INTRODUCTION. xxi 



The following explanations I deem also necessary in connection 

 with the reference to these gentlemen : 



Dr. Cotton was highly recommended to me as a man oi much 

 ability in the profession, by a prominent Eastern practitioner, and 

 reference was made to his position among his confreres in the State, 

 as assurance of his fitness for the work desired. 



Dr. Paquin was known to me personally as a man of much more 

 than ordinary attainments, and I made a special request that he 

 would take charge of one or two of the more important depart- 

 ments. I am especially indebted to him also for translations from the 

 French of analytical descriptions of the structure of the foot, he being 

 known to me as an exceptionally fine French scholar. 



I am also specially indebted to Dr. Meyer, not only for special 

 papers, but for translations from the German on the structure of the 

 foot, in which language he was a proficient scholar. In this respect, 

 also, Dr. Hamill rendered me an exceptionally important service. 

 Dr. Paquin, my best French scientific translator, was absent in 

 Paris, engaged in special microscopic studies, and being unable to 

 find a man competent to do the work, I explained the difficulty to 

 Dr. Hamill, who stated that he would himself try to do it for me, 

 and, to my surprise, I found him remarkably proficient, he being 

 able to trace out readily every minute definition from the original, 

 and adapt the explanations to the English, showing himself to 

 be one of the most thorough scientific students of the structure of 

 the foot in the veterinary profession. 



Having personal acquaintance with Dr. Sutherland, who was at 

 the time President of the Michigan State Veterinary Association, it 

 occurred to me to send him sample chapters of the matter prepared, 

 for his examination at the annual meeting of the Association at 

 Jackson, and request him to refer me to those among the members 

 of the Association competent and willing to take part in the work ; 

 and through his aid, as well as that of the Secretary of the Associa- 

 tion, Dr. Me Beth, who also co-operated with me most cordially, I 

 was able to secure the assistance of Drs. Dell, Chandler, Brenton, 

 and Jopling, and Prof. Grange, of the Agricultural College. 



The matter was now divided into sections and distributed to 

 each of these experts, with freedom to make any changes or addi- 

 tions to the text they might deem necessary to make it most reli- 

 able and practical for reference. It was specially requested that 

 the matter should be free from needless technicalities, and embody 

 the most useful facts for the benefit of the class of readers for whom 

 the work was intended. With the view of making this work as 



