VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. 
503 
REIGATE COUNTY COURT.-— Thursday, May 19th, 1864. 
Before W. Furner, Esq. 
Difficult Parturition.—Action for the Value of a Make. 
Frederick Isaac v. Matthew Blaker Forbes. 
This was an action brought to recover the sum of £16, the value 
of a mare which was killed as an act of mercy, in consequence of 
the alleged improper treatment by the defendant, who is a veterinary 
surgeon at Reigate. 
Mr. Burt appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Hobbs for the 
defendant. 
The plaintiff was the owner of the mare in question, which had 
been in foal, and on the night of Sunday, the 7th May, he found 
that the operation of foaling had commenced. The defendant was 
sent for, it being found that the foal was dead. The defendant came, 
and it was maintained by the plaintiff that his treatment had 
been improper, as the mare had been a great sufferer and was after¬ 
wards killed to put her out of her misery. The plaintiff added that 
the defendant, before leaving, had said that the mare would die, 
and that he had done all he could for her, and could not do any 
more. 
Mr. Robert Turner stated that he had had great experience of 
horses, and if he had been present at the first he believed he could 
have delivered the mare in question. He disagreed with the mode 
that had been adopted by the defendant for the delivering of the 
mare. Her value he estimated at about ^618, as she was not more 
than six years old. 
The 'plaintiff gave similar evidence as to the value of the mare, 
and added that he would not have sold the mare for any money. 
Mr. Hobbs said the defence to this case was not one for the mere 
£\6 claimed, which was of no object to the defendant, but for the 
purpose of proving that no fault could be attached to him, the 
defendant, who was a member of the Royal Veterinary College of 
Surgeons, and had practised in this town for many years with un¬ 
blemished character. 
The defendant was then called, and stated that since 1857 he had 
practised as a veterinary surgeon at Reigate, and possessed a diploma 
from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. On the night in 
question, the plaintiff came to him to his house and particularly 
wished him to go and see the mare. It was a rainy night, and he 
(defendant) accompanied the plaintiff to the field on the Lisbourne 
estate, where he found the mare lying on the ground, and the foal 
partly born. Immediately he saw her he told the plaintiff that it 
was a very bad case indeed, and that he had very little hopes of 
saving the mare. The plaintiff asked him to do his best, and he 
replied that he would. He accordingly did his best, in the manner 
in which he described, but lie could see from the first that it was a 
very bad case, and said so. At his suggestion the mare was removed 
from the open field to a small lean-to shed so that she might be out 
