104 
HISTORY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE. 
such an appeal was made to me, I should answer it, as I did one 
made to me by a young ensign, relative to a difference between 
him and the major of the regiment, in which the ensign was quite 
in the right. “ Would it not,” said he, “ be quite right in me 
bringing the matter before a court-martial 7” 
“ Quite right, my dear fellow,” said I, “ but very imprudent” 
Why imprudent 7 Any military man can, if he pleases, tell the 
inquirer. 
New Sporting Magazine, December 1848. 
Foreign Extracts. 
Report of the Sub-Committee appointed to examine into 
the Teaching of Veterinary Medicine in France. 
[Continued from page 23.] 
Modifications brought about in the Organization of the Alfort 
School from 1779 to 1783. 
AFTER the death of Bourgelat, which happened in 1779, the 
courses of instruction at the veterinary schools underwent some 
modifications. 
Bertin, the Minister of Finance, who was well acquainted with 
Bourgelat’s plans, and had afforded him means of carrying them 
into execution, struck with the eminent services veterinary pupils 
had rendered in the country through their professional knowledge, 
conceived the idea of enlarging the circle of their knowledge by 
having them initiated in some of the most usual practises of human 
surgery. With this view, he founded in the schools courses of 
(human) obstelricy and operations; and afterwards added courses 
on the diseases of the eyes . 
Such a project, however, although commendable in itself and 
truly philanthropic, could alone be justified on the score of the 
scarcity there was at the time of men worthy of the name of me¬ 
dical, and the vast quantity of charlatans there existed everywhere 
in the country; and therefore could turn out no more than a 
transitory measure : adopted simply for the purpose of meeting a 
necessity of the times, it would naturally die away with those 
times. 
Moreover, the project never completely succeeded. Though, 
theoretically, the fusion of the two arts of medicine presents real 
advantages, in practice insurmountable obstacles present them¬ 
selves in the working of the plan, and particularly in the hands of 
the veterinarian. 
