Short as may have been my experience, nothing herein 

 set down will be found which is not the result of practice, 

 or the consequence of reasoning. Perhaps a longer pro- 

 fessional existence would have given more weight to that 

 which is either novel in its announcement, or may appear 

 to be bold in its assurance. Truth, however, is speedily 

 read by those who are intent on deciphering it, and facts 

 are not rendered more clear to the mental vision by years 

 of conventional dependence. 



The teaching of our English Veterinary School has, for 

 too long a period, been traditional ; what one had said, 

 he who succeeded him repeated, and when I entered as a 

 pupil, there existed no spirit of inquiry, or thought of 

 extending the boundaries of knowledge. To what a degree 

 an evil system had been established, I may here state as 

 an instance, that in the first horse which I dissected, I 

 was able to demonstrate the existence of four muscles that 

 had previously been unnoticed by my teachers. 



Under such circumstances, it is not surprising if a fresh 

 intruder, on a comparatively unexplored soil, did turn up 

 something which, though it laid near to the surface, had 

 not before been exposed. On the teeth, my investigations 

 began from the beginning ; and though I cannot but say I 

 have been greatly assisted by the information derived from 



