VETERINARY EDUCATION 9 



prepare the student for practical work, which is at first 

 disheartening, for with all his book knowledge he seems 

 to have nothing to start with. An animal cannot tell his 

 ailments, or where the pain is, and the doctor must find out 

 for himself. Now, if the student can pass an examination 

 he may be assigned to a place in the imperial studs ; but 

 at every advancement on the military staff, he must pass a 

 new examination, until at the end of five years he becomes 

 a graduate, with the title of veterinary surgeon and animal 

 doctor.' 



Is it possible the course includes five years of hard study? 



' No less is sufficient. In nearly all European countries 

 the animal doctor advances through military service, aided 

 by the close and practical observation of and association 

 with his own horses ; attending personally to their needs, 

 even to the blacking of their hoofs, albeit his servant may 

 blacken his boots. The course includes all that medical 

 science teaches, whether of biped or quadruped, with 

 feathers or without. He must be practical in everything, 

 even to the forging and fitting of his horses' shoes, a most 

 important thing to know. 



' In the English cavalry, a regular course of lectures on 

 the anatomy of the horse is given to the different regi- 

 ments. A competent instructor chalks off the various sec- 

 tions on the body of the horse, while the members of the 

 class must pass a rigid examination on these important 

 lessons.' 



Are there many such colleges in Europe, and which is 

 considered the best? 



' The highest veterinary college for cattle is in Switzer- 

 land, and that in England ranks next. But in England the 

 college is not under government control, as it is in Russia, 



