PROTECTION OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 583 



meat products. This enormous quantity is only the part that came 

 under federal inspection in 936 establishments located in 255 cities. 

 It is estimated that the packing houses having federal inspection kill 

 only about 60 per cent, of the animals that are used annually for food. 

 Of the remaining 40 per cent, about one half is under municipal or 

 state inspection and the remainder is judged by the butchers only. It 

 is not necessary to go further into figures to emphasize the importance 

 of domesticated animals in the business of the country and their more 

 personal value to us as producers of food and clothing. 



In addition to the burden-bearing and the food-producing animals, 

 the pets in dumb creation can not be ignored. The bird, cat and dog 

 have gained a recognized place among the objects of human interest. 

 The breeding of the best species and varieties of these animals has 

 become a large industry. Veterinarians who are specializing in the 

 diseases of pet animals are becoming numerous and many of them have 

 large and well-appointed hospitals. 



An investment of such vital importance to mankind as that in domes- 

 ticated animals should be looked after in a business-like manner. Yet 

 we find in this country that the conditions which tend toward the effi- 

 ciency and comfort of animals are far from ideal. The necessary pre- 

 cautions by way of food and shelter to safeguard animals against gen- 

 eral diseases and to protect them from various forms of infection are 

 not observed by animal owners as fully as would be expected from the 

 present knowledge of those subjects. The losses from disease resulting 

 directly from the lack of such protection are estimated at between three 

 and four hundred millions of dollars annually. Besides this enormous 

 financial waste there is the physical suffering and death of hundreds of 

 thousands of animals. These losses are of more significance than even 

 their totals suggest. The death of a few hens, a hog or a milch cow 

 means but little to the country, as a whole, but to the unfortunate owner 

 it brings not infrequently positive privation. Of productive property 

 there is none more widely distributed among the poor than fowls, swine 

 and milch cows. In thousands of instances these animals constitute 

 the only source of income. When they fall victims of disease, the suf- 

 fering of their owners for want of food and clothing is often more se- 

 vere than can be appreciated or understood by those who have not wit- 

 nessed it. These losses, therefore, in addition to their effect upon the 

 economics of the nation, have a very direct influence upon the physical 

 well-being of thousands of people. The difficulty does not stop here, 

 for the spread of the diseases themselves from animal to man has been 

 the cause of much suffering and many deaths in the human family. 



The interrelation of the diseases of man and animals has been the 

 subject of many researches, dissertations, laws and regulations. The 

 Mosaic laws are among the earliest of those for protecting man against 

 infection from animals. In these it is not clear whether or not the 



