SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
559 
much bodily perfection as is consistent with his natural forma¬ 
tion.” It appears to me that this definition requires an animal 
to be about as perfect anatomically and physiologically as any I 
can conceive, and as such would leave no doubts in one’s mind as 
to the soundness and unsoundness of an animal, unless he should 
be the subject of some hidden disease, difficult of diagnosis, and 
only manifest at times, such as certain brain disorders, dyspepsia, 
rheumatism, &c., &c. But the law and practice do not recognize 
any such absolute rule as this, and it would destroy the value of 
the examination for soundness if they did, as we should meet with 
very few animals which could come up to such requirements, while 
there would be many which practically would be as valuable and 
as servicable. 
Fearnley, in his work on soundness, gives the legal interpreta¬ 
tion of the term unsoundness as understood by Lord Ellenborough 
in an English suit, as follows: u If at the time of sale the horse 
has any disease which either actually does diminish the natural 
usefulness of the animal, so as to make him less capable of work 
of any description, or which in its ordinary progress will diminish 
the natural usefulness of the animal, this is unsoundness; or if 
the horse has either from disease or accident , undergone any 
alteration of structure that either actually does at the time or in 
its ordinary effects will diminish the natural usefulness of the 
horse, such a horse is unsound.” This definition is undoubtedly 
correct, as far as it goes, but what are we to do with that vast 
number of blemishes, if you wish to call them such, which are 
the results of disease and which do not interfere with the animal’s 
natural usefulness, such as an enlarged limb in a draft horse; a 
fibrous tumor on the elbow; the result of a shoe-boil; a large 
splint or an exostosis of the hock. Are such disfigurements to ex¬ 
empt a horse from being considered sound ? 
My solution of the problem is to divide the subject into three 
degrees of condition, namely : soundness , practical soundness and 
unsoundness ; the first degree, soundness requiring an animal to 
be free from disease or any effect of disease which alters his natu¬ 
ral conformation, action or usefulness. This ruling does not de¬ 
mand that a horse be free from blemishes, nor faulty formations, 
