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THE VETERINARIAN, FEBRUARY 1 , 1837 . 
Ne quid falsi dicere audeat, ne quid veri non audeat. — Cicero. 
There is no part of the duty of the veterinary surgeon more 
connected with the comfort and the interest of his employer, 
than the examination of horses previous to purchase. As to the 
general character and capability of the animal, perhaps the opi- 
nion of a thorough sportsman would be more valuable. He sees at 
a glance what kind of horse will carry him pleasantly on the road, 
and gallantly in the field : but the anatomy of the animal — the 
connexions and relations of the different parts of his frame — the 
deviations which may not interfere with usefulness and with 
health, and those with which neither the one nor the other can 
permanently consist — the early indications of disease — the con- 
nexions and the progress of the various maladies to which the 
horse is subject — these have not, and could not be the objects 
of the sportsman’s close and laborious study. And the veteri- 
narian ought here to stand on his proper ground, and to render 
good service to his employer. Why is not that system of in- 
struction adopted, and those habits, even within the collegiate 
walls, encouraged, and afterwards followed up, with all due re- 
gard to his respectability, his means, and his professional duty, 
which would enable the pupil to compete with the sportsman on 
his own ground, and to beat him on every other ? Why is not the 
riding-school an essential appendage to every seat of veterinary 
instruction, and the knowledge of the external structure of the 
horse, and the art of riding and managing him, and bringing 
fairly out all his excellencies and capabilities and defects, an in- 
tegral and indispensable part of the veterinary surgeon’s educa- 
tion ? Then he would be at home in his profession, and useful, 
and duly appreciated. 
It is difficult to say why it should have been so, except that 
the veterinarian, or the instructor of the veterinarian, conscious 
of his deficiency in that which regards a material part of his 
