THE VETERINARY ART IN INDIA. 
27 
of horses in the Veterinary College; and although the superior 
value and utility of the horse over the rest of the brute creation 
makes it engross so much of the science, still the whole animal 
world is equally the subject of his profession. 
It is scarcely worth noticing, that interest has created many 
enemies among the farriers, &c. of England, who think the vete- 
rinary science may deprive them of a profession which they have 
so long erroneously practised. Bigotted and confined to a few 
recipes which they received from their fathers, they exerted their 
influence to prevent the propagation and practice of the veterinary 
principles, and among the peasants of the more remote parts of 
England they, no doubt, frequently succeeded. But when it shall 
be known that the diseases of animals, whatever form they may 
assume, must have the same causes as in the human subject, and 
are relieved by a similar treatment — when this simple truth shall 
be generally received, prejudices will be done away, and veteri- 
nary science, like the practice of physic in the human subject, 
will be universally received and adopted. 
The art is yet so much in its infancy as scarcely ' to have 
afforded a single publication of its principles. The only one I 
have seen is by Mr. Coleman, on the structure of the foot, and 
the manner of shoeing recommended in order to preserve its na- 
tural functions ; but I understand there is a second volume very 
recent from the press on the anatomy and diseases of the same 
part. These are the only books on the subject of which I ever 
heard, and this scarcity was my principal inducement for under- 
taking the present work. 
Every one will, I believe, acknowledge that no art was more 
defective than that of the treatment of diseases in horses before 
the British government gave it their protection, and rendered the 
study respectable by giving the surgeons of this branch of cavalry 
duty a commission. 
A College, previously established under the direction of Mr. 
Coleman, the professor (whose ingenuity and labour in advancing 
veterinary knowledge is too well attested to need any enco- 
mium from me), soon afforded very ample scope for investigating 
the anatomy of the horse, and that with so much success, that 
considerable progress has been made in physiology, or the func- 
tions and properties of parts. This is conspicuous in the foot of 
the horse, the functions of which were never before suggested, 
and the consequence of this want of knowledge was demonstrated 
in the method of shoeing the farriers pursued, which was on prin- 
ciples diametrically opposite to nature ; nor could the most inge- 
nious have discovered a mode of shoeing more effectually calcu- 
lated to pervert the structure of the foot. 
