PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 
65 
however, was in and about the “ dr cuius arteriosus .” The areolar 
tissue around these vessels contained further deposits of gritty 
matter, and the caliber of some of the vessels was quite obliterated, 
the obliteration being caused by depositions of this substance , which 
was of a grey colour, and very dry, or free from moisture. The 
coats of the vessels, too, were changed, the proper fibre was not 
present in such quantity as it should have been : in short, a kind 
of crystallization appeared to be going on, filling up the arteries, 
and preventing the flow of blood to that important organ of life, 
the brain. 
Remarks. —The remarks which I have to offer upon the case 
now presented to the Reader will naturally divide themselves into 
two orders or kinds. I have first to consider the disease with 
which the animal was seized upon the 26th of May, 1843, and 
the morbid appearances to which it undoubtedly gave rise in the 
limb of the same. Secondly, I have to consider the other dis¬ 
ease to which he was occasionally subject, and also the morbid 
states of the great nervous centres, and endeavour, so far as I can, 
to explain the relation of such states, in producing the abnormal 
phenomena observed during the last four years of the life of the 
horse. 
With respect to the first disease, I may observe, that its specific 
nature does not appear to have been observed by our best vete¬ 
rinary authors with that clearness which it ought to be. Mr. Per- 
civall confuses it with real farcy*—Blaine and Youatt, the same ; 
and this confusion of diseases (which I contend are of an entirely 
different nature) has given rise in their works to errors of a grave 
character. The very name by which the above writers distinguish 
or describe it, is, in itself, so very absurd, that I really am sur¬ 
prised they retained it in works holding the position which theirs 
did and do. They denominate it <f Water Farcy ’—a name which, 
if analysed, will be found altogether destitute of any rational 
meaning. “ Our word Farcy,” says Mr. Percivall, in his truly 
valuable work, page 303, vol. iii, “ is a modification or alteration 
of the French word farcin, the etymon of which is from the Latin 
verb facire, to stuff;” so that, in plain English, the name “ Water 
Farcy” means water stuffed, or stuffed water—a matter in itself 
so ridiculous as scarcely to merit consideration. I am not am¬ 
bitious to shine as a coiner of new names for diseases, but the 
one in question is suggestive of nothing: whether the Profession 
will adopt the one I have placed at the head of this paper, is to 
me a matter of no importance whatever; only let us have a name 
which is suggestive of the specific character of the disease itself. 
* In 1844 Mr. Percivall corrected this error. TIis description of the dis¬ 
ease in question will be found in The Veterinarian, vol. xvii, p. 396, et 
sequent. 
