VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY. 297 
treated us quite well in this affair, (he knows to wffiat we refer), 
but we are considering how it bears on the interest of the pro¬ 
fession generally. This is an action which should not have been 
brought; and Mr. Rogers deserves our thanks for defending it. 
We have enough to contend with from the degraded rank which 
we occupy in society, and from the disadvantages under which 
we labour from our neglected education, and from the character 
of our patients, who are dumb—dumb—without having our occa¬ 
sional errors of practice (and we are not sure that there was an 
error here) brought against us to the ruin of our reputation and 
our little fortune. Nothing but gross inattention to our patients, and 
blunders manifestly auguring want of skill, such as the nerve 
operation of the worthy recorded in the present number, are fair 
subjects of action. The most skilful human practitioner has 
enough to puzzle him, and to lead him astray at times. The 
practitioner on the dumb quadruped, and none of whose blun¬ 
ders are buried undetected, fares worse. The subject of profes¬ 
sional responsibility, however, is*one too interesting and too 
complicated to be thus summarily dismissed. We shall return to 
it shortly. 
«' 
VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY. 
FEBRUARY 25 , 3830 . 
♦ # 
Mr. W. Percivall in the Chair . 
The discussion of Mr. W. Goodwin's paper on the Navicu¬ 
lar Disease was resumed. 
Mr. J . Turner said, that Mr. Percivall, at the last meeting, 
had demanded proof of the elevation of the coffin-bone within the 
hoof. He had already produced one specimen, in which it was 
considerably raised. He now r offered to the consideration of the 
Society two feet belonging to the same horse. In the sound foot, 
the coffin-bone was half an inch below the upper edge of the 
hoof; in the other, it w r as on a level with it. It seemed to prove 
both the ascent and absorption of the coffin-bone. 
Mr. W. Percivall observed, that the apparent ascent depended 
on altered position, and not on displacement. 
r r 
VOL. III. 
