809 
THE VETERINARIAN, NOVEMBER 1, 1871. 
Ne quid falsi dicere audeat, ne quid veri non audeat. — C icero. 
THE CONTRACT SYSTEM. 
In a letter which we published last month Mr. Neville- 
Grenville recommends agriculturists throughout the country 
to secure the services of veterinary surgeons upon a system 
which he shows to be highly economical to the farmer and 
sufficiently remunerative to the professional man. 
By means of an assessment of sixpence per acre it 
appears that a fund would be obtained for the payment of 
veterinary surgeons* expenses all over the country. The 
outlay would be comparatively insignificant, and the advan- 
tages gained would be immense. Farmers would have an 
opportunity of calling in a veterinary surgeon, not only on 
occasions of serious outbreaks of disease among stock, 
but in all instances of apparently trifling derangement 
which often precede the development of important patho- 
logical changes. Under the contract system, particularly 
if adopted on an extensive scale, the chief efforts of the vete- 
rinary surgeon would be devoted to the study of the causes 
and characters of diseases, with the view to their prevention 
instead of cure. Doubtless, the means of preserving health 
form an important part of a medical education ; but as 
matters are at present arranged the sciences of hygienics and 
prophylaxis may be, as studies, interesting enough, but they 
are certainly to the majority of veterinary surgeons of little 
practical importance, solely on account of the paucity of 
opportunities of applying sanitary regulations to the pre- 
vention of animal diseases. Until the practitioner is called 
in to advise respecting the treatment he is generally un- 
aware of the existence of a malady on the farm, or if from 
hearsay he is acquainted with the fact it is impossible for 
him to volunteer suggestions which are not required, or to 
state an opinion which is not asked for; in fact, he is quite 
powerless unless required to act, and often action is taken 
when it is too late to be of any material value. 
Several reasons concur to render the farmer indisposed 
to consult a veterinary surgeon in reference to ailments of 
