748 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
2. Ventilation of the sJcin of the horse, 
“The importance of ventilating the skin is illustrated in the 
process of clipping and singeing, as applied to the horse. 
The thickening and lengthening of the coat of the horse in 
the autumn season is a change obviously adapted to prepare 
him for the coming severity of the winter; and however 
natural to the animal in his wild state, is ill suited to his 
condition as the useful and obedient servant of man. As 
autumn advances, and after a few cold days, the coat of the 
horse appears as if ^ broken up ^ into plots, and the individual 
hairs stand out roughly, or in technical language, the coat 
^stares.’ Accompanying this change in the appearance of 
the skin, the animal becomes weak and languid, loses his 
spirit, breaks out into sudden and abundant perspirations 
upon slight exercise, and shows himself unequal to his work. 
Now, the ready remedy for this state of things is the removal 
of the excess of hair, and the exposure of the skin to the action 
of the atmosphere. If the coat be clipped close to the skin, 
or singed, or better still, be shaven, the animal preserves his 
strength and vigour, and is equal to all the labour that may 
reasonably be imposed upon him. Of the three processes, 
shaving is the best, then clipping, and lastly singeing. As 
to the latter, it is not quite clear whether its inferior position 
in rank to the others is due to the less complete exposure of 
the skin to the action of the air, or to the sealing of the ends 
of the hair by the act of burning. It is not improbable that 
the cut ends of the hair in shaving and clipping may serve 
as breathing pores for the inhalation of air; an advantage to 
the oxygenisation of the circulation in the skin that is lost by 
the contraction and obliteration of the cells of the hair ^Yhich 
ensues after singeino;. 
Another curious concomitant of clipping is the change in 
the colour of the coat, a change which seems to indicate that 
the colour of the hair produced in the winter time is different 
from that of the summer.^^ 
As it respects absorption by the skin, it would seem as 
if different views were about to be entertained than those 
once held and taught. M. Parisot, in a communication lately 
sent by him to the Academy of Science states, that he placed 
patients in baths containing iodide of potassium, chlorate of 
potash, prussiate of potash, and sulphate of iron, for a period 
of one or two hours, and afterwards tested the urine and 
saliva without discovering a trace of either salt. He also 
