266 LIVERPOOL VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.. 
gonistic to it. He did not apply mustard even in the first stages of such 
cases. He said if any one would carefully observe the symptoms exhi¬ 
bited by a pleuritic patient as he stands, with an anxious, painful 
expression, abdominal breathing, quick pulse, high temperature, and 
every manifestation of intense internal pain, so characteristic of this 
disease, and then to order the application of two square yards of mustard 
to his sides as a remedy, he was gifted with a peculiar power of reason¬ 
ing which he (Mr. Dacre) failed to appreciate. Some nervous horses 
would be almost driven to distraction by such a remedy. He maintained 
that in cases where mustard had been repeatedly applied there was 
usually great prostration, and convalescence was very much retarded. 
Mr. Dacre then related his experience of the effects of a blister which 
was applied to his own side for an acute attack of single pleurisy; how, 
notwithstanding that the blister acted well, and was continued for 
twenty-four hours, it failed to give him any relief; but, when the blister 
was removed and hot water applied, he felt relieved directly. His own 
practice in such cases was to administer a sedative internally and apply 
soothing remedies externally, such as hot water, cloths, &c. After seven 
or eight days, when the acute symptoms have subsided, he might apply 
a mild counter-irritant, but never during the early stages. 
Mr. Greaves said that they owed a deep debt of gratitude to Mr. P. 
Taylor for the able manner in which he had introduced the subject. 
The views he had propounded were very much milder than he (Mr. 
Greaves) had expected to hear. He thought, however, that the applica¬ 
tion of severe blisters to the sides in chest affections was not so much 
adopted now, even by the strongest advocates of the system, as it was 
formerly. He (Mr. Greaves) was taught it at College, and practised it for a 
considerable time afterwards; but he gradually came to adopt milder 
remedies, and he had no reason to regret the change, as in his experience 
fewer cases died under the milder treatment than under the more heroic. 
As an instance of the power that unassisted nature possesses when not 
interfered with, he related the history of eighteen cases of chest affection 
which he was treating homceopathically. The medicine was used up, he 
had no more in his pharmacy, and there were no means available at the 
time for replenishing his stock, so he refilled the bottles with cold water, 
and ordered its administration as before ; the patients all recovered. He 
believed with the late Mr. Haycock that no disease was ever cured by 
medicine. He did not consider that counter-irritation was necessary or 
advantageous in such cases. In his own practice when a horse came in 
blowing and manifesting symptoms of congestion of the lungs he ad¬ 
ministered a dose of carbonate of ammonia, gave him a bran mash, and 
turned his head to the door, and he was generally all right in the morning. 
In cases of sore throat, or affections of the mucous membrane, counter- 
irritation acted more beneficially than on serous membranes. 
Mr. Reynolds expressed himself as very much gratified by hearing Mr. 
P. Taylor’s paper, as he believed it to be the offspring of several con¬ 
versations on the subject during their journeys to London together. He 
(Mr. Reynolds) did not think, however, that those typical cases which 
had been mentioned were so difficult to manage as the cases where the 
patient was seen to be off his food, dull, and adynamic generally, going 
from bad to worse, until he died. He had no faith in the old theory that 
two inflammations could not exist in the body at the same time; still, in 
some cases where you are very anxious about your patient you have a 
difficulty in keeping your hands oft him ; you feel as if you were at least 
trying to cure him. 
In bronchitis and laryngitis the application of a counter-irritant gave 
