139 

 come ranked anions^ the liberal arts: for, thoiish its 

 practice is of sufficient importance to ennoble its 

 practitioners, it was not till the situation, manners, 

 and character of some of these practitioners had con- 

 ferred a portion of dignity on tlie subject itself, that 

 it was even creditable to seem to understand it. 



Precisely as farriery or veterinary medicine then 

 was situated, a curative practice on the diseases of 

 dogs now stands. A person practising on these ani- 

 mals has hitherto been considered as following a very 

 mean pursuit ; and the very term of dog doctor con- 

 vevsan idea remote from gentility: but it is not the 

 nnworthiness of the pursuit, but the kind of persons 

 who have hitherto followed it, that has made it so. 

 I believe no one will dispute the value of does : com- 

 iiion humanitv dictates the necessity of alleviating 

 their distresses; and their faithful attachment to man- 

 kind ciahns not only the exertion of our humanitv, 

 but the full efforts of our gratitude and allection. 

 And though, in real utility, they are subordinate to 

 the horse, they are, in many points, more essential 

 to our immediate comfort; and are certairfy, bv 

 their domestic habits, connected to us by much more 

 winning ties. 



If, then, they are so valuable, and if it is our duty 

 to attend as well to their sick as their healthy mo- 

 ments (which it undoubtedly is, for it is the life of 

 art we have subjected them to that has entailed dis-. 

 ease upon them), surely those who improve this 

 branch of the healing art deserve attention, and not 

 reprobation. But, in the first instance, it must, in 

 this as in farriery, be the respectability of the practi- 

 tioner that must rescue the pursuit from ignomin\ ; 



