326 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLII. No. 1080 



sary for outbreaks of animal diseases in- 

 volving millions of dollars of property to 

 force home to us the fundamental knowl- 

 edge that it is the quality of the man that 

 counts. 



One basic step toward the prevention of 

 a repetition of serious outbreaks in the 

 future is the requirement of at least a high- 

 school rather than a grammar-school fotm- 

 dation for a proper veterinary education. 

 The National Society of Record Associa- 

 tions, representing 110,000 breeders of 

 pure-bred live stock, and the Secretary of 

 Agriculture may do well to consider seri- 

 ously an agitation for and an insistence 

 upon a better fundamental education for 

 those who are to enter veterinary work. 

 The veterinary can not take its place with 

 other learned professions until it conforms 

 to the same standard of requirements. The 

 fault has been with the system. The weak 

 link in the educational chain has been the 

 low entrance requirements. With this link 

 strengthened, with a strong foundation 

 upon which to build the veterinary curri- 

 culum, there is hope for the future. 



A further safeguard against outbreaks of 

 infectious diseases is the establishment of a 

 system of district veterinarians on a plan 

 similar to that in use in some foreign coun- 

 tries. If county agents are of benefit in 

 the progress of agriculture, if the twenty 

 health supervisors of the state are of service 

 in the physical uplift of the population by 

 preventing and restricting human diseases, 

 then it is equally important in the conser- 

 vation of our resources that there should be 

 district veterinarians. The duty of a dis- 

 trict veterinarian should be to keep a close 

 supervision over all transactions involving 

 the possible introduction and spread of in- 

 fectious diseases of animals as well as other 

 matters pertaining to them. He should 

 also have supervision over a state meat in- 

 spection service. Bovine tuberculosis alone, 



the control of which is estimated to cost the 

 state about $3,000,000 annually, would 

 warrant the services of a skilled veterina- 

 rian in each district. Such an arrange- 

 ment is not an experiment; its efficiency 

 has already been demonstrated in other 

 countries. 



As pointed out by Dr. Moore,^ the wide 

 distribution of foot and mouth disease has 

 illustrated in a striking manner the neces- 

 sity of having a competent veterinarian in 

 each district to guard against such infec- 

 tions. Had there been a competent district 

 veterinarian in the county where foot and 

 mouth disease first appeared last August, it 

 is highly probable that its spread would 

 have been checked before its virus had 

 been so widely disseminated. If by this 

 extra precautionary measure one per cent, 

 of the loss from such diseases could be 

 prevented, the amount it would save the 

 state would many times overpay the ex- 

 pense of such service. A bill embodying 

 the features just enumerated was before 

 the legislature at its last session, but, un- 

 fortunately, failed to become a law. 



In no other profession, perhaps, are there 

 as many temptations in the way of com- 

 mercialism as in the veterinary profession. 

 The desire to win and retain the good will 

 of certain clients, who may themselves be 

 dishonest and are willing to pay for dis- 

 honest tests and falsified records, may 

 serve as a pitfall for a weak veterinarian. 

 Opportunities are not wanting in the case 

 of glandered horses, tubercular cattle, cer- 

 tified milk and other instances for veterina- 

 rians intentionally or through carelessness, 

 indifference or criminal negligence to in- 

 flict great damage upon the public and 

 bring their own profession into disrepute. 

 Human life may pay the toll of this neg- 

 ligence. Falsified records and incompetent 

 tests may brand the person making them as 



2 Cornell Veterinarian, April, 1915. 



