ACTUAL CAUTERY AND SETON. 
115 
Strange to say, I never entered the Veterinary College in my life; 
neither do I know, to within two miles, in what part of London 
it is situated. But I am given to understand that a very dif¬ 
ferent description of patient is generally to be met with, within 
its walls, to that within the circle of the country veterinarian’s 
practice. To the science and skill of the Professors and assist¬ 
ants of the former, horses of wealthy persons are, for the most 
part, presented, to whom the speedy restoration of them is not a 
very material object, and, copsequently, experiments may be tried 
on them. To the practice of the latter—the country practitioner— 
is almost every day presented the broken-down coach-horse, the 
severely-strained hunter or racer, whose owners, in the first case 
especially, call out for and expect a speedy restoration of such 
animals. It is material, then, to inquire, by which of the rival 
operations is this desired restoration to be most speedily pro¬ 
cured ? Mr. Turner says he has sent coach-horses to work in 
the space of a week, or a little more, after having fired them ; 
and 1 have myself seen them in a fortnight. The result of this 
part of the question is a most material one. Mr. Spooner tells 
us (p. 153), that the country practitioner often gives the fired 
horse more rest than the setoned one, which the experience of 
Mr. Turner induces him to disbelieve. That gentleman, however, 
admits the necessity of deep firing in cases of broken-down coach- 
horses ; adding the important facts, that he had rarely failed 
when he had resorted to somewhat severe measures ; but that he 
had failed when he fired lightly, and also when he had recourse 
to setons. 
I have already acknowledged Non nostrum inter nos tantas 
cornpoiiere lites”) my own experience of setons to legs to be next 
to nothing. Anxious, however, for information on so interesting 
a point, 1 seek for it when an opportunity offers. On putting 
the question the other day to Mr. Oswin, who has horsed the 
Calais and Boulogne coach the last twelve years. Whether he 
had ever tried the seton in place of the cautery (which latter 
remedy I am aware he often has recourse to)? he answered. 
Twice: but it failed in both cases.” Is firing generally suc¬ 
cessful with you ?” was my next question. ‘Mt is,” he replied, 
“ if we can give them time*.” Now, it is somewhat remark¬ 
able, that setoning legs has not found its way into this part of 
France, where, I should say that on an average, two in ten of 
all hard-working horses bear the mark of having been setoned in 
* Observe the following passage in Professor Vatel’s paper, in your June 
Number, on the cautery and seton :—“ The secondary etfects of firing do 
not often begin to be manifestly apparent until two, or three, or four months, 
or more, have passed.” 
