616 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
with the boundlessness of His creation, and with the laws 
which govern both mind and matter/ 5 
It would be folly for me to attempt to add, by any feeble 
words of mine, to this eloquent definition of general science, 
or to the means by which it is to be acquired; but ours 
is a particular science, and as such it requires some especial 
elucidation at my hands. Until the foundation of this insti¬ 
tution, the science of veterinary medicine remained a hidden 
treasure, at least in this country; but on the continent, dili¬ 
gent explorers at this mine of wealth were already at work. 
As a matter of history, it is well known that as early as 
1761 France set Europe the notable example of improving 
the condition of the veterinary art, by founding a school at 
Lyons. This was soon followed by the establishment of 
similar institutions at Alfort, near Paris, and by others in 
the leading capitals of Europe. It is not, however, my in¬ 
tention to go into the particulars of the founding of these insti¬ 
tutions, nor even of our own, except to remind my hearers 
that, as a profession, we yet fall short of the allotted period 
of the life of man, being scarcely seventy years of age, and, 
consequently, that the advancement of the science of veteri¬ 
nary medicine has to be measured by the fewness rather 
than by the number of its years of existence. The estab¬ 
lishment of the college found ignorance and self-sufficiency 
the sanitary guardians of the thousands upon thousands of 
England 5 s domesticated animals, and even now it cannot be 
said that their hold is entirely destroyed. Nor is this less 
true of the continental states. Circumstances have required 
that I should become familiar with veterinary medicine as 
practised in a considerable portion of Europe, and suffice to 
say, that everywhere I have found the worst kind of empi¬ 
ricism to prevail. The quack, in all places and under all 
circumstances, builds his claim on the same foundation— 
great practice and experience , and the possession of invaluable 
receipts. lie repudiates “ knowledge reduced to a system, 55 
and brands its possessor as a visionary theorist. 
Thus, gentlemen, you see the battle of life which lies before 
you, for these evils have still to be surmounted. Success de¬ 
pends entirely upon yourselves, and it will be in proportion 
as you have “ the knowledge of what you know. 55 
Do not, however, misunderstand me ; it is not that, as 
veterinary surgeons, you are to be purely scientific men, but 
scientific practitioners. The useful, so to speak, must be 
blended with the ornamental. The very nature of our 
calling requires that we should be eminently practical in 
all we do. You will frequently be judged of by the amount 
