OPERATION OF “ FIRING ” FOR ROARING. 149 
as I am concerned in the matter. Being quite a disinterested 
witness in the case, and having previously given the same 
opinion to the plaintiffs that I was afterwards subpoenaed to 
give in evidence for the defence, namely, that I was called 
in to see the horse immediately tetanus had set in (not just 
before his death) ; I informed them of the nature of the 
disease the horse was labouring under, and that from a pre¬ 
vious engagement I could not possibly assist in the treat¬ 
ment of the case j but that in my opinion the best thing 
would be to put the horse out of his suffering. This advice 
proved to be but too true for the poor animal and the 
parties concerned. I also gave it in evidence that tetanus, 
as a rule, was incurable, or in other words, that there 
was no certain or known cure for the disease, and that 
although I had read of cases recovering (not of their suc¬ 
cessful treatment), I gave it as my opinion that when a 
horse did occasionally recover from that dreadful malady he 
did so more from the strength of his own constitution than 
from any fancied remedies that might have been given to 
him, as any such supposed curative agents, when admi¬ 
nistered to other similar cases, might prove of no earthly use. 
I am, &c. 
To the Editors of e The Veterinarian* 
THE OPERATION OF " FIRING ” FOR ROARING. 
By W. Shirley, M.R.C.V.S., Twickenham. 
As firing over the course of the trachea is now attracting 
attention, not only among ourselves, but also among sporting 
men generally, I venture to address you in the hope that 
some of your correspondents who have witnessed benefit 
from the operation will kindly communicate the cases to the 
Veterinarian , so that we may fairly learn the true value to be 
put upon it. 
The case published in Bell’s Life is not of itself at all con¬ 
clusive, as we get no history of the case, nor of the remedies 
applied previous to the use of the actual cautery. 
I can relate several cases of roaring that have been suc¬ 
cessfully treated without such an application, yet I should 
no more think of treating a case of confirmed roaring, and 
leading the owner to believe that I could cure it, than I 
should one of confirmed glanders. 
