734 
PROFESSOR SPOONER’S ORATION. 
that they were in the habit of selecting those animals which they 
thought to be most analogous to man in structure, in order to ex- 
ercise their scalpels upon them ; and thus, by a hypothetical 
mode of reasoning, assist themselves in the practice of their art. 
Dwelling upon this admitted fact, and reflecting upon the rea- 
soning faculty of man, is it not matter of astonishment that in 
this country, famous for its progress in every useful art, and its 
acquaintance with every ennobling science, and for the value, 
beauty, and number of its domesticated animals — is it not a mat- 
ter of astonishment that the veterinary art can only date about 
half a century back as the period of its origin ? Happily, how- 
ever, for us, of later years, the “ schoolmaster has been abroad ; J> 
the education of the people has made rapid strides ; the mask 
of ignorance is thrown aside, and I am satisfied that this has 
materially tended to the improvement of our long neglected art. 
Upon the general enlightenment of the community we must de- 
pend for aid, in common with our own exertions, to enable her to 
occupy the station to which she has a just right to aspire, in con- 
nexion with the sister science of medicine. I confess that I am 
not one of those who are willing to admit that a greater power of 
the mind is required to be exerted in obtaining a knowledge of 
human than of veterinary medicine ; yet we must ever be con- 
tent to stand second to the medical profession, particularly so as 
regards emolument. Their employment depends upon the moral 
responsibility of man ; and while we have ample proofs to ad- 
vance from Scripture that ours should be placed upon the same 
footing, I fear that it will too often be found that the engage- 
ments of him who is called upon to alleviate the sufferings of an 
animal rest too much upon the calculation of the owner of his 
patient, as to the probable pecuniary profit which will result from 
his services. What can be a greater proof of this, than the invidi- 
ous distinction which has so long been observed in this country 
between the horse and other animals? a distinction which, I 
am emboldened to assert, can only be traced to ignorance and 
avarice : and, were it necessary for me to add force to these obser- 
vations, I would say ignorance of a twofold character ; because 
it would require but little argument to shew that neither in a 
moral nor in a pecuniary point of view is it right. 
I fear, however, that it must be admitted that we ourselves, — 
the body of the profession, — have too long lent our aid in 
upholding this state of presumptive usurpation, and have been 
content to curtail our usefulness and our emoluments by confining 
the exercise of the art which we profess to practise to one class 
of animals alone. 
