56 
TO COURESPONDENTS. 
Mr. Charlis will find most infoniialioii in Pafliology contained in Mr. 
Youatt’s Lectures now publishing in the “Lancet” and “ The Veterinarian ” 
In regard to “ collateral branches of study,Mr. Charlis should direct 
his attention to chemistry and natural philosophy, and subsequently to 
natural history. 
Note .—I will venture to add, “ much good matter is to be found in Mr. 
lilaine^s Veterinary Outlines ; but Ihe student will shortly find most of all 
in Mr. Percivall’s ‘ Pathology of the Horse,’ now in active preparation.”—V. 
“ A Student at the College” asks, “ Is the horny frog organic or inor¬ 
ganic ? Can an inorganic body have veins, arteries, nerves, and absorb¬ 
ents ? Can a body have absorbejits, without arteries, veins, and nerves ?’* 
It will always give us pleasure to resolve, to the best of our power, the 
doubts and difficulties of the “ students at the College,” and of students 
everywhere ; and we invite our young friends to apply to us without scruple 
and without fear. We only stipulate, that the question shall deserve an 
answer—that it does not involve any underhand attack upon, or sneer at, 
to us, unknown individuals ; and that our correspondents of this class witl 
not forget one little ceremony—that of paying the postage. Now we 
scarcely think that the queries of this “ Student” do deserve an answer: 
we are afraid that there is more meant by them than meets the ear; and 
this aforesaid little ceremony was forgotten. If the “ Studeait” will consult 
the best book on Physiology,/‘or him (we sadly want a Veterinary Physio¬ 
logy I), Dr. Copland’s Translation of Richerand, he will find, tat page 4, 
the distinction between organic and inorganic bodies plainly stated ; and, 
among other points of difference, there is this, which bears upon and set¬ 
tles his question Inorganic bodies grow from the mere juxta position 
and mutual attraction of homogeneous particles ; organic bodies derive 
their development from the constant transformation of nutritious particles 
into their own substance.” The horny frog, therefore, is as truly, although 
not as perfectly, an organized body as any part of the frame. 
This being one distinction between organic and inorganic bodies, the 
second query is altogether absurd ; and one moment’s thought would have 
told our student that absorbents would have been useless, unless there had 
been other vessels previously to deposit something for them to take away ; 
and that neither the arteries, the veins, nor the absorbents, could discharge 
their function without the influence of the organic nerves. 
There was something behind the curtain here, with which we have no¬ 
thing to do, but which we do not like. The honest querist will ever be 
welcome; but we must not be made the cat’s-paw to gratify any nonsen¬ 
sical pique, or contemptible malice. 
S.—We have not heard of it ; nor do we believe it.—Y. 
We are happy to hear that Mr. Cotchiefer, of Newark, continues to use 
the stomach pump with great success in distention of the rumen in cattle. 
He deserves much credit for having introduced that mode of practice. He 
tells us that there have lately been a great many cases of inflammation of 
the udder in cows, and diarrhoea in cattle of all ages, and much hoose and 
redwater in his neighbourhood ; and that inflammation of the lungs, and 
sore throats, are now prevalent among horses. We have heard a great deal 
of the prevalence of various diseases in many parts of the country ; but in 
the neighbourhood of the metropolis, our patients have been more than 
usually healthy. In one of the cavalry barracks, containing a whole regi¬ 
ment, there is not, a:t the ^)resent moment, one sick horse. We have much to 
learn about these endemic complaints, and would entreat our country 
friends to favour us with' the result of their experience and observation, 
and the bearing of ])articular circumstances of temperature, moisture, soil, 
r food, on the health or disease of domesticated animals. This is an un- 
odden ayd a fruitful field. 
