JANTJARY 2, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



15 



ain and Germany. It was with prophetic 

 insight that the founders of this institution 

 planned to meet the needs of the approach- 

 ing situation. It was clear to them that 

 when the law of supply and demand raised 

 the price of meat to a certain height it 

 would be necessary to save the thousands of 

 animals that were annually falling victims 

 of preventable disease. In recognition of 

 this, veterinary teaching at the university 

 began in a small way, but from the begin- 

 ning its growth was assured. 



A second advance was made when the 

 university and the state formed a partner- 

 ship in which the university was to give 

 toward a veterinary curriculum such in- 

 struction as it possessed and the state was 

 to furnish the other necessary teachers, 

 buildings and equipment to complete a vet- 

 erinary college. By this act, the veterinary 

 department was transformed into a college 

 and a greater work was undertaken. The 

 statute establishing the New York State Vet- 

 erinary College at Cornell University states 

 that its function shall be the pursuit of 

 such researches and the preparation of 

 such diagnostic and prophylactic agents as 

 may be necessary to protect our domesti- 

 cated animals against disease and to give 

 instruction in veterinary medicine and sur- 

 gery. The framers of that law saw with 

 great clearness that the live stock interests 

 of the state required for the control of dis- 

 ease men with a thorough training in the 

 sciences upon which the art of medicine 

 rests. They recognized that the high pur- 

 pose of the veterinary profession was to 

 prevent quite as much as to treat diseases 

 of animals. This required that students of 

 veterinary medicine should have a pre- 

 liminary education sufficient to intelli- 

 gently study those sciences which have re- 

 vealed the nature of disease. To provide 

 for this, the law requires that in order to 

 enter a veterinary college in this state, the 



student shall have satisfactorily completed 

 a four-year high school course or its equi- 

 valent. This was a long step in advance 

 educationally, although many considered 

 such a preparation unnecessary. There 

 seemed to be a feeling that the successful 

 practise of veterinary medicine in this 

 country did not require the knowledge or 

 discipline that experience had demon- 

 strated as necessary for its success in 

 Europe. However, the great champion of 

 higher veterinary education in this coun- 

 try firmly insisted on the higher en- 

 trance requirements. For his perseverance 

 in this cause alone, future generations will 

 look upon Dr. Law as the foremost veteri- 

 nary educator in America. 



This college opened in 1896 with the 

 main building, one story of the north wing 

 and a small clinic building and hospital. 

 These cost the state $150,000. For reasons 

 mentioned, the number of students was 

 small, a total of eleven, and the faculty 

 consisted of eight teachers. For several 

 years, there were no additional buildings 

 and the students increased in number very 

 slowly. The principle of higher veterinary 

 education was on trial. Finally growth 

 was in evidence. The Flower library was 

 endowed with $10,000. An operating room 

 was built on the surgical hospital and the 

 second story of the north wing was added. 

 These cost $27,050. In 1908, the trustees 

 of the university set aside for the veteri- 

 nary college a farm of one hundred acres 

 for use in the study of animal diseases. 

 And finally, there has just been completed, 

 but not equipped, the hospital for large 

 and small animals and clinic halls for 

 teaching veterinary medicine. These have 

 cost $140,000. The state has a total of 

 $317,050 invested in buildings and $54,000 

 in equipment. The college, however, is not 

 yet completed. There remain to be added 

 the south wing to the main building and a 



