526 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
would, instead of interfering with it, call upon some competent 
veterinarian to administer the proper remedial agents, as they 
would lack confidence within themselves to treat the cases on 
their own responsibility. 
I will state here that at no outbreak of any epizootic disease, 
since that of 1872, were the services of veterinary surgeons in so 
great a demand as during this last invasion. 
Why ? Because the public were not familiar with the disease. 
They themselves could differentiate it from the previous epizootic, 
and recognize its importance at once. 
But applying the broad term Influenza to it, in my opinion, 
would tend to lead the public to regard it as the same affliction 
as the preceding outbreaks that were so designated within the 
last decennial period, which would be rather dubious in the 
minds of some, who would then emphatically declare the pro¬ 
fession knew nothing concerning the so-called new disease, and 
would then indiscriminately dose the horses in the same manner 
as on former occasions, and would shun the employment of a 
veterinary surgeon until some complication would occur that 
would baffle them, which might have been avoided if the case 
had been in competent hands at the outset. 
The indifference with which most owners of horses treated 
the two preceding epizootic influenzas was really hazardous. 
They, in combination with the grooms, considered themselves 
skilled in the treatment of the disease. The word “ influenza ” 
was quite a common utterance from the mouths of horsemen, 
and with a remarkable degree of audacity ind alacrity did new 
“ horse doctors ” spring up from among them, so that a great 
portion of the veterinary practice found its way into the hands of 
such empirics, not to mention anything of the numerous quack 
nostrums that were thrown into the market for the cure of in¬ 
fluenza. This ought to be sufficient reason to modify, or specify, 
the term if opportunity is afforded, especially if the public want 
to dub it otherwise. 
That it is not identical with the former epizootic outbreaks of 
Influenza can be easily inferred by the almost epizootic manner 
the disease has invaded the equine population in the various 
