The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-05-23
DOctoring Live Stock.

There was a time when 1t was difficult to
secure tn" services OF q good veterinary sur
geOn. But Of late years the country has been
well supplied with these useful and needed
practitioners 1t Is true that In some rural
dlstrirtsthey have not c.tarl'shed ih"nselves.
yet there Is no lnrk nf books on the subject
OF treating sick or injured live stock, anu few
agricultural papers fail to have attached to
their columns q "Vrtcrinary Department."
II Is not necessary therefore. TO call upon
quack "hnss d.Htors,' or inexperienced and
unsafe advertisers when live stock needs
treatment. Intelligent counsel and assistance
can I've found In almost any nelghbnrhond.
Half Of the people say Il correspondent OF the
Ohio Farmcr, consider themselves fu,ly c,pahle
beMsf Is heir 10; anil Just In proportion to the
littleness Of their knowledge OF other sub
jects. their own estimation OF their abilities
u "hoss and cow doctors" rises. Men who
have no more ihea of what anatomy il Ihnn n
mule has Of revealed religion, and who would
imagine physiology some new tangled remedy
for 'hoss cole" are certain that by surveying
q sick animal with one eye closed they cnn
locate Its disease without 4 single failure.
These people kill more animals than they
cure. 1t IL simply awful 10 seriously consider
ONE VI the doses they force down The thr"ats
Of helpless ,.rutrS II the patient were per-
fpctly healthy To start with. In half The caseS
the treatment would cnuse death In twenty
! four hours. 1t Is 4 wonder that people VIII
| allow sush disgusting medicine to lie admins.
tered. They assuredly cannot fall to perceive
that such concortiOnS must work more harm
thnn good. When a domestic animal ls taken
sick they seem to hold adleu to senSe and In
telligence and place their whole trust In some
Quack-the more ignorant the better. They
do not know anything about the brute amt
0iny. have no Idea what organs are affected or
how they are affected, nor have they the re-
motest inkling OF the proper remedies. Half
are willing ard honest enough TO admit their
Ignorance. hut the other half hide their lgnor-
ancr by the assumption OF superior and
transcpndpnt wisdom. The first half, instead
~ ",t 49, 1, n, a Syno nf 4 hQ COZ uiRQs nf Snp1n
COOL veterinary surgeon. call en- the second
half to prescribe for their animals The CON-
coctinns administered arc appalling. Strong
syrup OF t"b.cc3, I've by the quart cnrb"li &c
horses for collie. Their bellies are rubbed with
n chestnut rail ; II peck Of alt Is placed on the
animals rnnp anu dissolved with cold water.
The animal Is trnttrd bnck and forth over u
twenty ncre field. While 1t lies ON It's side It's
hellv IL knradrd with II number ten boot. IT
IL dies, rs II IL very apt TO- do, the doctor IL not
To blame, for collie IL hard to cure. II 1t gets
we'll the doctor gets great credit for he has Of
fectnd ~ wonderful cure. The doses ahIninls-
tered for the collie In horses are equnled or ex-
| reed"d by the mixtures given for other dis
e,srs or t? other hehsis; AZ m, hd ml .mi-
They nre given poiSons and exposed to num-
berloss bari,aritlrs.
There IS very little excuse for this, because
IN almost every case Il competent doctor, or
veterinary medicine chn he Ind. If the in
t~cllIgnnt treatment Of sick hrutes were on
ilnposslhilIty. turning them over 10 the ten 'er
mcrc!es OF ignorant quacks could lie wlnked
ut. Put in this n.e OF intelligence, when
vetertn"ry medicines T. a wei d"vsi"ped
fleet honor upon their calling. peolle who
will presist In employing rgotistlcal asses to
prescribe for brute r, deserve to sustain those
frequent losses Of animals that follow such
treatment. and in addition public censure for
their rarsiinnnious cruelty.
This often proceeds from nnmitigatpd siingi-
ness. The well qualified doctor probably
charges something for his services. and rather
than pay II some mOrta's will cause brutes tn
suffer untold misery AMI run the risk OF their
diving, But often I think, II raises nnfOundei
doubts of the value and efficacy Of the science
OF Veterinary mrdicinr. They do not believe
anything; thy Relieve they ere auncks and
taken viii not convince them. The trouble Is,
that in this. ~ In RELIGION. they mus lest II
themselves They cannot know whether or
not there IL anything In veterinary practice
until they have employed a COMPETENT physi-
elan. Ifthry would do 40 they would Prob
ably b" convinced that such men are not
professional humbugs.