INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF F. W. SKAIFE. 
187 
what I mean by one instance that came under my observation 
while practicing in Springfield, Mass. I was ont one day 
with a veterinary surgeon who was going to see a stallion that 
qnidded a bit. He took with him a splendid case of dental in¬ 
struments, which he displayed to great advantage. After he had 
examined the month and found the teeth very sharp, and one up¬ 
per molar, the front one on the near side, rather long, he selected 
a pair of shears from his case and proceeded to cut the point off, 
which, after trying another pair of shears, he did. He then rasped 
the teeth, and charged the man ten dollars for the operation, 
which was paid at once. This charge seemed to me rather 
large. Now, many a man would have used a chisel and a ham¬ 
mer, and charged about a quarter of the price. Again, how many 
surgeons expect to have a proper value put on their work when 
an ordinary pocket knife is used for lancing abscesses, and for 
other minor operations. How many times do we see wounds of 
horses and dogs sutured with string; string and needle often 
twice too big for the nature of the wound, and without any re¬ 
lation to the size and nature of the animal. 
There is no excuse in this country for poor instruments, for, 
in my estimation, America has a stock of veterinary instruments 
which for cheapness and utility cannot be surpassed. 
I do not wish, for one moment, to suggest that these remarks 
apply to anybody present, nor do I suggest that surgery is prac¬ 
ticed any more carelessly in this State than it is elsewhere, but 
I do know that there is a tendency among veterinary surgeons to 
become careless. I have felt this myself, and, though I may be 
preaching what I do not practice, still this gives me an opportu¬ 
nity to say what I know to be right. 
Regarding the advancement made in our profession in the 
last few years, I think we have much to congratulate ourselves 
upon :—the uses of tuberculin and mallein, the better inspection 
of meat and milk, and the founding of efficient veterinary col¬ 
leges throughout the country. But there is a great field for in¬ 
vestigation, and though we may not be able to startle the world 
with such discoveries as the cathode ray, and Dr. Edson’s cure 
