268 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE VETERINARY SCHOOLS. 



" Alfort by Charenton, August 29, 1777. 



" The Boyal Veterinary School has, besides the director, M. 

 Bourgelat (who, however, does not instruct any more, but resides 

 generally in Paris), three teachers. The first, who is known as di- 

 rector and professor, educates in practice and pharmacy ; the second 

 teaches materia medica and botany, and the third anatomy. The 

 majority of the students complete their course in three years, and 

 take them in the following order : 



" First Summer. — Exterior of the horse. 



" First Winter. — Osteology and myology. 



" Second Summer. — On the selection of horses, their care, etc. 



" Second Winter. — Splanchnology. 



" Third Summer. — Materia medica and botany. 



" Third Winter. — Neurology, angiology, and adenology. 



" Those students who are blessed with a good memory, and who 

 are able to learn anatomy in two winters, end their course in two 

 and one half years, while many require four. Here no other books 

 are in use than those Bourgelat himself has written upon the subject. 

 The books must be learned verbatim from beginning to end; in 

 order that this may be complete, one of the older students, who is 

 selected by the director and bears the title of ' chef,' reviews the 

 students each week, and explains and illustrates the various points. 

 When the course is ended, the whole is again repeated before the 

 director, and he who can rattle his books off best receives the pre- 

 mium of a case of instruments valued at fifty livres. 



" Those who have ended their course practice operative surgery 

 upon the horses which are to be used for anatomy, and also practice 

 horseshoeing in the forge. "When not confined by the hours devoted 

 to study, the students may practice in the forge at pleasure. In mak- 

 ing shoes and farriery the instruction is given by a ' chef.' Scarcely 

 any instruction is given in pathology, or the director does it in a 

 very cursory manner when treating of other subjects ; the director 

 seldom detains the students by the sick horses in order that they 

 may study the patients, or to explain their diseases to them, which 

 can have no other result than that the students do not learn to diag- 

 nose diseases, and but few appreciate this great necessity. The 

 medicines are prepared by the students and given by them to the 

 patients. This is done by those who have ended their course, four 

 such being weekly appointed to this purpose. At present there are 

 about seventy sick horses in the hospital, and for each the daily fee 

 is thirty-five sous (forty cents) for medicine, care, and feeding. The 



