PllACTICAL CHEMISTRY APPLIED TO VETERINARY SCIENCE. 
As far as I am concerned, I very soon found, upon getting 
into practice, that my little extra chemical knowledge proved 
of great utility, for not only is it satisfactory to one^s em¬ 
ployers, but it is highly remunerative to be able to conduct 
the chemical examination of the viscera of an animal 
supposed to have been poisoned. Now, analysis is a scien¬ 
tific word, calculated, perhaps, to frighten a first sessioner, 
and students in general are so apt to think that an analysis 
is a thing so utterly beyond their reach, that they seldom 
venture even to think about it. As long as they know by 
heart “Who discovered oxvgen?’^ “The svmbol for hv- 
drogen?^^ “The composition of air and waterand a few 
such elementary questions, they think that quite sufficient. 
Now, this is a great mistake, for a simple qualitative 
analysis is a very minor affair; and I hold that a very fair 
and satisfactory knowledge is to be easily obtained by 
spending a few hours weekly in Professor Tuson^s laboratory 
during the two sessions allotted for study at the Royal 
Veterinary College. I wish, also, to show that time and 
money thus laid out will prove to be a good pecuniary invest¬ 
ment for a student starting in practice. 
During the time I w^as at Camden Town I spent two 
evenings of the week in Professor Tuson^s laboratory, when, 
if I had not been there, it is highly probable that I should 
have been wasting my time at some of the fellows’’ rooms 
after leaving college. And before I had been in practice 
twelve months I made the following analvses : 
First. Chemical examination of the viscera of some pigs 
found dead in their sties one morning, in which case a large 
quantity of common salt was found, which clearly accounted 
for death. 
Second. Analysis of the viscera of a number of cows 
pastured upon ground in which rifle practice had been con¬ 
ducted ; considerable quantity of lead found. 
Third. Contents of some valuable fowls found dead; lead 
was found present in this case also, and it was afterwards 
found out that a paint-pot had been scraped out in the yard 
where they were kept. 
Fourth. Contents of the viscera of a dog. No poison 
found. 
Fifth. Analysis of the viscera of an ox. No poison 
found. 
Besides many other rough chemical examinations. As I 
have before said, my object in quoting these is to show that 
there really is a necessity for the more complete study 
practical chemistry on the part of “ veterinarians.^^ 
