ANOXVMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS. 
407 
irritant might produce the desired effect. It was found, how¬ 
ever, that the patient became worse after the opemtion ; and, as 
a last resource, he resolved to try the effects of a seton. This 
was supposed to have acted as a charm. The patient was 
shortly pronounced perfectly cured, and is now performing his 
usual labour with all his usual activity, and without the slightest 
appearance of lameness. 
P. J.” 
We did not choose to admit this plain slap at the advocates of 
setoning, partly because we could not see the wit and point of it, 
but principally because it was anonymous; and we stated so in 
our number for May. Otherwise we too, perhaps, in the anxious 
desire to do justice to our subject, might have been induced to 
say that ‘Ot would have been a great deal more satisfactory to 
the public, and also to the veterinary profession, if he (P. J.) 
had stated the specific nature and seat of the said lameness of 
Hhe old walking stick* (for such it turns out was the patient of this 
wag), and also what treatment was pursued previous to the ap¬ 
plication of the firing-iron to ^ the old lualking stick/ and that 
then we should have been enabled to form an opinion as to which 
of the modes of treatment it was that the (horse?—no !) ‘ old 
walking stick owed its recoveryand we should have stated 
our wish “ to extend our inquiries into the nature and treatment 
of all diseases incident to (domesticated animals?—no!) ‘old 
walking sticks of every description,* ** We might have affirmed 
that, “firing is, in many instances, a valuable remedy for dis¬ 
eases brought on in ‘ old walking sticks* by over-exertion ; and 
that so likewise is a seton when applied to the ‘ old ivalking stick 
in more recent cases, and not allow’ed to remain too long.” 
We might probably have avowed our intention, “ at a future 
period, to take a comparative view of the merits and demerits of 
these different modes of treatins* diseases of ‘ old walking: 
sticks ;* and, finally, in our zeal for the respectability of our 
profession, we might have hinted our suspicion that, “ the com¬ 
munication of P. J. was a puff, and that its object was, to vaunt 
his superior science in the treatment of old walking sticks,** 
All this a contemporary has done. It is a good joke, and he 
