Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-31
AIllNG ANIMALS.

Breeding and feeding are two things
CT first importance in handling live
stock. Treatment of sick animals
comes next. The Western Rural SAYS
that the veterinary practice of medi-
cine is frequently such violation OF
the laws of nature, and so faf behind
the times, that it does not think it can
do livestock breeders better service
than TO urge them to look into the
subject carefully and prepare them
selves 20 treat their sick animals upon
more rational principles. Another
paper thinks that the Rural is wrong
in its denuncia;ion of veterinary prac-
tice, and says that If il would examine
tine latest veterinary works it would
see that ii was in error in thinking as
it did. The Rural says in reply:
swell, if there is anything in the
shape of veterinary treatise which
we have not seen and not read. we
want it. A matter of such vital i'm.
portance as saving the lives of animals
must necessarily prompt to pretty
thorough investigation in the office of
q livestock journal. We confess that
in some instances we recommend rem
edies of which we do not approve, be-
cause we know of nothing better and
are compelled TO conform to veterinary
practice. But whenever it is possible
our readers are aware that the RENE
dies we recommend are very simple,
and generally they are effective. We
do not believe in giving much medi-
cine all veterinarians do. They dose
the poor animals to death or nearly so.
Usually we direct attention to the diet
and to the necessity of pure air and
cleanly surroundings. Rubbing and
blankeung are often better than the
entire mdterid medica. We recon-
mend charcoal SO frequently because
1t is SO simple and because we know
that there is no other one thing that
ever went into the stomach of an ami
maj as medicine that is so valuable.
But the veterinarians, like the regular
physicians, must resort to drugs that
viii poison, and TO treatment that
will reduce the strength of the animal.
These two principles underlie all regu-
lar medical practice. The patient is
poisoned in the first place. A mixture
is thrown into the stomach that causes
that organ TO rebel against the vio-
lence done to nature and it heaves it
out ; that causes the nerves to tighten
or relax, or, in short, that causes the
entire system TO do something that is
not natural for it to do. We contend
that it is simple common sense to say
that you cannot aid nature by fighting
her, and that il is just as good common
sense 10 say you canno: build up the
animal system by making it weaker.
1t never was done and never will be
dohc. lHc etNh- buiiidh vi duiiildI,
that recover under such treatment,
recover in spite of ;he treatment and
not by its aid, excepting always that
where disease is of parasitic origin
poison may be necessary TO kill the
parasites.
"We have before us a veterinary
work which was published only two
years ago, and is particularly severe
upon those who denounce bleeding. |
Yet ic there is one piece of folly more
than another in veterinary |
practice it is this method of weaken
ng down the system. The man who
APPS the life current in an animal sys-
em is an ignoramus of colossal pro-
portions. The work 10 which we refer
avs that il is true that in the treat
nent of human patients bleeding is a
hing of the past; but the author says
will not work with the horse. Why
lot? IL il is unquestionably injurious
o bleed human beings, why is it not
INJURIOUS &c bleed a horse? Blood is
Hood, whether il is in human veins or
q a horses veins. Its Office in both
ases is precisely the same, and the
feet of letting il out is to weaken the
afient, whether II is man or horse.
he author of this work says that
with his own hands he has bled five
undred horses and mules, and in no
ase found any evil consequences"
ought now TO tie his hands,
DR. he has erected all the monuments
0 stupidity that two hands ought to
o. OF course he has not seen any
vii consequences. Doctors never see
ny evil consequences. The regular
octors will go on giving mercury,
nd can see no evil consequences
,ough hundreds are dropping into
,eir graves loaded down with mcr-
Try. II is said that old DIR. Rush
,uld see no evil consequences from {
eeding. On his death-bed, it is af-
rmed, he bled himself until he hadn't
rength enough to direct the lance,
I'd but very little blood left in him,
I'd as he was about to die said that if
} could only be bled again he would
'cover. We do not voUch for the
nth of the story, but it accerds with
Ie blood-letting theory. The author 4
Iys that bleeding docs not impoverish
q remaining blood. OF course ii
PES not. But il takes from the ami
81 . certain quantity of nutriment.
IA the blood was out of it, it would
e, would it not? 1t is full of dis a
Ise, lacking in nutrition and is a We
Gle Of disease, as the author of the
ork afirms. But it contains all the
,triiion that the system can get, and
. very fact that it is lacking in nutri- !,
% is proof that all the nutrition il :
~ contain ought to be let alone, and
i wseted by bleeding the animal"
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