578 
THE ARMY VETERINARY 
admit them to their society, if in other respects they are worthy 
of it. This, we believe, is all that the “ Army Veterinarian” meant, 
or, if he meant more, we agree not with him, and leave him to fight 
h;s own battle. The simple question is this, Is the veterinary 
practitioner, and as a veterinary practitioner , placed in that rank 
which the importance of his art deserves'? The surgeon, as a 
surgeon , claims admission to the highest circles: does or can the 
veterinary surgeon? or would not his claim be scouted if he 
dared to urge it? There must be something' extraneous in manner, 
education, connection, or long-acquaintance, to obtain that at 
which he aspires: the very admission, and the esteem consequent 
upon it, are given to the man, and not to the veterinarian. If we 
are content with this, well and good; but if w e aim at something 
higher, then we feel much interest in that branch of our profession 
which has obtained this object, and, by its attainment of it, is 
assisting our purpose. This we believe is the relative situation 
of army and private practitioners. There are, proportion- 7 
ately as many respectable men and good surgeons in the one 
as in the other;—but adventitious circumstances have given to 
the one advantages which the others do not possess, and the 
honour of which is reflected on the others, and is highly beneficial 
to them in many respects. 
Then the private practitioner w ill feel much interest in the 
character and situation of the army veterinarian. If the source 
of much reflected light be obscured, his honour w ill be pro- 
portionably dimmed; and, therefore, although controversy be 
not the intention of our periodical, the actual state of the army 
veterinary service is a question most intimately connected with 
the main object we have steadily pursued,— the improvement of 
our profession. 
They wdio are to mix with the members of a regimental mess, 
and by whose worth the character of the profession will be esti¬ 
mated by the mess, and by all with whom it has influence (and 
we know the omnipotence of fashion or patronage), should be men 
who in education, professional qualification, and gentlemanly con¬ 
duct will do us no discredit. Has this been uniformly remembered 
in the appointment of cavalry veterinarians ? We can suppose how 
