VETERINARY BIOGRAPHY. 233 



should Vegetiiis have uttered these words : — ^'Ars veteri- 

 nari post mediclnum Secunda est,^' and write a book in 

 VIII vohimes, entitled " De arte VeterlnariaJ^ And 

 further, we are assured through the writings of Homer, 

 1000 years before Christ, that this science had an existence 

 in his day ; and this is also corroborated by Herodotus 500 

 years later. Simon, the Athenian Farrier, was practicing 

 the art as it then existed, fully 300 years before Galen, 

 and about 500 years before Celsus, the Koman physician, 

 liad yet lived. It was by order of the Greek Emperor, 

 Constantius, of the seventh century, tliat the various writ- 

 ings upon the subject were collected, and arranged under 

 the title, Hyppocratika, and were translated from the 

 original Greek into Latin, by Dr. Ruelle, in the latter part 

 of the fourteenth century, by order of Francis the First, 

 King of France. Ramazzini, of Italy, Sauvage, of France, 

 and Camper, of Germany, form the connecting link between 

 ancient and more modern times — or to the advent of 

 Charles Vial de Sain Bell, the founder of the first veteri- 

 nary college in England, in the year 1792. Sain Bell 

 was a man of ability, a good reasoner, clever, and very 

 brilliant. He died before much progress had been made 

 in establishing the college. He was succeeded by a dashing 

 young medical student named Coleman, a favorite of Sir 

 Astley Cooper, the great surgeon ; but it is by no means 

 clear that he was regarded, by the celebrated John Hunter, 

 as filling the chair of so illustrious a predecessor in a satis- 

 factory manner. However, he was the means by which 

 veterinary science made considerable progress. The grave, 

 some years ago, closed over his mortal remains ; but his 

 writings are much thought of, and quoted by some, 

 although many other writings, more modern, are in the 

 hands of the public. 



