18 NEEDLES AND FISH-HOOKS IN THE INTESTINES. 
without expressing feelings of horror mingled with pity for the 
poor dumb animal, the subject of these remarks. 
If the cause of the pain the mare must have suffered had 
arisen from an accidental circumstance, our pity would be 
great; but if it should have been produced intentionally by 
some evil-disposed fiend, who maliciously sought to be re¬ 
venged on a fellow-being by torturing one of his innocent 
and unoffending animals, and that by the most cruel mode 
that can be conceived, then our compassion becomes twofold— 
first, on account of the pain the animal had to endure; and 
secondly, because she was so unfortunate as to be subjected 
to one of the most barbarous tortures that man could possibly 
invent. 
The parts brought to the College by Mr. Boulton fully 
verified the statements made in the above communication. 
A portion of one of the kidneys had two of the needles im¬ 
bedded in its structure. Others were found in portions of 
the lungs, liver, pancreas, diaphragm, and many were shown 
us by Mr. Boulton which he had previously taken out of 
these and other organs. But on examining the first division 
of the small intestines it was wonderful to witness the large 
quantity of needles that existed, both in the structures of 
its coats and also in its interior. The former w ere pierced in 
all directions, and the latter was so studded with them that 
it was impossible to pass the finger along its course without 
meeting with them. VVe were told by Mr. Boulton that 
they had even found their way into nearly every organ of 
the body except the heart, in which he did not detect any. 
Some had even penetrated the skin ; one was detected by 
the owner by its tearing his hand at the time he was cleaning 
the mare. What excruciating pain this poor creature must 
have suffered ! Small abscesses were found in several places 
in the parts brought for our inspection, and w e were informed 
that they existed in every organ in which the needles were 
lodged—a further proof of the pain the mare must have 
endured, and w^hich continued until the humane advice of 
the veterinary surgeon who attended her to have her de¬ 
stroyed, was carried out. 
It appears that a large quantity of Jish-hooks, of different 
sizes, were found in the large intestines. These hooks, as far 
as we can make out, did not penetrate the walls of the bowels, 
therefore they might not have been the cause of much pain; 
nevertheless, in the mind of the individual who gave them 
they w^ere doubtless more calculated, through the torture 
they were expected to produce, to effect his diabolical pur¬ 
pose than any other agent he could devise. 
