72 MEMOIRS OF A VETERINARY SURGEON. 
would ask, does it not rather imply the highest degree of in¬ 
tellectual attainment, that of a conscious knowledge of an 
efficient power ? Is it absurd to place reliance upon nature— 
reliance upon God, who deals out to us every breath of air 
we inhale; who is the very source, the central spring from 
whom we derive life itself; who says that not a sparrow falleth 
to the ground without his special notice? Is it absurd to 
place blind reliance upon nature, in the husbandman who casts 
his seed into the earth, and there leaves it—and where, with¬ 
out his aid, all-powerful nature causes it to germinate and 
bring forth fruit ? Does not all this display full, perfect, 
unwavering confidence in the resources and ability of nature? 
Is it absurd to place blind reliance upon nature in the 
surgeon, who, in setting a broken bone, places the divided 
ends together with the greatest care and as correctly as he 
can, then envelopes it firmly in splints and adhesive bandages, 
and leaves the rest to nature ? All he does is to hold the ends 
mechanically together, whilst nature performs the cure. Can 
he, with all his boasted skill and science, unite the broken 
bone, and ignore nature? No, a thousand times, no! It is 
nature’s own peculiar handiwork ; an inscrutable process de¬ 
legated alone to vitality ; an act of life peculiarly her own, 
and in which ail our talent is wholly inoperative. But then, 
incontrovertible as these illustrations of the power of nature 
arc, I maintain, they are not one iota more a proof of nature’s 
power than what she can display, and is ever ready to per¬ 
form, in restoring healthy functions to those important and 
vital organs, the lungs. All she asks from us in the one case 
she asks from us in the other. 
Under no circumstances, therefore, in these cases, neglect 
this important feature in practice; namely, at once to place the 
patient’s head in another position. Turn him right round, 
and secure his head to the door, so that his nostrils may 
have fall , free , and direct access to the fresh , cold, external air. 
I have a strong conviction that cold air is the finest sedative 
ice possess. I object strongly to even the lower half of the 
box door being closed in serious cases of this nature. Employ 
a swing-gate, made of rod iron seven-eighths of an inch thick, 
with spaces between the rods of three inches,and tie the animaVs 
head there. The upper half of the box door may be made the 
same; but one thing above all others, see to it that his 
nostrils have free access horizontally to the fresh cold air. I 
again say, 1 subordinate all other considerations to this. Oh, 
that I could write, so as to convince all who read, of the value 
of this. Had I the power of persuasion, I would use it here. 
Could I be permitted to hold converse with each practi- 
