VALUE OF VETERINARY SCIENCE. 217 



at least, imagined they had, until it was found to exist last 

 year among the swill-fed cattle in the distilleiy stables of 

 Chicago, having been brought there, probably, from some of 

 the towns outside of the city, where it had ravaged a year or 

 two before. 



The last Congress appropriated $500,000 to help exter- 

 minate contagious pleuro-pneumonia by paying for diseased 

 and exposed animals, which was to be expended under the 

 direction of the Department of Agriculture, the work being 

 carried out by the veterinarians connected with the Bureau 

 of Animal Industry. 



This appropriation was secured by the pressure of West- 

 ern cattle owners, who realized the danger to their business, 

 if contagious lung plague ever appeared among the cattle on 

 the great ranges beyond the Mississippi. One of the great 

 New York dailies called it a "steal of the horse doctors," 

 when, in reality, the influence that secured the money came 

 from another source ; although I do not think it would have 

 been any disgrace to the " horse doctors" if they had been 

 the ones to procure the necessary legislation. The various 

 States where contagious pleuro-pneumonia existed were 

 invited to pass*the necessary laws for the State authorities 

 to co-operate with the Federal officials, and it was amusing, 

 and at the same time melancholy, to see with what alacrity 

 they complied, in comparison with their apathy and dilatori- 

 ness when they had no choice but putting their hands in 

 their own pockets and paying the bills, as Massachusetts did 

 twenty-five years ago. 



The United States Department of Agriculture this year 

 secured the services of Prof. James Law, of Cornell Univer- 

 sity, to go to Chicago and take charge of stamping out con- 

 tagious pleuro-pneumonia there. He has recently reported 

 that he has completed this work, and it is to be hoped that 

 the disease is once more confined to the Atlantic seaboard. 



There are reasons why the States should do this work 

 without the help of the Federal Government, and also rea- 

 sons why they should receive the assistance of the United 

 States Government, but a discussion of the matter at this 

 time would be a depaiture into the field of politics, and has 

 no place here. Right or wrong, it is to be hoped that the 



