EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION 213 



the veterinarian professions fail to realize com- 

 monly that they are all really engaged in the same 

 work. Formerly veterinarians came from the 

 ranks of the blacksmiths or farriers, just as sur- 

 geons were formerly the barbers. Both were for- 

 merly regarded as on a lower plane than physi- 

 cians, but time has shown the intimate relation- 

 ship which exists between the three. There is 

 less real difference between the work of the human 

 practitioner and the veterinarian than there is in 

 the scope of the veterinarian's work. The veteri- 

 narian is called upon to treat canary birds and 

 elephants, and his treatment must vary in con- 

 sequence. Bacteriology and surgery are essen- 

 tially one for human beings and for the lower ani- 

 mals, and drug dosage must vary with the species 

 of the patient. 



Besides this, in health protection human beings 

 are as much interested in disease prevention 

 among certain animals as they are among human 

 beings, even when the object is solely for the de- 

 fense of mankind. It is for this purpose that vet- 

 erinarians are employed for the inspection of the 

 meat industry. Doctors who have only studied 

 human beings are not competent to pass upon the 

 health of cattle, sheep and hogs, nor to detect any 

 but gross lesions in meat carcasses. On the other 

 hand, the study of human epidemiology has opened 

 a new field for the veterinarian to explore among 

 animal diseases. There is an essential oneness 

 between the two fields of endeavor which must be 

 recognized in practice. In this connection it may 

 be interesting to note that in law digests the two 

 professions are today considered and treated as 



