AS YET BUT LITTLE KNOWN. 
165 
of artificial culture of leguminous plants contain none of the 
organic principle so important to the normal constitution of the 
blood, viz. the gluten or vegetable jibrine. 
3dly.—That, under the influence of such alimentation, con¬ 
tinued for a great length of time, to the almost exclusion of any 
other, the blood undergoes profound modifications, giving rise 
to grave disease, such as I have attempted to describe. 
4thly.—That such alteration becomes physically evident 
through particular characters impossible to be mistaken. 
5thly.—That, nevertheless, it would be useful to ascertain, 
by chemical and ponderic analysis of the blood, if there exist 
any anormal proportion of albumen in the organic constituents 
of the blood of animals suffering under the disease. 
Recueil de Med. Vet., Sept. 1851. 
[To be continued.] 
Home Department. 
THE LAW OF WARRANTY. 
“ A horse! a horse ! my kingdom for a horse!” 
If we should ever be seized with a desire to prove to our¬ 
selves the fact, that human beings have no consciences, we 
should commence by making a tour of the various law courts 
at the time horse causes were being heard; and if at the end 
of a dozen cases we did not become perfect converts, we should 
forthwith conclude that we were not open to conviction, and 
give up the attempt in despair. Hard swearing in horse matters 
has become proverbial. Perjury of the blackest die a common¬ 
place affair. The most unbiassed observer in listening to a 
case would be puzzled to decide, when men of apparently equal 
respectability swear against each other with the most reckless 
indifference; until we are forcibly reminded of the reply of a 
certain celebrated barrister, who, when asked in reference to a 
cause, “ will an action lie V’ answered, “ Yes, if all the wit¬ 
nesses will lie too!” 
The law of warranty, as it stands at present, is supposed to 
guarantee the purchaser of a horse against the ignorance or 
duplicity of the dealer of whom he purchases. It is usual to 
have specified on the receipt, that “ the animal is sound, and 
free from viceoccasionally, certain clauses are inserted for 
VOL. XXV. z 
