724 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
in the establishment over which he presided, and as the 
building in which the operations were performed adjoined the 
dissecting room, I had many opportunities of seeing the 
practice of which I now complain. 
cc Every week old and worn-out horses and mules were pro¬ 
vided, and the students of the two senior classes commenced, 
soon after nine in the morning, with the slighter operations 
of bleeding from the neck and feet, nicking the tail, putting 
in setons and rowels, &c^) At midday a short interval was 
aHowecTthe^sXudents for refreshment, and on their return they 
cast the animals, and proceeded to perform the more serious 
operations of firing, lithotomy, neurotomy, cutting away the 
walls and cartilages of the hoofs (as required in cases of 
canker), and other operations equally painful. This lasted 
till near five in the afternoon, when the classes were 
dismissed, and the animals, if not already dead from pain 
and loss of blood, were dragged into the yard and de¬ 
stroyed. 
“ These operations were not intended as experiments to 
elucidate any physiological phenomena; they were simply an 
exercise, or drill, to render the students expert in the use of 
the operating instruments, and correspond to those per¬ 
formed by the student in medicine upon the dead human 
subject in the dissecting room. I remonstrated with the 
professor in charge of the class upon the cruelty of the 
proceedings, which he admitted, but contended for the advan¬ 
tage derived by employing a living animal instead of a dead 
one, as it accustomed the students to the sight of blood and 
the shrinking of the animal when touched by the instru¬ 
ments; and it made them cool at operating, though in most 
instances he thought it taught them cruelty. The system 
had, however, existed so long that they were now used to it, 
and no one cared to raise his voice against it. Subsequent 
conversations with his colleagues and the students tended to 
confirm my opinion as to its demoralizing influence, and 
clearly showed that, whatever advantages might be derived 
from the practice, they were more than counterbalanced by 
the brutalizing of the mind. 
“ At the same time I saw many experiments performed on 
animals, the position of the professors affording them great 
facilities for procuring and keeping the animals. Some of 
these experiments were extremely cruel, but were perhaps 
excusable, as the object sought was the improvement of 
scientific knowledge ;) but as regards the operations, they 
are lessons in practical cruelty, and the sooner they are 
abolished the better. I may add that the system is but 
