802 LANCASHIRE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
mismanagement of the operator, and more especially so because we 
know full well how many scores of horses are docked by dealers, 
and men who know nothing about anatomy. The operation with 
these men is, like it generally is with us, attended with success. 
For my own part, since I was a boy, I have docked scores of horses, 
and never recollect a single instance of anything like an unsuc¬ 
cessful case, until the one I am about to introduce to your notice, 
which, I am glad to say, although a fearful looking case to com¬ 
mence wdth, and one in which I was threatened with damages to 
the extent of 56 / 0 , proved in the end a success. The horse in 
question was a bay carriage-horse four years old. He came into 
my establishment on May 10 th, 1869, with instructions that his 
tail was to be docked, the coachman remarking to me at the time 
that he had some seven days previously given him a dose of physic, 
and that he was nicely over it, and that after being docked he was 
to take him to the horse-breaker’s. ‘My assistant having tied up the 
tail in the usual manner, I being busily engaged at other cases, 
ordered him to dock it, and I seared it up myself in the same w^ay 
I have always done. I distinctly told the coachman to acquaint the 
the horse-breaker that he must not put the horse in harness for 
some days for fear that the end of the tail might therefore become 
injured. I heard nothing of the case until May 30th, 1869, when 
the horse was again brought to me, presenting the appearance as 
shown in Diagrams 1 and 2 . I have taken the trouble, Mr. Pre¬ 
sident, for better illustration, to have the case sketched in its 
different stages, thinking that by so doing the members would be 
made better acquainted with the subject; and here I would remark 
that, perhaps some one present to-night, might have seen a similar 
case. I sincerely hope, and, I have no doubt, on looking round and 
seeing such a gathering of the profession, that some gentleman may 
be able to enlighten me on this subject by giving me some idea how 
the case w’as produced. The treatment I adopted when the case 
was first seen, as in diagrams 1 and 2 , was continuous hot fomen¬ 
tation to the enlargements in the muscular tissue, by means of a 
horse rug kept constantly soaked with hot water, at the same time 
placing a large sponge saturated with hot water under the tail, so 
that the anus was kept fomented at the same time. 1 had the hair 
carefully plaited away from the abscesses, and a man was engaged 
to constantly pour over the whole surface a plentiful supply of hot 
water. The drawing in diagram No. 2 , shows the enlargements seen 
when the tail was raised. The anus presented more the appearance 
of the vulva of a cow, the day after a difficult case of parturition, 
and on each side of it was'a large abscess from which, upon lancing, 
flowed, I am sure not less than a pint of pus. With a dose of 
physic, nice mashes, and cooling lotions, the case did well rapidly, 
and in about four weeks was fit to be shown, and was sold for the 
money at which he was valued, and for which, had he not done 
well, I was expected to have paid, not that for a moment I intended 
to do so, knowing full well from the groom who delivered him to 
the horse breaker, that the horse had been put in harness by the 
