136 ANNUAL REPORT OP THE Off. Doc. 



hygiene. The old veterinary school of Copenhagen, established in 

 1773, had long before laid the foundation for a substantial veterin- 

 ary development. Through the iuiiuence of the men trained in this 

 school, one infectious disease after another AVas exterminated or 

 brought under control until, at this time, there is no other country 

 in the world with such a large animal population, in proportion to its 

 area, where the animals are as healthy, as productive and as profit- 

 able as in Denmark. The Danish work in the development of the 

 means of control of tuberculosis, abortion, calf cholera and milk 

 fever has brought to the veterinarians of that country world-wide 

 fame. The present prosperity of the people of Denmark rests on 

 animal husbandry and is due in a very large degree, to the work of 

 the veterinarians. One discovery by a Danish veterinarian, a cure 

 for milk fever, has already, in the course of five years, been the 

 means of saving to owners of cows throughout the world a sum 

 suflficient to equal all of the mone}^ that has been expended on the 

 construction, equipment and maintenance of all veterinary sciiools 

 established since the first one, at Lyons, in 1762. 



Belgium is the most thickly populated country in Europe, but, 

 notwithstanding this, it has an extensive and highly developed live- 

 stock industr}^ In draft horse breeding, Belgium has taken particu- 

 larly high rank, and the farms yield astonishing quantities of dairy 

 products. This would not be possible if the health of the domestic 

 animals were not carefully and successfully guarded. The quality 

 of the service rendered by the veterinary profession of Belgium and 

 the public appreciation that this work has received are shown by the 

 fact that the veterinary school in Brussels, founded in 1832, is now 

 being re-equipped with a group of nine schools, laboratory and hos- 

 pital buildings, beautifully placed on large, park-like grounds, at 

 cost of about 6,000,000 francs. 



In Germany, there is a veterinary system that has been developing 

 since 1778, when the first German veterinary school was established 

 in Hanover. Other schools have been established until there are 

 now six, all well equipped and adequately supported. The German 

 organization for administering the veterinary laws is interesting 

 because it shows the results of a natural development in accordance 

 with the needs of the situation; the development being guided by a 

 well-trained profession. The central administration of veterinary 

 laws in Prussia, for example, is in the branch of government pre- 

 sided over by the Minister of Agriculture. The Minister of Agri- 

 culture is advised in all technical veterinary subjects by a board of 

 veterinarians. All rules and regulations for the control of diseases 

 of animals and for the guidance of ofticial veterinarians are made by 

 this Board. The Board >also subjects to a written, a practical and 

 an oral examination all candidates for appointment to the positions 

 of department or district veterinarian. In each local district there 

 is an official veterinarian known as the Kreistierarzt, whose duty it 

 is to exercise local supervison with regard to infectious diseases of 

 animals, to advise ^nd encourage breeders, to supervise horse-shoe- 

 ing, to enforce quarantine laws, and, in general, to look out for and 

 to improve the health, quality and usefulness of the domestic ani- 

 mals of the district. The Department Veterinarian has somewhat 

 larger jurisdiction; his field includes many local districts. The de- 



