44 
J. P. LEWIS. 
for offices. Or if, perchance, they have offices of their own, 
the}' are favorite resorts for loafers and bums, who can always 
be found having a good time generally. Such as this is what 
causes the better class of people to form a poor opinion of 
both the profession and the men of that profession. One such 
veterinarian can do more harm than a half dozen upright men 
of the same profession can do good. The people are sure to 
hear more about such places than about the respectable offices, 
and they have the general opinion that all places of the same 
business are alike. 
There is another class that harms the profession. Men of 
this class we call quacks. By that term I do not mean the 
man who has no diploma, but the man who is a graduate and 
depends entirely on his diploma as a guide-post to show 
people the great storehous of knowledge he possesses. He 
has not advanced one single step since he left college. In his 
treatment of diseases he uses only the formulas and mixtures 
that he learned at college. His brain is so completely filled 
with knowledge that it is unnecessary for him to read materia 
medica, or any of the late professional books or magazines. 
If any one dares to express a doubt as to his ability he is 
grossly insulted. This class of quacks is ten times worse than 
the most ignorant empiric, and is doing more to keep the pro¬ 
fession from rising than all the non-graduates of the States. 
There is no standing still. The veterinarian either advances 
or goes backward. If he does not work, read and observe 
closely, he will soon find himself behind the times. It is a 
duty we owe to ourselves and to our profession to be 
students, to keep up with or ahead of the times, and to be 
gentlemen. There is no reason why the veterinarian should 
not be as much respected as the follower of any profession. 
To make ourselves and our profession recognized and re¬ 
spected, we must show the people that our knowledge is what 
it should be, and that we are students and by us working to¬ 
gether we will advance step bv step until the public see that 
we are standing between the diseases of our domestic animals 
and public health, and then we will be recognized. 
