INAUGURAL ADDRESS, 
627 
greatest importance that it should be preserved to breed 
from. Again, consider the splendid herds of cattle and 
flocks of sheep, such as are not to be found in any other part 
of the world; remember, also, the poor man’s horse, the 
only means, perhaps, he possesses of earning his daily bread; 
or the poor woman’s cow, the produce of which her 
family has mainly to depend upon for a living, and then say 
to yourself, ought I to neglect any opportunity afforded in 
gaining knowledge, which would enable me to preserve these 
lives when attacked by disease? Let us suppose that a 
veterinary surgeon is called upon to attend some valuable 
horse, such a one as we have above alluded to, labouring 
under an acute disease, vet curable if a moderate amount 
of skill be employed, but under his hands he dies, and on 
reflection he conscientiously feels that he was neither able 
to diagnose the case nor to suggest treatment likely to 
afford relief. What must be his feelings under such cir¬ 
cumstances ? They must be those of shame 5 nevertheless, 
he has persisted in doing something, with a view, most likely, 
of making the owner believe that he understood what he was 
about, while at the same time he was acting quite in the dark, 
giving medicine about the action of which he knew nothing. 
Thus he is obliged to resort to deceit to cover his ignorance. 
Or to take another example, suppose an epizootic breaks out 
in the country, or an enzootic in any particular locality, whom 
should we expect the agriculturist and other owners of animals 
would naturally fly to for advice ? Why, the veterinary sur¬ 
geon, and who really ought to be able, if any one is, to stay its 
destructive ravages, or point out such means, hygienic or 
otherwise, as shall best tend to arrest its course. This power 
we will suppose to be within the boundaries of science as un¬ 
derstood at the present time; and although within his reach, 
he neglected to acquire it: would he not, from such neglect, 
be a disgrace to the profession he claims to be a member of? 
Or should he be called upon to attend the poor man’s horse 
or the poor woman’s cow when they are ill, and sees them 
die, when he really believes that they might have been saved 
had he known what disease they were labouring under, and 
possessed sufficient medical skill to have applied proper 
remedies—what, I ask again, must be his feelings when he 
sees their little all swept away through his ignorance ? I 
feel persuaded that it would be better for the owners of stock, 
one and all, rather than trust them in the hands of such 
empirics, to let nature have a chance, and not to allow her 
laws to be frustrated by the ignorant pretender. 
I will now present to your view the other side of the 
