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THE VETERINARIAN, JULY 1, 1862. 
Ne quid falsi dicere audeat, ne quid veri non audeat. —Cicero. 
ON ANALYSIS BY LIQUID DIFFUSION. 
Not entertaining the least fear of contradiction, we lately 
asserted that we derive many advantages from an application 
of the principles of chemistry to our division of science, and 
especially by the modes of analysis in cases of suspected 
poisoning. 
How frequently is it the case that the practitioner of 
Veterinary Medicine has to combat the effects of some toxic 
agent, which has been either accidentally partaken of by an 
animal, or maliciously administered ? It behoves him, 
therefore, to be conversant with the antidotes that are ne¬ 
cessary to be resorted to, to counteract the action induced, 
or to form with the agent an innoxious compound in the 
organism ; and to what division of science, but chemistry, can 
he turn for this knowledge? Again, how frequently is it 
that he is called to a case, and the symptoms evinced are 
very ambiguous? It terminates fatally, and a post-mortem 
examination discloses certain morbid changes existing in the 
tissues; these he is led to conjecture are produced by the 
action of some poisonous substance, but what that substance 
is, chemistry alone can demonstrate. 
It is true there are chemists who make investigations 
such as these their particular study; hence the too-ready 
disposition of many persons to send “ suspected matters” to 
an analytical chemist, whose opinion would be accepted as 
decisive, and who, from experience, and having all the requi¬ 
site means at hand, is enabled to carry out the inquiry with 
greater facility and satisfaction than they can. Especially 
is this the case with the older practitioners, in whose time 
the curriculum of the College was not so perfect as it is 
now; no instructions being then given for the conducting 
of analyses, nor was the specific action of poisons on animals 
