THE TEETH. 19 



in maintaining his health, by good food, good exercise, and good 

 lodging, but he also demands a thorough knowledge of his diseases, 

 in order to prevent their encroachment on the health of his 

 frame, by which his powers of body and mind (for he has a mind) 

 are lost. It will, therefore, be my object to make my readers 

 understand the nature of the diseases to which the dog, and more 

 especially the greyhound, is subject, and to explain the best and 

 simplest mode of treating them. But, in order to render my 

 observations intelligible to my readers, I must commence by 

 explaining the general structure of the animal which is to come 

 under treatment, and this I hope to do in such terms as to be 

 understood by the most ignorant (medically) of my readers. 



The dog is an omnivorous animal by long habit, though pro- 

 bably originally carnivorous, as indicated by his teeth, of which 

 the following is the formula : 



6 11 66 



Incisor Canine Molar = 42. 



6 11 77 



He belongs to the division in the animal kingdom Vertebrata, 

 and the class Mammalia. His body, like all the mammalia, may 

 be described as consisting of two sets of organs, one of which 

 (the skeleton, with the muscles and nerves setting it in motion) 

 serves to obtain the food of the individual, and to enable it to 

 escape the attacks of other animals ; whilst the other, composed 

 of the various organs of respiration, circulation, digestion, and 

 secretion, is intended to maintain the body in a state of repair, 

 affording fresh materials when wanted, and at the same time 



c 2 



