Diseases of Lomesiic *3.nimals. xxv 



France ; Camper^^ and Sandifort, in Holland ; Pallas, in 

 Russia; the illustrious Haller, professor at Gottingen ; Scar- 

 pa and Camparetti, in Italy. In England, we are indebted 

 to William and John Hunter, Hewson, Home, M'Cartney, 

 A. Cooper, Townson, Haighton, Cruikshank, and others, 

 and in Scotland, to the t\yo Munros (1st and 2nd,) for the 

 elucidation of the organs of various animals, and for very 

 considerable additions to our stock of knowledge on the sub- 

 ject. Lastly, Cuvier,-^ of Paris, and Blumenbach,^^ of Got- 

 tingen, may justly be considered as the most eminent contri- 

 butors to comparative anatomy, in modern times. 



It would be tedious to detail the particular animals and 

 subjects, to the investigation and dissection of which, these 

 illustrious men devoted their attention ; it may be therefore 

 only necessary to say, that scarcely any part of the animal 

 creation, from the colossal elephant to the crawling cater- 

 pillar, escaped their attention ; and that from all of their la- 

 bours, instruction of the most useful kind, and from some of 

 them, of the most pleasing nature, has been derived. 



I shall now proceed to enumerate the advantages that have 

 resulted to mankind from the prosecution of comparative 

 anatomy. 



Every well read medical man, who, not content with know- 

 ing merely the present state of the science of medicine and 

 the art of surgery, has investigated the progress of their 

 improvement, must be acquainted with the essential services 

 which have been rendered to both professions by comparative 

 anatomy ; yet as some of my hearers are not expected to be 

 informed on this subject, it is due to the study, and may not 

 prove uninteresting to them, to give a short account of the 

 benefits which have resulted from it. 



1. The study of comparative anatomy opens to the mind 

 a source of the highest satisfaction and interest, and tends 

 most powerfully to give exalted ideas of the wisdom of the 

 Author of all existence. In the words of the eloquent Her- 

 der, it "gives man a dew to himself, which conducts hbu 



