LANCASHIRE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 231 
ask, How did the forge ever become associated with the profession? 
The answer is, it never did. The profession became associated with 
the forge. Tlie primary condition of the veterinary surgeon was a 
smith, possessing a little more brain and observation than those 
around him, and hence we so often hear ourselves called farriers. 
Indeed, that was the name by which we were known in the army 
until the last few years. I do not know, I am sure, whether I am 
too sensitive or not, but I must sav I do not like that title, and fre- 
quently cannot help calling people to order for making use of it, 
though I suppose the actual farrier might say to me as the quack 
said to the doctor, “ If it had not been for such as me there would 
never have been such as vou,” and I think with about the same 
truth. However, be that as it may, it is beyond dispute there is 
now a wide difference between us. To return to the subject. From 
this clever and industrious smith’s perseverance he gets on until he 
has sufficient medical business to fully occupy his time, which leads 
him to engage some one else to do the manual labour, while he is 
going about the country attending to what we will call his practice, 
and some of them undoubtedly were practices, such as a good 
many of us would be glad to possess now. From him the groom 
picks up sundry smatterings of knowledge, &c., and thinks he will 
start upon his own account. So he commences, and also thrives 
upon physic. Now, from these two members of society a great 
number of our profession have risen, if we only trace them far 
enough back in their pedigree. Our forefathers through their provi¬ 
dence, care, and attention, were enabled to give us the advantage of 
education, not only commercial and classical, but also the benefit of 
their long and extensive experience, which had taken them many 
years of close observation and study to acquire. Their labours have 
to a certain extent been crowned with success. We are now an 
acknowledged profession, which, as I stated before, essentially alters 
our position with respect to our association with the smith. We 
ought, if we do not, constitute one of the learned professions, and 
if we do but maintain our position, and^hold up our heads, I am 
sure we shall be sooner or later. You will say what has all this to 
do with the forge ? Simply this, I have endeavoured in a concise 
manner to show you the phases ^through which the profession has 
passed and what it is arriving at. The time has come when our 
profession must be upheld as such, and I contend that as long as 
ever it is associated with the forge it will never be recognised as it 
ought to be, or its members attain that position in society to which 
they are justly entitled. 
1 must now endeavour to prove my assertion, as'Fknow there are 
many who argue that no one is so fit to have a forge as the veterinary 
surgeon. I would ask those gentlemen of that opinion, how much 
they have to do with their forge in the actual operation of shoeing? 
Do they make the shoes? Do they see one half of their shoes 
made ? Could they make a shoe if required, and really fit it them¬ 
selves when made? Does their presence, walking about the shoeing 
shed with their hands behind them charm the nails the doorman or 
