DIVERS REMARKS. 
559 
Mr. Hurford’s method of castration is new to me, but 
appears to be very excellent, inasmuch as there is no bruise, 
and nothing is so likely to set up nervous irritation as a 
bruised nerve. I have no doubt in time it will be proved to 
be the best method of all, should the profession give it an 
extended trial. 
I send you with this Mr. Editor, a York Herald , illus¬ 
trating the development of a wonderful practitioner. The 
mystery to me is, why he has remained so long in embryo. 
Every veterinarian will agree with me in saying, it was im¬ 
possible for this groom to have known, what the disease 
really was, what the constitution of the medicaments he 
administered was, and what the action of his medicines was. 
This being granted, it necessarily follows that this new-born 
transcendant genius treated a disease he knew nothing about 
with remedies he knew nothing about, to produce an effect, 
but of what sort he was also ignorant; and the next greatest 
marvel to his own astonishing precocity, appears to be, the 
recovery of the animal. By my publishing the case, the 
<c eminent veterinary-surgeon” will have an opportunity of ex¬ 
plaining it. It seems to show the importance of the “ Doubtful 
Case” contributed by a Veterinary-Student in a recent 
number. 
This country, like everywhere else, possesses some of the 
species described above, though on the whole I think hardly 
quite so clever. The last I had to do with was attending an 
exhausted animal who had been treated for indigestion in 
reality, with copious venesection and equally copious doses of 
soot and ale. (These veterinary Sangrados are generally very 
sanguinary.) I suggested the chimney-sweep as a proper 
person to wait on the patient! 
About a year ago, a small farmer near here had a cow taken 
ill. A resident quack diagnosed a tuberous obstruction in 
the oesophagus. Down went a rope’s end, (which might 
have been usefully employed in another way,) and some 
hours found the patient worse. A Mr. Walker, two and a 
half degrees better than his predecessor, condemned the 
latter for rupturing the oesophagus, and could only prevent 
a fatal inflammation by prescribing death on the spot. This 
was troublesome; so on re-examination it was found the 
patient would be able to travel a mile to be killed. The way 
lay by the river side, and the patient, not liking her com¬ 
pany, jumped in, and swam two miles down the stream to 
ultimately escape and recover. 
I was called to a case last year this Walker had been 
