66 MR. youatt’s veterinary lectures. 
lower jaw, may, on this supposition, have something to do with 
roaring. 
We cannot, however, account for the absorption of all the 
muscles, plain enough in this specimen, from the loss of power 
in the recurrent nerve; the constrictors ought to be bulky and 
florid. We must leave this appearance unexplained, unless we 
have recourse to the pressure of some ganglion or other body above 
the origin of the laryngeal branch, of which there is no proof. 
These cases of absorption of the whole of the muscles on one 
side, while the larynx remains perfect, are exceedingly rare. In 
the far greater number of cases there is much distortion, render¬ 
ing the muscles on one side useless, and therefore causing them 
to waste away; and even here, if we look at the inside of the 
larynx from below upwards, the distortion is plain enough. The 
wasting of the muscles, therefore, is the effect, and not the cause 
of that which produces roaring. 
Shall I add to this long list of supposed causes of roaring the 
opinion of Mr. Parkinson, who says, that the complaint is said 
to be in the kidneys, which seems probable from the symptom 
produced by a stroke across the loins, which will make him roar 
out ; the lungs are also affected, as the wind is so bad. There is 
no cure, though the horse will live long and eat much; but he 
will do scarcely any work, and therefore is worth little more than 
for dogs.” You may form your own opinion of this luminous 
theory; but I am assured that you will agree with me as to the 
last cause of roaring which I shall mention, and a far more pre¬ 
valent one than is suspected, and that is 
Hereditary Predispositio?i. —Facts have established this be¬ 
yond the possibility of doubt. In France it is notorious, that 
three-fourths of the horses from Cottentin are roarers; some of 
them are roarers at six months old ; but about La Hague and Le 
Bocase, not a roarer is known. There is certainly a considerable 
difference in the soil of the two districts; the first is low and 
marshy, the latter elevated and dry: but tradition traces it to 
the introduction of some foreign horses into Cottentin, who be¬ 
queathed this infirmity to their progeny, and the curse is not 
worn out. 
In our own country we have as decisive a proof. There was a 
valuable stallion in Norfolk, belonging to Major Wilson, of Did- 
lington. He was a great favourite, and seemed to be getting some 
excellent stock; but he was a roarer, and some of the breeders 
took alarm at this. They had occasionally too painful experience 
of the communication of the defects of the parent to his progeny; 
and they feared that roaring might possibly be among these he¬ 
reditary evils. Sir Charles Bunbury was requested to obtain 
