700 
DISCREPANCY OF PROFESSIONAL OPINION. 
tlie sheep and goat next, then the dog, cat, pig, and rabbit; and, 
last of all, the horse, who, of all domestic animals, possesses, 
relatively speaking, the least capacious stomachic reservoir. 
At another time we may notice the differences existing in such 
animals in the disposition, structure, length, and capacity of their 
intestines. 
Recueil de Med. Veterinaire, June 1849. 
THE VETERINARIAN, DECEMBER 1, 1849. 
Ne quid falsi dicere audeat, ne quid veri non audeat.— Cicero. 
“Bideford, Devon, August 10th, 1849.” 
Sir,—“ By this day’s post I forward to you ‘ The Somerset 
County Gazette in the columns of which you will find reported 
a case of warranty of a horse.* Its perusal will furnish you with 
another proof of the discrepancy of opinion reigning among vete¬ 
rinary surgeons as to the cause and effect of disease. * Doctors 
will differ’ sometimes: nobody can prevent it. But I think it is 
time something was done to endeavour to reconcile their conflicting 
opinions, and so enable us to make our appearance to better ad¬ 
vantage when placed in the witness box.” 
Thus writes to us Mr. Gregory, M.R.C.V.S., practising at 
Bideford. And we cordially agree with him, that “it is time 
something was done” to diminish the frequency and flagrancy of 
those disgraceful scenes which to our discredit, and we may add 
our injury, are so often enacted in the veterinary witness-box. 
While the honest and enlightened member of our profession can¬ 
not help wincing every time he reads accounts of such scenes, he 
may console himself with the reflection, that the fault does not lie 
altogether at the door of the veterinary surgeon. So long as all 
sort of evidence is received in courts of law on veterinary ques¬ 
tions—all kinds of opinions allowed to have weight on matters 
which, being professional, can be set in their true or proper 
* The account of the trial was inserted in our Number for September last. 
