New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-10-31
The Horse Epidemic.
what Henry Bergh Says Abou. IT..

! To the Editors oftIe Ercaing Post:
! The terrible epidemic at this time prevail
ing among horses here and elsewhere. and
which threatens to paralyzc trade and loco
motion, if not arrested, has caused the I'M
dersigncd to institute inquiries as to the most
etiicacious means of treating the afflicted ami
mails, and the following advice and suggcs-
tons are recommended, being the results of
the experience of the eminent surgeons at
tached to the society, along with others
equally skillful:
That the disease is influenza, in an aegra-
waited form, seems to be sclf-eyidcnt, and the
remedies usually employed in the treatment
of the human patient are found to be most
serviceable in the case of the horse. Com
plete rest, warm blankets, nou-cNposurc to
draughts Of air, disinlectants, and total alb
scnce of bleeding and prostrating cathartics,
as a rule, should be observed. Twenty or
thirty drops of tincturG of iron, in q gill of
jamaica rum, diluted with water, and given
every four hours, in order to preserve the
strength of the horse; or, the tinctwc Of az
MICA will produce relief. A plaster bound
around the throat, composed of one portion
of Cayenne pepper and two ofilaXseed, mixed
with vinegar, is excellent. Frequently re-
move the feited discharge from the nostrils,
always using warm water. Another: per-
feet rest, clean stable, tempting diet, and
stimulating lniment applied to the throat.
Another remedy is rest, comfortable bedding
bandaging the cXtremities, fumigatons Of
boiling water to assist the discharge at the
nose, with cough mixture of liquoricc-root
and molasses. Administer tonics and stimu-
lants if appetite fails and weakness ensues.
There is a moral as well as material aspect
to the present subject, and the moment seems
Opportune to allude to it. That the horse,
the most generous and Indispensable servant
of mankind, is, rs a rule, in our country, held
in lower estimate than elsewhere, and more
generally ratcd--particularly by large cor
pOrations-among their inanmatc property,
must be conceded. With many such it is a
mere question of money, and the only point
of interest to the stockholders being the one
which indicates the dividend the question Of
humanity is not an active principle and
hence the disabled horse, and the disabled
car or stage, are placed in the same category.
Indeed, the careful housing, washing, oiling,
and repairing of the senscless vehicle has Of
ten appeared to me to be i'll marked contrast
to the inadequate consideration bestowed on
the weary, MANNED, and cmaciatcd creature,
which, with dropping head and duplicating
look, remains in the pelting storm, or is
domicilcd in the damp, dark, fOul-smclinG
cellar below the street.
This is not only Improbable, it is some
| thing more; it is a crime. The horse, ever
| since his domesticatiOn, has been one of the
greatest elements of human progress and
happiness, and it is not eNaggcrating his I'M
portance to say that civilization would be al
most impossible without him. Pray heaven
this truth may never be made practically evil
dent by the humiliation of this precious
| friend of our race.
His feed, moreover, which should be of the
best quality, is generally a composition
wherein economy is most conspicuous; and
this is furnished to animals which are COM
PEELED to travel eighteen or twenty miles
every day. The question again presents
itself, which has been so often argued before,
may not dummy engines" take the place of,
or supplement, the services of the horse {?
Two or three inventions, combining all the
requirements of safety in speed, absence of
noise and smoke, have been submitted
to this society, and there exists but little
prejudice to oppose their adoption. The fear
of alarming horses is about the only objec-
ton; but, with infinite more cause, the ami
mails along Greenwich street have become
familiar with even that crashing noise of the
railroad over their heads. BY substituting
these noiseless engines, which can be arrested
in half the time of q horse-car, tenfold the
number of passengers could be transported
from one end Of this island to the other in
about Oncthird of the time.
Yours respectfully, HENRY BERGH,
! President.