The illustrated horse doctor — Edition Insights

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In Category - Medicine

Authors: Mayhew, Edward, 1813?-1868 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2021 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Horses -- Diseases Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 204,053

Reading time 888 min

Text sections 28

The catalog record for The illustrated horse doctor — Edition Insights provides practical reading context through 204,053 words, 14 hr 48 min estimated reading time, and 28 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 19.3 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Horses -- Diseases,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #64352

Edward Mayhew's 1862 veterinary manual combines detailed disease descriptions with over 400 wood engravings, written in plain English for non-professionals. The excerpts reveal a moral argument linking glanders to human cruelty, contrasting with the catalog's simple 'Horses -- Diseases' classification.

Editorial Edition Score 4.9/5

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Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg64352

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The Brain and Nervous System--Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Phrenitis--Abscess within the Brain 19

Staggers--Sleepy Staggers and Mad Staggers 20

The Eyes--Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Specific Ophthalmia 46

Fungoid Tumors within the Substance of the Eye 57

Impediment in the Lachrymal Duct 61

The Mouth--Its Accidents and its Diseases.

Excoriated Angles of the Mouth 64

Injuries to the Jaw 69

The Nostrils--Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Highblowing and Wheezing 94

The Throat--Its Accidents and its Diseases.

Rupture and Stricture of the Œsophagus 115

The Chest and its Contents--Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Congestion in the Field 121

Congestion in the Stable 123

Bronchitis, or Inflammation of the Air-passages 125

Pneumonia, or Inflammation of the Lungs 130

Disease of the Heart 143

The Stomach, Liver, etc.--Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Spasm of the Diaphragm 145

Chronic Gastritis 150

Chronic Hepatitis 158

The Abdomen--Its Accidents and its Diseases.

Chronic Dysentery 175

Acites, or Dropsy of the Abdomen 178

Abdominal Injuries 184

Spasmodic Colic; Fret; Gripes 194

The Urinary Organs--Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Nephritis, or Inflammation of the Kidneys 204

Cystitis, or Inflammation of the Bladder 209

Spasm of the Urethra 212

Hematuria, or Bloody Urine 215

Diabetes Insipidus, or Profuse Staling 217

The Skin--Its Accidents and its Diseases.

Larva in the Skin 233

Mallenders and Sallenders 249

Specific Diseases--Their Varieties and their Treatment.

Purpura Hemorrhagica 265

Limbs--Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Osseous Deposits--Spavin 286

Strain of the Flexor Tendon 300

Clap of the Back Sinews 302

Sprain of the Back Sinews 303

Luxation of the Patella 325

The Feet--Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Tread and Overreach 348

Ossified Cartilages 366

Acute Laminitis, or Fever in the Feet 367

Subacute Laminitis 375

Navicular Disease 377

Injuries--Their Nature and their Treatment.

Fistulous Withers 391

Fistulous Parotid Duct 394

Phlebitis, or Inflammation of the Vein 398

Open Synovial Cavities 412

Open Synovial Joints 418

Division of the Tendons 457

ILLUSTRATED HORSE DOCTOR.

THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM--THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES.

=Phrenitis= implies inflammation of the brain. Madness and extreme violence are the consequences. The animal, in this condition, disregards all recognitions, and, apparently, loses all timidity. It suffers the greatest agony, and no terror can appal it. It would rejoice, could it anticipate the effects, if the mouth of a loaded cannon were pointed toward itself, and would look for relief when the portfire descended upon the touch-hole. Every movement seems designed to end its own existence; but the furor has no malice in it. The creature strives only to injure himself. It may in its efforts shatter and demolish the structures which surround it; but it does so without intention. That is merely the result of its being carried away beyond the things of this world by a mighty anguish. It desires harm to no one; but it cannot remain quiescent, and endure the torment which rages within its skull.

When this stage of the malady appears, the best thing is to anticipate the evident wish of the animal. The teaching of schools, which instructs young men to meddle with the strength of an infuriated horse, is mere prattle. However, if the disease, as it seldom happens, is perceived approaching, something may be attempted. Before the violence commences, the horse is generally dull. It does not obey the rein or answer to the lash. It is heavy beyond man's control. It snores as it breathes. The lids drop; the head sinks; the body is cold; the membrane of the nose is leaden in color; and, from being the obedient, watchful, and willing slave, its entire nature appears to have changed. It does not attend to the goad, and the voice of the driver may bawl in the harshest key, but the sound which used to excite seems unheard and is unheeded.

The remedy for the earlier stage is copious blood-letting. Open both jugulars and allow the current to flow till the countenance brightens or the animal sinks. Bleed again and again, if necessary. Give purgatives of double strength, and repeat them every three hours, till the bowels are copiously relieved or the pulse changes, or the general appearance indicates improvement. Afterward, administer sedatives, always as infusions. A scruple of tobacco, half a drachm of aconite root, or a drachm of digitalis should have a pint of hot water poured upon it. When the liquid is nearly cold, it should be strained, and the dose may be repeated every half hour, until its operation is witnessed in the more quiet behavior of the animal.

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Edward Mayhew's The Illustrated Horse Doctor (1862) presents itself as a practical guide for non-professional readers, written in plain English and illustrated with over four hundred wood engravings. Yet the excerpts reveal a work that exceeds its stated purpose: alongside detailed disease descriptions, Mayhew mounts a sustained moral critique of how horses are treated. The catalog subjects classify the book under 'Horses -- Diseases,' but the text itself argues that the primary disease—glanders—is 'provoked by human depravity' and could become 'a tradition' within a year if owners showed common feeling. This tension between the book's advertised utility and its reformist rhetoric shapes the reading experience.

The Moral Argument Embedded in Veterinary Instruction

Mayhew does not confine himself to symptoms and treatments. In the section on glanders, he directly indicts horse owners: 'Men, to their fellow-men, sometimes confess, without any sense of shame, that they buy cheap horses to work them up.' He calls this system 'horrible' and notes it operates 'in a country professing Christianity.' The disease, he insists, is not a natural affliction but a consequence of human greed and neglect. This moral framing is consistent with the preface, where Mayhew addresses two opposing parties—those who see the horse as a 'working machine' and those who recognize its 'keenest feelings.' The book thus functions as both a medical manual and a polemic against cruelty, a dual purpose that the catalog subject heading alone does not capture.

Evidence of Contagion and Human Risk

Mayhew provides specific, traceable evidence that glanders is contagious to humans. He recounts three cases: two 'respectable gentlemen' who perished, and a boy who was infected when matter from a horse's nostril flew into his eye. The author notes that glanders is now 'recognized as one of those incurable diseases, generated by neglect, to which the human being is liable, in every hospital throughout the kingdom.' These details ground his argument in observable fact, not mere sentiment. The excerpts also show Mayhew questioning why the law allows glandered animals to be driven through streets, endangering the public. This blend of clinical observation and social criticism is a distinctive feature of the work.

The Role of Illustrations and Plain Language

The title page emphasizes 'More than Four Hundred Pictorial Representations' and promises 'plain English.' The publisher's advertisement explains that Mayhew's ability to illustrate his own text was discovered late, and the engravings were added to depict 'the various stages and aspects of disease.' While the excerpts do not include the illustrations themselves, the text references them—for instance, a caption reads 'THE ACUTE STAGE OF MEGRIMS. See page 25.' This integration of image and word was intended to make veterinary knowledge accessible to a lay audience. The book's structure, with detailed prescriptions and descriptions, supports its claim to be a practical guide, even as the moral arguments complicate that simplicity.

Readers approaching The Illustrated Horse Doctor solely as a reference work on equine diseases will find its moral passages jarring. Yet those passages are integral to Mayhew's project: he treats veterinary science as inseparable from ethics. The catalog subject 'Horses -- Diseases' is accurate but incomplete. To engage fully with the text, one must read the medical advice alongside the social critique, recognizing that Mayhew saw the horse's suffering as a mirror of human failings.

There’s something tender in Mayhew’s old anger about glanders, how he blames human cruelty rather than the horse—it makes the catalog’s flat “Horses — Diseases” feel almost lonely. I found a similar quiet in the second volume of the Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 2 (of 5) — Reading Companion, as if the same ache for these animals lingers, just spoken more gently.