662 
THE ENMITY OF GROOMS TOWARDS VETERINARY 
SURGEONS. 
Sir,— On taking up The Veterinarian for the last month, I 
find somewhat of an expose of the practices of grooms, bearing 
upon their propensities for discount allowances. The fact of this 
it would be preposterous to deny, as many of them possess this 
quality in no small degree. Were it to end in this drifting upon 
the pocket alone, it might be considered rather a happy ter¬ 
mination. Many veterinary practitioners will aver, 1 have no 
doubt, they have experienced as well from such grooms cunning in 
wielding malevolence and slanderous imputations, and have detected 
them in malicious designs concocted for their selfish interests. Of 
all the host of enemies a veterinary surgeon has to encounter, a 
perfidious groom is the worst,—a devil clothed in scarlet hypocrisy. 
Neither the bottle nor the pocket can satisfy the voracious appe¬ 
tite of such a demon. He will be content with nothing less than 
sinking the character of professional individuals to the lowest pos¬ 
sible ebb, and hunting down their interests by all and every possi¬ 
ble art he can devise; inventing schemes against both the indivi¬ 
dual whom he hates, and the patient he may happen to have in his 
master’s stable. The tricks he can play upon either sick or lame 
are far more than I can enumerate, or than imagination would guide 
me to guess at. In many instances, I have no doubt, could truth 
be elicited, from the opposition, trickery, and deception practised 
by many of these artful dealers in mischief, serious consequences 
are begotten, protracting recovery, even producing death, and so 
becoming drawbacks upon the medical attendants, charged against 
them to the employer. Also at the public inn where he may re¬ 
sort, and where he generally displays and figures off in the most 
conspicuous style as Mr. So and So’s groom, a most officious guest, 
knowing all sorts of news, his powers and abilities for horse 
knowledge being foremost, he soon begins to hold forth ; a staring 
gaze is fixed upon him by his companions in beer and smoke, and 
every word is quickly swallowed. This is an eventful time for Mr. 
Vet., be he who he may. He is quickly turned upon as having 
attended one of master’s horses—done no good—knows nothing— 
full of wrongs ; and is either saddled as being one of the biggest 
fools that ever entered a stable, or something worse. The braggart 
groom goes on to state he did so and so, and put all right quickly. 
Then he heaps upon the absent veterinarian a multitude of lies and 
reproaches, scoffing and howling like a jackall, yet more terribly, 
to the destruction and ultimate ruin of an innocent character, which 
