A NATIONAL VETERINARY POLICE SYSTEM. 375 



we have a right to make upon them, there would not be an isolated 

 case of lung-plague in this country in six months from this time. 

 Alas ! unity of action is the last thing to be expected of an Ameri- 

 can Congress. While political pettifoggers are squabbling over party- 

 bones, the people are being daily robbed of millions of dollars by 

 the ravages of different animal pests, and that other pest, equally 

 dangerous, quacks. 



If all the cattle having this disease could be at once killed and 

 paid for by the Government ; if all suspected animals, which in- 

 cludes all which have been in contact with them, could be isolated 

 and quarantined, or else at once killed, and sold for flesh ; if it were 

 possible to subject all cattle entering our territory from Canada or 

 from across the Atlantic to an appropriate quarantine — then we 

 might soon be rid of this destroyer, and keep it foreign to our 

 shores. This is impossible at present. We have not the necessary 

 laws, and it is still more doubtful if we have at our command the 

 necessary number of qualified veterinarians. 



I wish to say a word about cattle-inspection at points of delivery. 

 In one sense of the word it is useless. Unless an inspector knows 

 that a given lot of cattle have come from a suspected locality, he has 

 no more right to condemn them for pleuro-pneumonia contagiosa 

 than for an ordinary pneumonia before an autopsy has been made. 

 Many people seem to think that it is easy to recognize this disease 

 in the living animal, whether one knows the history of the case or 

 not. In truth, no two animal diseases present so many difficulties 

 in the way of recognition of their true character as this disease 

 and pulmonary glanders. The differential diagnosis between a de- 

 veloped case of lung-plague in cattle and tuberculosis is by no 

 means difficult, although many would have it that it is so. All cat- 

 tle, or other animals destined for transport, should have a " clean 

 bill of health " signed by a State veterinarian at the place of pur- 

 chase, and attested to by the proper legal official. This should be 

 an invariable rule of animal transport. With this precaution, and 

 careful regulation of the cattle during transport, there is but little 

 danger of the spread of such diseases from one point to another. It 

 is evident that, if the laws in the respective States were different 

 in this regard, all action would be made null and void. All pneu- 

 monias are not pleuro-pneumonia ; yet, how is the inspector at the 

 place of destination or final shipment to distinguish one from the 

 other, unless he knows the history, or has condemned one to necro- 

 scopical examination ? The truth is, but few veterinarians in this 

 country really know the pathological character of an ordinary bovine 



