PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. ]91 
the mucous, serous, muscular, and nervous tissues of the entire 
body. 
The disease in question prevails most in close and confined 
stables; and if neglected at the onset, it generally destroys the 
animal in the course of ten or twelve days, or even earlier; and 
sometimes it terminates by very extensive effusion, in which the 
animal either dies from suffocation, or very slowly recovers its 
wonted health and strength. I have seen it associated with epi¬ 
demic catarrh, in which sore throat was a predominant state; also 
associated with asthenic enteritis, with asthenic gastio-enteritis*; 
and also when it appeared to be the primary disease or not com¬ 
plicated with any other. 
During the last five or six years it has been either more common 
amongst horses, or its existence previously was not recognized ; of 
the two, I am inclined in opinion to the former. Be it, however, 
as it may, the veterinarian at times is subject to great annoyance 
and distrust from those who employ him in such cases. I have 
myself experienced this in more instances than one. The owners 
seeing such linger day after day without any visible improvement, 
or any likelihood of such, become impatient: they ask what the 
disease is; and when told inflammation of the lungs, they directly 
refer to some stupid old author, such as White or Clater, or others 
of about the same caliber of mind, and in such works they find it 
stated, that in all cases of inflammation of these organs bleeding 
is the only remedy to save the animal; and they at once say, 
“ why you have not bled my horse; if he had been bled, he would 
have recovered.” And in most cases it is in vain to tell them, that 
the disease they have been reading about and the one with which 
their horse is affected are widely different in their nature; that 
though bleeding may be so necessary in the latter, yet to resort to 
it in cases like the present would be certain to destroy every pos¬ 
sible chance of the animal’s recovery, supposing any such to exist. 
The owner at last becomes impatient, tells him with emphasis that 
White says so, and that what White says must be true, “ because 
he was a doctor in the army .” The veterinarian goes away inwardly 
lamenting that he is the victim of such gross prejudice, while the 
owner deems himself extremely unfortunate in having employed 
such an ignorant doctor. In vain will the reader search the old 
authors upon farriery for enlightened or comprehensive views upon 
equine pathology; he might as well suppose that blood is to be 
had out of granite : they knew little or nothing about it, conse¬ 
quently could tell nothing. True, it may be urged that many of 
these writers are popular; but the popularity of any thing, gene¬ 
rally speaking, I contend, is no criterion of its intrinsic worth: 
most frequently it is the reverse, particularly if holding any rela- 
