The order of a zero of a Wronskian and the theory of linear dependence

Every root of the top Wronskian of a Wronskian matrix whose rank at the root is equal to the number of columns, is of integer order even if the highest derivatives exist only at the root. If the rank of a Wronskian matrix is constant and smaller than the number of rows, then the number of independent linear relations between the functions in the first row is equal to the number of functions minus the rank. These results were proved under additional assumptions by Bôcher, Curtiss, and Moszner. Their proofs are simplified.