102 THE HOG. 



trums at random, is fur more liable to put an end to the life of his 

 patient than to arrest the progress of the disorder. Such men should 

 never be allowed to tamper with the meanest animal. It is only to 

 those who, from close study and long practice, have acquired an 

 accurate knowledge of the anatomy, diseases, habits, and general 

 management of domesticated animals, that their medical treatment 

 can with safety be intrusted. 



It is, however, by no means our intention in this work to give a 

 formal treatise on the anatomy, physiology, and diseases of the pig, 

 but simply to lay before our readers a tolerably comprehensive 

 sketch of the general structure of the animal, and the alterations 

 and evils to which certain parts are liable, and this divested as much 

 as possible of all the technicalities of professional language. A de- 

 scription of the different parts, their form, situation, action, and func- 

 tions, as well as their admirable adaptation to the ends for which 

 they were designed, will lead us to a consideration of the diseases 

 incidental to them to the treatment proper to be adopted and to 

 some account of the various operations which it may occasionally 

 be requisite to perform. In short, we would present them with 

 a practical digest of all that is yet known relative to this too much 

 neglected branch of veterinary science ; one that shall serve as a 

 book of reference in cases of doubt or emergency, and aid in intro- 

 ducing those great truths and leading doctrines, which form the 

 groundwork upon which the practice of every branch of medical 

 science ought to be based, into the last strongholds of ignorance and 

 empiricism. 



In entering upon the anatomy and diseases of swine, we may be 

 said to take possession of a new and almost untrodden field, one as 

 yet scarcely recognized as belonging to any earlier occupants ; and 

 here, in the onset, it will be as well to observe that, careful and 

 lucid as we shall endeavor to make our descriptions, we should only 

 mislead the agriculturist or grazier if we were to encourage him to 

 believe that they will enable him wholly to dispense with a veteri- 

 nary surgeon. Far from it ; we would rather persuade him to seek 

 at once the assistance of the well-educated and scientific practi- 

 tioner, who, from close study, practical experience, and surgical 

 skill, is qualified sucessfully to grapple with the most obscure and 

 fatal diseases. We would enable him to assist the veterinary surgeon 

 in his often arduous task, by giving him that information as to the 

 previous symptjoms, habits, &c., of the patient, which can alone 

 enable him to proceed with certainty, and will tend to save the life 

 of many a valuable animal ; and, lastly, we would warn him against 

 empirics. 



Swine, from having been, until very lately, considered as a subor- 

 dinate species of stock, have not yet, to any extent, become sharers 

 m the benefits which an improved system of agriculture, and the 



