A NATIONAL VETERINARY POLICE SYSTEM. 387 



fever. Sucli an institution must be the focal stimulus which shall 

 gradually cause the organization of one grand national system of 

 preventive medicine. It must seek to incite reforms where they are 

 needed, and among these none is more important than one stand- 

 ard medical examination for the country, and one similar course of 

 study at every medical school in the land. jSTo good work can ever 

 be done except as the result of organized effort. Centralized, that 

 is, concentrated effort, is always rewarded by better results than 

 isolated, sporadic endeavor. Many of our States are still without 

 effective boards of health, as is also the case in many large cities or 

 towns. In only one State, Massachusetts, have we anything like 

 State medical officers. In this State we have the " medical examin- 

 ers " taking the place of that useless inheritance from England, the 

 " coroner." In effective work it is absolutely necessary that the 

 whole country become subjected to one code of sanitary laws, 

 suitable to the general needs, while in every State, county, city, 

 or town, such special laws must be made, and are in general, as 

 the local needs demand. These special laws and regulations should 

 always bear a proper relation to the general. It is the drafting of 

 the latter which will devolve upon the national board. Once hav- 

 ing such laws and regulations, the next thing is their execution. 

 To this end competent sanitary officials are necessary. These ap- 

 pointments should never be made until candidates have passed a 

 special examination, to be fixed for the purpose by the National 

 Board of Health for the whole country — the examination to consist 

 in questionings upon the pathology, etiology, etc., of the diseases 

 included among those generally spoken of under the headings of 

 preventive medicine. The examinations should be made by the 

 members of the respective State boards of health. The organization 

 of the sanitary system in each State should be similar to that which 

 I have portrayed with regard to a veterinary organization. These 

 positions should be points of ambition for our best young men. 

 They should receive pay for official work. In cases where the ne- 

 cessities of the public demanded their whole time they should be 

 liberally paid, and open to a pension in the same manner as above 

 considered. We should therefore have a National Board of Health 

 in connection with State boards, which should be in connection with 

 local boards and health officers. These officials must be thoroughly 

 educated in the principles and practice of modern research, and in 

 pathological anatomy and necroscopy. The professional members 

 of the State boards of health should be appointed by the Governor 

 from among the most competent of the sanitary officers. They should 



