ON THE FOOT 137 



says the fable, " the gods left him to himself ; " and 

 I must be cautious how I enter into this field of art, 

 or I may be compared to the man who set about learn- 

 ing animal economy by dissecting a statue. Never- 

 theless, as all knowledge is progressive, few practical 

 sciences arrive at perfection until they become the 

 objects of general inquiry ; and therefore I may be 

 allowed to contribute my mite to the fund. Experi- 

 ence often points out guides more certain than any 

 theory, and one triumphant certainty is worth a 

 thousand doubts. At all events evidence cannot 

 cheat us, but, on the contrary, has that sovereign 

 dominion over our minds, against which argument 

 has no chance to contend. 



Although it is well that every man should have some 

 idea of the operations of nature, few have much know- 

 ledge of anatomy, unless intended for the medical 

 or veterinary profession ; but without its demon- 

 strative evidence, all is doubt and uncertainty, and 

 we go on, accounting for one thing by supposing 

 another, until we exhaust every species of error. 

 Find out the cause and remove it, and the effect ceases ! 

 Remove the film, and the sight is clear ! 



In searching for truth it is useless to expose former 

 mistakes and errors ; we should only look to well- 

 established facts, and to the unexpected discoveries 

 which present themselves. In my last letter on this 

 subject I venture to oppose the long-received opinion 

 — an opinion emanating from the highest authority — 

 that contraction of the foot was a cause of lameness, 

 and, that unless the frog received pressure, disease, 



