162 
A. LIAUTARD. 
and I wrote it to Mr. Parks, who I understand lias my letter yet 
in his possession.* 
How, in the presence of these facts, was the “ big head 
report” accepted, even by professional men, who ought to have 
known better ? I cannot explain it, unless for some who consider 
osteo sarcoma and osteo porosis to be the same disease. 
The prognosis which I made was a serious one; yes, a fatal 
one, and time alone will show if I was too hasty in making it. 
Here was an animal worth a large sum of money, as a trotting 
horse; as an ordinary horse, comparatively almost nothing. I 
weighed carefully his chances of recovery to usefulness, and have 
by experience learned that he had almost none. 
The indications were to remove the diseased teeth and to re¬ 
move also, if possible, the diseased bones of the face. This done, 
what would be the prospect? Would those alveolar cavities close 
up entirely ? Was there not danger of food accumulating in the 
sinuses—and what then ? 1 have had cases which have shown me 
the incurability of such lesions. But let us suppose that the cavi¬ 
ties would have closed ; what about the other lower grinders ? 
Were they not likely to become at least a source of annoyance 
and of suffering to the horse? Would they not always require 
watching as to their abnormal growth and possible injury of the 
tissues above them ? And what a life of misery, of starvation 
perhaps, for this noble brute, who had given so much pleasure to 
his ow T ner! Was he thus to be rewarded, and for the sake of a 
few months of existence, be allowed to suffer for the remainder 
of his days ? I thought not; I think so still. And as I stated 
before, time alone will show me that I was wrong, if by a won¬ 
derful recovery, by a natural work of repair the different and 
fatal results that I have already met in my own practice are to 
fail in their lessons. 
♦Since this writing, I understand the letter has been mislaid, 
