American Veterinary Review, 
MAY, 1890 . 
EDITORIAL. 
Docking Horses’ Tails. —Merely a freak of fashion—philanthropy and hu¬ 
manity opposed to it—their objection—another reason against it—empirical and 
unscientific mode of performing it—its justification when performed secundum, 
artem -Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals—New 
York City Courts—no regular graduate will now perform it. Dr. Paul Paquin 
and Dr. Paul Gibier.— One establishes the first laboratory for veterinary vac¬ 
cine matter—the other establishes the first institute for the treatment of prophy¬ 
laxy of rabies—the advantages that these institutions offer—the first bulletin 
from the Pasteur Institute of New York. 
Docking Horses’ Tails.— Of all the so-called “surgical” 
operations to which a capricious fashion has given origin, there 
is probably none which has encountered on the part of philan¬ 
thropists and humanitarians such general and merited animad¬ 
version as the amputation or docking of the tail of the horse, 
and there certainly is none which more fully justifies the ob¬ 
jections of right-thinking persons. 
The objections principally and most zealously urged from 
this quarter have been founded on reasons both of humanity 
and esthetics, the former bearing specially upon the unneces¬ 
sary mutilation of the animal, and the sufferings to which the 
victim is subjected, both during and subsequent to the opera¬ 
tion, while the wound resulting from it is in course of healing, 
and to which must be added the annoyance and irritation 
which must follow the loss of so important a means of defence 
against the attacks of the swarming insects which in their 
season irritate and disturb him, by foraging on his sensitive 
skin. But there is also another reason, which from a proles- 
