Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-25
Circulation Every 10c01
Evening Yesterday i COO4
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1920.
The ssHoss Doctor" Has Gone.

The ..Hoss Doctor Has Gone.
Those who recall the old-time veteri-
marian and his misapphed lack Of wisdora
will. scarcch regret that he has passed
ncves 10 return. Schools for the educa-
t,on of men 10 doctor" livestock have
crowds a him out of place, more completely
than even the blacksmith and the wheel
wright have been pushed to the wallAs we
recnllthe odd 'hoss doctors" Of thirty years
sa,d more ago, they were unpicturesque
and often unclean and uninviting. 10
tlbesn .n~n,e beet animal friend WAS ever
se,shoep." They were wholly unschooled
incouincanatomy OF in the operations OF
ldvvue On their patients. They may have
.known the fctlock joint from the hook,
but they could not for their lives have
dtetlnrulslsd between 'paxwax and
as~nottule." Their medication was al
most always confined TO three or tour
remedies, such as turpentine for inward
,,rrer and fiery liniment with the strength
.ofusvnssnitc that seldom failed to remove
,thchair and even some of the flesh when
apr,4ied externally. Their surgery was
.confined to operations that could be ac-
.cmnplished by the use of an eversharp
isck-knife and Of course, when they were
az snv considerable extent were invariably
fatal
One can still see IN memory these old
"hoss doctors" as they sat around the
livery stables or about the.blacksmith
shop of small towns and country villages
They alwavs were dressed a tTitie better
than the men with whom they associat-
Cd. had a large stock of interesting 'horsey'
exr-ricnces 20 relate, including many
alleged marvellous cures they claimed to
have 10 their credit, and knew the record
and pedigree Of every racehorse IN the
whole country, past or present. In con-
versation they spoke with the tone of su-
thority. and none dared TO dispute them,
unless minister of the gospel happened
20 pass by, when there was modification
of the talkative vets profanity. usually
rcsorted 10 for appropriate emphasis. 1t
scarcely need be added they "chawed'
tobacco with a greater energy than they
brought % bear on any Of their profess
sional activities, and could expel the iuice
with an eSpcrtness OF aim that was amaz-
ing.
nsnmmoned hastily 70 minister TO
,areeouine paticnt. the "doc"-the nearest
sto.prufess,onal title that he ever attained
--rosereluctantly from ms fsvorite chair,
or stool, or bench. and after stretching
himself and yawning prodigiously, "al-
.low,d" thatshe'd have TO 60 up and see
whist was the matter with Tom Jones
la'old,hnit" When the call was from the
country, the farmer who had need for his
,scsyioes usually took him back to the
farm. He carried neither kit nor parcel,
nctwi thstsndIng he always knew In ad-
,vanc.e-he would first ''drench" his help
less patient with pint of turpentine, II
Irrespective of any diagnosis. So, when he
Mad wisely looked into the horses hlmy |
1eyes and glimpsed its tongue, he would |
send Tom Jones TO the nearest paint |
store for his remedy, and long-necked |
hottie 10 contain the drenching mixture |
tand convey it down the poor horses |
sthroat. The ''hoss doctor" always found |
tthe digestion of his patient TO be in need
of immediate stimulation or regulation, |
and bent his energies TO that end, while /
! the victim passed nearer and nearer to the
goal from which no equine spirits have
thus far returned. II was rarely, indeed,
an ailing "hoss" escaped the professional
attentions Of the doc" unless by some
such fortunate chance as the source of
supplies being out Of turpentine at the
time and unable 10 fll the crude pre-
scription for few days.
The old-time "vet" rarely got much pay
for has services, for his patrons generally
regarded him as a man who had nothing
% do anyhow, and that by calling him to
treat their ailing stock they were agree
ably spicing his life of leisure with little
variations Of labor out of which he seemed
20 get much personal satisfaction. How
he existed nobody seemed to know or to
care, but be lived out his allotted span
without ever realizing, let US hope, how
greatly he had mistaken his calling, or
ever stopping 70 summarize his work and
discover how seldom he had saved the
lives. or even eased the ills, of the suf-
fering animals be had been called upon to
attend
And now he has gone. Trained, com
petent veterinarians. graduates of es-
tablished educational institutions. thor
oughly equipped for an exercise Of what is
now AN acknowledged and valuable pro-
fession, are more than filing his place
And the change is Of infinite benefit to that
class Of animals that formerly had to run
the awful chances Of being subjected to bis
ignorant ministrations.
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