454 
EDITORIAL. 
affect man and the lower animals in common, or that affect the 
national wealth in the devastation of herds and flocks. The 
subjects of* extermination and prophylaxy are the chief thera¬ 
peutical measures discussed, and in a sense each member becomes 
a veterinary statesman. This is the highest ground that can be 
assumed by our profession and it is worthy the best minds and 
the most noble character of her members. This impression 
was very forcibly presented at Buffalo, when a survey of the 
faces that were wrapped in earnest attention throughout the 
proceedings showed probably a majority actively engaged in 
the practical work of sanitary medicine throughout this and 
other countries—State veterinarians, experiment station attaches, 
teachers in agricultural colleges, inspectors of animal food prod¬ 
ucts, and others in kindred lines. There was, possibly, a minor¬ 
ity of practitioners of veterinary surgery, family physicians (so 
to speak), men who draw their entire sustenance from private 
practice, and who dropped their daily routine to attend the 
meeting. There were some subjects which directly appealed to 
him, but the majority of the subjects were of more interest 
to the former class. Perhaps, this is as it should be, only we 
wish to draw the attention of the association to the evident 
tendency of the deliberations, that they may give it considera¬ 
tion, and decide if it is the wisest course. Certainly a three-day 
meeting is not too long in which to discuss the man) phases of 
sanitary medicine, and very little time can be spared for otliei 
subjects—so important is the question of state medicine—but 
we rather fear that the meetings will lose interest to those prac¬ 
tical men who are, or have been in the past, the bone and sinew 
of the organization. It may be that the national body should 
devote itself exclusively to the department of sanitary medicine, 
and that local associations should deal more with the cruder 
diseases of every-day practice; but the question is narrowing 
itself to that decision. 
There was more animation, more earnestness, more good 
fellowship, and a more marked desire for the accumulation of 
knowledge, and a jealousy of the good name of the profession, 
