732 
Review. 
Quid sit pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile, quid non. — H or. 
Lectures on the Principles and Methods of Medical Observation 
and Research , for the use of Advanced Students and Junior 
Practitioners . By Thomas Laycock, M.D., F.R.S.E., 
F.R.C.P., Professor of the Practice of Medicine and of 
Clinical Medicine in the University of Edinburgh. 
Adam and Charles Black, 1856. Small 8vo, pp. 223. 
We had promised ourselves the pleasure, from which, 
without presumption, we anticipated solid profit to our 
readers, of reviewing the new work from Dr. Laycock’s pen, 
with the twofold object of weighing its merits, and generally 
considering the great theme he has chosen ; but the press of 
matter we have in hand forbids realization of our plan in the 
current year, while postponement to the next would defer 
many of our readers knowing the existence of a work, 
which should, without delay, become the object of their 
most diligent perusal and study. 
No one acquainted with the rise and progress of veteri- 
nary medicine, can doubt that the enormous advantages it 
has reaped from the sister profession, have been asso- 
ciated with a good share of the evil inherent to servile copy 
and reasoning by analogy, with undue confidence in the 
result, without a sufficiently clear appreciation of the errors 
into which such a mode of investigation, incautiously pur- 
sued, is apt to lead. Holding, as we do, these opinions, 
we always study works on the various branches of human 
medicine with the intent of testing the value of their pre- 
cepts by experience in our own calling. We believe that 
anyone studying Professor Laycock’s Lectures with this 
spirit, will coincide with us, that very rarely, in the history 
of medicine, has a more valuable contribution been made 
to the real science of pathology. The author has most 
happily developed the process by which the reasoning 
faculties should be trained and applied to the study of 
disease, and we are certain that the members of our own 
profession will eventually be largely indebted to him, for 
having afforded them the safest guide in the study of 
disease, with which we are acquainted. 
