Author: WATSON (Thomas)
Title: By His Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, T. Watson, Farrier in Norwich. His Instructions for the Management of Horses and Dogs. Wherein are minutely described their several maladies, and the long tried and much approved remedies which have been successfully applied thereto, by his peculiar pastes, cordials and powders. Also an appendix, Which shews, from numerous Experiments, that his Medicines are equally efficacious in the Disorders of neat or black cattle.
Description: London: Printed by T. Harrison and S. Brooke, 1785. First edition, 8vo (188 x 113 mm), xi, [1], 146pp., with half-title, small paper flaw in title page, some light browning and soiling, errata corrected in ink in a contemporary hand, also several alterations and corrections to the text, cont. half calf, marbled boards, red morocco spine label, lightly rubbed but overall a nice copy. The rare first edition of this provincial hand-book of veterinary medicine and animal husbandry, the work of Norwich Farrier Thomas Watson, and effectively a promotional work to advertise his 'aloetic purges for horses' and various other prescriptions. 'The utility of these medicines, which I now offer to the public, has been found by much labour and practice for a series of years, and they have the additional recommendation of being much applauded by all who have tried them; and as they are calculated for all ages and sizes of horse and dogs, they will be the most useful of any that have yet been publicly sold, especially for country gentlemen, sportsmen, breeders, and farriers' (p/ vii). Provenance: Armorial bookplate of Richard Cox, Quarley, Hants (1718-1803) and later book label 'The property of the Rumford Historical Association, Founded March 26, 1877'. Dingley, Historic Books on Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, 656; Smith, Early History of Veterinary Literature II, p. 147 (erroneously ascribing it to J. Watson).

Keywords: VETERINARY LITERATURE FARRIARY HORSES DOGS CATTLE NORWICH NORFOLK