710 
EXAMINATION OF VETERINARY PRACTITIONERS. 
injurious to animals. I trust that in my foregoing remarks I 
have not altogether lost sight of the object I had in view, 
viz., to bring under notice of the profession, in as plain a 
manner as possible, the claims which the science of botany 
has upon the attention of the veterinary surgeon. 
That it has not been devoid of interest the many commu¬ 
nications I have received from different members of the pro¬ 
fession fully testify. That it is an interesting and beautiful 
science all must admit, and that it is practically useful few 
will deny. If any further illustration of the latter fact 
were necessary, I would, in conclusion, direct especial atten¬ 
tion to the very interesting account in the Veterinarian for 
August of a series of investigations carried out by Professors 
Simonds, Voelcker, and Buckman, into the nature and causes 
of “ splenic apoplexy” amongst cattle and sheep, and in which 
the botanical examinations of Professor Buckman have left little 
doubt that this very fatal affection depended upon the peculiar 
herbage growing in the pastures in which the animals subject 
to this disease had been kept. Botany, then, has claims upon 
our attention in this department, and we may rest assured that 
its practical value will every day be more apparent in carry¬ 
ing out investigations as to the origin of many diseases 
which are at present but little understood, and which, in 
many more instances than is at present supposed, will be 
found more or less intimately connected with the food upon 
which herbivorous animals are fed. 
(To be continued .) 
EXAMINATION OF VETERINARY PRACTITIONERS. 
Messrs. Editors, —When I wrote my letter relative to 
the system of registration which is on the tapis I did not 
imagine that it would have called forth the numerous re¬ 
marks from practitioners which it has done, as I only in¬ 
tended my observations to apply to those who had spent 
their time and their money at college without obtaining 
their diploma, as I deemed it at that time, and now so deem 
it, a species of injustice to class these unfortunates in the 
same category as those who have never had a collegiate 
education, and who are generally styled practitioners. As 
to the idea, which has been mooted by some in your 
columns, that they might be allowed to undergo an examina¬ 
tion without graduating, I regard it as ridiculous; for, in the 
first place, as you have observed, it would be unjust towards 
