HISTORY OF THE VETERINARY COLLEGE. 101 
will be convinced that its inferiority to human medicine consists 
not in the arts themselves, but in the relative importance of their 
respective subjects; and that it deserves to be considered as a 
distinguished science, occupying an eminent station in the scale 
of natural knowledge. 
If we observe the dangerous practice of farriers, in their sur¬ 
gical operations, we shall see them daily sacrificing horses, by 
boldly mangling the organized parts of the body, without know- 
ing any thing of its structure. How many muscles and tendons 
divided cross-ways! veins opened! nerves destroyed! mem¬ 
branes torn! and essential organs more or less affected, by 
the ignorant boldness of these unskilful operators, whose re¬ 
putation has been supported merely by public supineness and 
credulity. 
It must be unnecessary to enlarge on this subject, in order to 
demonstrate the utility of a seminary for veterinary studies, in 
a country wherein horses are so universally used for the purposes 
of agriculture, manufactures, commerce, and pleasure, and 
where such immense property consists in cattle. Much, how¬ 
ever, as this science hath been hitherto neglected, its im¬ 
portance begins to be generally admitted; and it must give 
pleasure to every considerate mind to learn, that a theoretical 
and practical school is established for the instruction of pupils; 
and it now* remains only briefly to state the circumstances which 
have occurred in forming the institution. 
In August 1785, the members of the Odiham Agricultural 
Society resolved, that it should be a consideration for their 
meeting in October, what were the most likely means to en¬ 
courage the study of scientific farriery. Nothing, however, ap¬ 
pears to have been done by the Society until May 1788, when * 
they resolved to advertise their intention of educating two or 
more young men in the School of Farriery in the neighbour¬ 
hood of Paris, and to solicit subscriptions for that purpose; 
which w as not done till after a similar resolution in March or 
June 1789. In August 1789, they resolved that five hundred 
copies of their resolutions should be printed, with an address, 
in which they say, “ It is to be lamented, that there is not yet 
in England any establishment adequate to the desired improve¬ 
ment in farriery, by a regular education in that science, on me¬ 
dical and anatomical principles. ’ And they again express their 
intention of sending two or more youths to France for in¬ 
struction. 
Early in this same year, 1789, Mr. Sain Bel came to England, 
and published proposals for reading lectures on the general 
knowledge of the horse; and in the following year, 1790, he 
VOL. iv. p 
