y{ PREFACE. 



public as regards dogs, he must show not only that he has 

 some grasp of medicine as medicine, but a special knowl- 

 edge of the nature, varieties, and peculiarities of dogs. 

 The dog must be understood in health before his ailments 

 can be well appreciated and treated, and the more intelli- 

 gent body of breeders and owners of dogs thoroughly real- 

 ize this. The consciousness that there was no book treating 

 of the dog in disease that recognized adequately the princi- 

 ples just set forth ; a strong desire to better the condition 

 of this noble animal, that for the greater part of the writer's 

 life he has studied with pleasure and profit to his own 

 nature ; and an intimate knowledge of the condition and 

 needs of the veterinary profession, explains the origin of 

 this book, so far as the latter is concerned. The writer's 

 experience as a teacher of canine medicine — or rather of 

 the nature of the dog in both health and disease, for which 

 the term cynology is an appropriate one — has convinced 

 him that the study of the dog in disease should for veter- 

 inary students, as others, be preceded by his study in 

 health, with as much thoroughness as circumstances will 

 permit ; hence the large amount of space given to the sub- 

 ject of the first part of this work. 



But the book is by no means intended for students 

 and practitioners of veterinary science alone. It is meant 

 for all intelligent persons who breed, keep, or in any 

 way take a special interest in the dog. Their number is 

 very large, and is constantly increasing. While, there- 

 fore, the whole work has a scientific foundation, it has 

 been kept as free from technicalities as possible, and will, 

 it is hoped, be readily comprehensible by every intelli- 

 gent person. 



