INTRODUCTION. 



i. THE SURGEON'S ATTRIBUTES.— In diagnosis, 

 in preparation of the patient, in performance of the operation 

 and in the post-operative treatment, the careful, painstaking, 

 methodical and studied execution of minute details is conse- 

 crated as an absolute law by the experienced surgeon. - Theo- 

 retical knowledge, inventive genius and practical adaptability 

 are resources par excellence, but of all these various attri- 

 butes heralded as essential to success in surgery, attention to 

 detail stands conspicuously first. The surgeon who has ani- 

 mals for his patients might also profitably possess the health 

 of an athlete, the strength of a giant, the manipulative dex- 

 terity of a magician and the skill of an artisan, and as Moller 

 once so aptly expressed it, "He should know how to deport 

 himself in the pig-sty as well as in the parlor." 



He will need, also, a keen, almost unerring judgment that 

 will enable him to arrive at correct conclusions, or at least 

 render sane, decisions under all circumstances ; and while his 

 disposition, owing to the nature of his pursuit, should be 

 bold, firm and even aggressive, he should display at all times 

 an unaffected abhorrence against the infliction of unneces- 

 sary and avoidable pain. His mind must be clear, active, 

 vigilant and resourceful ; his temper cool and always under 

 perfect control; and his ambitions for material gain should 

 be constantly overshadowed by an unselfish desire to relieve 

 the distress and alleviate the pain of his patients in the short- 

 est possible time and at the least possible cost to his clients. 



To qualify for a veterinary surgical practice a competent 

 knowledge of animals in general is indispensable. Profici- 

 ency in comparative anatomy, comparative physiology and 

 comparative pathology is not sufficient; a thorough under- 

 standing of the habits, the customs, the susceptibilities, the 

 immunities, the endurance, and in fact all of the peculiarities 

 of the different species and of the various breeds should be 

 included in his budget of knowledge. 



.Personal cleanliness can not be ignored with impunity in 

 the practice of veterinary surgery. The dirty nature of the 

 pursuit is all the more a reason why the animal surgeon 

 should be a habitually clean man, for is there not always 



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