MEMOIRS OF A VETERINARY SURGEON. 
19 
and 1 maintain ithas ever been amost egregrious and lamentable 
error, and one tending only to the destruction of that electric 
or galvanic influence which maintains the vitality of the 
system, and keeps the machinery of life in perpetual motion. 
This system of treatment enfeebles the powers of life ; and, 
generally, nature sinks without having put forth one restora¬ 
tive effort; for I verily believe the horse is by nature a very 
“funkey” animal, easily pained, his stamina readily yielding, 
and he quickly gives in. Well, whilst the case is thus pro¬ 
ceeding, and nature is in this predicament, the imagination of 
the practitioner furnishes him with a dozen utopian projects 
to be put into execution ; but he is, however, so constantly im¬ 
peded by a crowd of unconnected recollections, that he becomes 
at last so bewildered, that he applies to one stage the means 
which are adapted only to the succeeding stage, or vice versa, 
and the result is, of course, most prejudicial. He now begins 
to see that he has lowered the system so much that it is un¬ 
able to carry on the regular actions required for recovery; this 
is consequent upon the order of nature having been forcibly 
interrupted, and the fatal termination is rapidly accelerated. 
At this stage of the inquiry, it might be of moment to re¬ 
flect upon the devastation that is going on, and to ask ourselves 
these questions :—Have we not been endeavouring to force 
nature to adopt our own cure for her’s ? Have there not been 
several occasions, when it would have been much better if we 
had left more to her and done less ourselves? Take my 
word for it, if we are honest with ourselves, we shall some¬ 
times condemn ourselves, for not having at one stage of the 
disease, taken a step, at a critical moment in its history, which 
might have contributed to recovery. It has frequently struck 
me, and I doubt not other close observers also, upon what 
trifling or incidental circumstances depends life or death, 
during certain states or stages of disease; therefore, instead 
of being so intent upon cutting short the malady by vigorous 
or heroic treatment, we should rather pay due respect to its 
natural course and duration, and reserve our means to carry 
it safely through its regular stages. 
I advocate no lukewarm or inactive practice, but even 
greater vigilance and care than have been formerly bestowed. 
We must wait observantly nature’s own good time, rendering 
her the required assistance, so as to enable her to regain 
healthy action ; and, as a first step, and true to first principles 
in the acquirement of this knowledge, we must altogether 
abandon that vulgar faith in doses of medicine and bleedings 
which has so long been a scourge to the practice of Veterinary 
medicine. 
