TO VETERINARY STUDY. 
409 
patients can tell him the seat of disease or the degree of pain ; 
but he is left to long, diligent, and anxious observation, to catch 
the fugitive symptoms, and to beware that he does not ignorantly 
augment suffering or hasten dissolution. Then he requires an 
education, if circumstances would allow it, even protracted in its 
length, and accompanied by the severest application. 
What, however, is the real state of the case ? The candidate 
for the diploma of a human surgeon, although four or five years 
have been spent under the roof of a medical practitioner, and use¬ 
ful associations and modes of thinking, and some knowledge, 
have been acquired, must devote two additional long years to the 
pursuit of medical science in the metropolis ere he is permitted to 
appear at the examiners’ board. The young aspirant after vete¬ 
rinary fame, without any previous apprenticeship or education, 
enters at the College, attends a few lectures, walks a few times 
round the infirmary, and in five or six months is pronounced to be 
fully qualified to practise the veterinary art in all its branches.” 
We have known the country barber, disdaining longer to mow 
the stubble on his neighbour’s chin; the tailor and the shoemaker 
working at their trade until lecture time, and again to a late hour 
of the night \ the mercer, who at ten o’clock in the morning 
threw by his yard, and rolled up his ribands, and started for St. 
Pancras, and at three o’clock in the afternoon was again simpering 
over his silks and frippery \—we have known these persons, who 
could have no previous knowledge of the horse, and who had not 
time to acquire it afterwards to any important degree, in five or 
six months applying for a diploma, and obtaining it without 
difficulty. 
Here is the main root and source of our degradation. When 
men thus incompetent, and whose incompetency is manifest to 
the first groom or sportsman with whom they come in contact, 
are allowed to assume the title of veterinary surgeons, although 
they may constitute, and we trust they do, only a contemptible 
minority of the profession, yet they bring on it undeserved and 
indelible disgrace. If some veterinarians are thus grossly igno¬ 
rant, what.security is there that any are skilful ? 
But how is this ? In what manner do these five-month igno¬ 
ramuses contrive to obtain that diploma, which, bearing the signa- 
3 c 
