214 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



England or this country being elected to serve in such a 

 capacity. This, however, may be largely due to the fact 

 that English and American veterinarians do not receive as 

 thorough an education in comparative and sanitary medicine 

 as their Continental brethren, but doubtless they will receive 

 such recognition when they desei*ve it. 



Having glanced at the value of veterinary science to the 

 State on the Continent and in England, and noted the 

 appreciation it there receives, it remains to be considered 

 what work the veterinary profession has done in this 

 country, and how it has developed within a very few years. 



The first successful work of importance in America was 

 the stamping out of contagious pleuro-pneumonia in Massa- 

 chusetts, by the Massachusetts Cattle Commission, — the first 

 cattle commission being appointed by Gov. Banks, in 1860; 

 all other cattle commissions, State veterinarians, and the 

 Bureau of Animal Industry, being later creations. 



The value of veterinary knowledge and the propriety of 

 prompt action were well exemplified in the outbreak of con- 

 tagious pleuro-pneumonia in this State in 1859, the malady 

 landing May 23 of that year, in Boston, with three cows and 

 a heifer imported from Holland by Mr. W. W. Chenery of 

 Belmont. Two died soon after lauding, and a third was 

 taken sick soon after arriving at Belmont. Before the dis- 

 ease was recognized, three calves were sold from Mr. 

 Chenery's farm, to go to North Bookfield, and thus the dis- 

 ease spread. In the spring of 1860 it had assumed such 

 alarming proportions that legislative interference was called 

 for, and after some delay Gov. Banks appointed the first 

 Massachusetts Cattle Commission, consisting of Paoli Lath- 

 rop, Amasa Walker and Dr. G. B. Loring, and an appropri- 

 ation of $10,000 was granted for wiping out the disease. 

 The plague still continued to spread to such an extent that 

 an extra session of the Legislature was called for May 30, 

 1860, and the commission was enlarged to five members, 

 and a medical board established to co-operate with the com- 

 mission and investigate more fully the nature of the disorder. 



The additional members of the Cattle Commission were 

 Cyrus Knox of Palmer and E. G. Morton of Fairhaveu. 

 The Medical Board consisted of two medical men, Drs- 



