¬ 
rinarians. These letters were collected by Apsyrtus himself,and 
dedicated to a physician named Asclepiades; and it appears 
that, at that time, several veterinary surgeons exercised their art 
in Alexandria and Laodicea. It is also proved that this profes¬ 
sion was hereditary in the family of Apsyrtus, for he tells us that 
his grandfather Demetrius was a veterinarian. When scientific 
establishments were wanting, instruction was sedulously trans¬ 
mitted from father to son. We possess, in the writings of 
this author, many natural and valuable observations, but none 
very profound. He had little connexion with the medical men 
of his time, which is easily accounted for by his want of educa¬ 
tion ; and farriery, separated from medicine, obtained an inde¬ 
pendent situation, which enabled it to distinguish itself more 
advantageously. 
Apsyrtus says expressly that the horse has no gall-bladder, 
but this he might have easily learned from the writings of Aris¬ 
totle ; and we have no right to expect from these early veterina¬ 
rians anatomical knowledge beyond that which was common to 
their age. In physiology they contented themselves with the 
popular opinion, and with the light which they could obtain 
from medicine. Apsyrtus recognized the hereditary nature of 
ophthalmia in the horse. 
We might easily cite other diseases, with regard to which his 
opinions were singularly exact. He very accurately describes the 
nature of fever in the horse, its symptoms and its causes; and he 
combats it by a simple mode of treatment, and without medicine. 
He prescribes, at the commencement of the disease, a restricted 
diet and bleeding from the head ; and, after the first deiy, gentle 
