132 
VETERINARY EDUCATION. 
and your future practice : and I should advise you to carry youf 
researches as much beyond this as your leisure and opportunity 
will permit. At all events you will observe and admire the va¬ 
rious means by which the Great Architect accomplishes the same 
object, and all of them wisest and best. 
Chemistry will now require your attention, to prepare you 
for the me^ns with which you are to combat disease. It is ab¬ 
solutely necessary that you should be acquainted with the 
nature of drugs—the different affinities of substances—the 
changes produced by combination—the degree to which you 
'may probably neutralize some valuable property, or even excite 
deleterious agency—the methods by which you may ascertain 
the genuineness of your drugs, and be guarded against imposi¬ 
tion where it is too generally and abominably practised. 
Certainly, if your Pharmacopoeia is to consist of only four or 
five drugs, and you may carry the whole of them in your 
pocket,” chemistry cannot be very useful to you in your phar¬ 
maceutical operations. This however is a most erroneous, ab¬ 
surd, disgraceful, unjustifiable, dangerous doctrine, and bitterly 
would you rue the day in which you adopted it as your creed. 
In consideration of its connexion with agriculture, with the 
arts, with commerce, with the phenomena of nature, and with 
the general business of life, a total ignorance of chemistry would 
be a sad reproach. The mere mechanic would even discover 
your deficiency, and heartily despise you. I do not wish you to 
enter into all the intricacies of chemical research, but I would 
urge you to cultivate a knowledge of its good and fundamental 
principles. 
Having become acquainted with the structure and function of 
the different parts, you will be qualified to enter on the conside¬ 
ration of their diseases. It is a frequent and pernicious error 
of young students, to form their notions of disease, and to speak 
peremptorily of its nature and treatment, before they know any 
thing of its cause, its seat, its connection and effects. 
When you have completed the Anatomy and Physiology of 
any part, and not before, avail yourself of every opportunity to 
study its ailments. Without this preparation you are exposed 
to a thousand misconceptions, and may adopt many a wild and 
mischievous theory which will mislead and injure you through 
life. 
As each case presents itself inquire Is it a disease of struc¬ 
ture or of function ? of what function ? what others may sym¬ 
pathise ? how far may it have produced or been the consequence 
of a change of structure ? does it proceed from excess or defect 
of stimulus? &c. &c. 
