A NATIONAL VETERINARY SCHOOL. 437 



parents, is neither dependent on " pure cussedness" nor upon any- 

 special influence of the devil or any of his agents, nor upon obsti- 

 nacy or ill-will, as many parents suppose, but upon fixed and un- 

 changeable anatomical conditions in its brain. The same is true of 

 many unfortunates who from early childhood develop a tendency 

 to destroy and torture animal life, and who sometimes bring up as 

 murderers. The causes of such conditions are in a measure at pres- 

 ent beyond our knowledge. They have been undoubtedly strength- 

 ened by heedless marriage. Marriage is indeed a solemn thing ; 

 the world scarcely realizes how solemn. Marriage, as in general 

 conducted, is a senseless thing. It is dependent upon fancy ; upon 

 certain supposed affinities, which do not exist save in the unreflect- 

 ing minds of excited lovers. Love itself is based upon certain centers 

 in the brain. Love and sensuality have no relation or connection 

 with one another. The thing called love, which at best is but mere 

 fancy, may exist, but the genuine article is entirely free from it. 

 The situation of the two centers is widely separated. Some day 

 mankind will instigate as careful investigations into the pedigree of 

 each other with relation to inherited diseases as they do now in 

 endeavoring to trace a connection to some broken-down sprig of 

 Continental snobocracy. Some day we shall exercise as much care 

 in selecting our partners as we do now in selecting animals for breed- 

 ing. The purpose of marriage is to continue the race. For no 

 other purpose are we made male and female. The same is true of 

 eyerj member of the animal kingdom. Tubercular consumption is 

 not only increasing in extension, but the average age at which such 

 people die is decreasing in the human family. We charge it all to 

 the changeableness of our climate. The climate, the irritations of 

 life, are simply sufficient causes to set the disease in motion. The 

 true cause is to be sought in the weak lung-tissues which we trans- 

 mit to our children. This weakness has been constantly and igno- 

 rantly increased at the expense and misery of the children produced. 

 We talk about our boasted civilization. The breeders of cattle know 

 this fact, and exclude from breeding animals which, were they hu- 

 man beings, would marry if they took a fancy. Were they to do 

 this, they would do what humanity does for itself — condemn its chil- 

 dren to lives of misery and an early grave. How does the medical 

 profession deport itself toward this question ? Is it true to the sci- 

 entific spirit of preventive medicine ? No — a thousand times no ! 

 Its members marry as heedlessly and headlessly as the people. Few 

 members of it dare enter a family and warn young couples, intend- 

 ing to marry, of their duties and the dangers to which they are un- 



