698 
D. E. SALMON. 
mers have at the time they were making- such charges against 
the Bureau ? Surely if they had ever seen the hog-cholera 
germ they would have recognized it in this culture which 
Detmers obtained from Persh. If they had not seen it, then 
what becomes of the claim, made by them both, that Detmers 
is entitled to the credit of its original discovery ? 
I do not propose at this time to follow these critics 
through any more of their inconsistent and contradictory 
writings. I have done this much to show you the quality ol 
the investigations which are held up to you because they are 
“ recognized as good abroad, and cannot be ignored at home.” 
It the general conclusions of a man’s investigations are so 
absolutely wrong, how can the details upon which these are 
founded be any nearer right? We might and should excuse 
errors or apparent errors of detail, but how can you accept a 
work which is wrong in its principal conclusions ? 
The principal conclusions of the Bureau reports as to the 
existence of the hog-cholera and swine-plague germs in this 
country have been confirmed on all sides. The doubts of 
European investigators as to the correctness of these conclu¬ 
sions have been withdrawn. What discoveries of value have 
been made regarding the biology of the hog-cholera or swine- 
plague germs by other American investigators, and have been 
satisfactorily confirmed ? If, on the other hand, you compare 
the report of Frosch with the Bureau reports you cannot fail 
to observe how many of his conclusions were previously an¬ 
nounced in our reports. 
Does this Association take no pride in the investigations 
of the Bureau of Animal Industry, or does it propose to stig¬ 
matize them as a disgrace to the veterinary profession ? Is it 
willing to brand them as discreditable and the men connected 
with them as ignorant, incompetent and dishonest on the evi¬ 
dence which has been submitted ? Do you forget that Bil¬ 
lings has vilified about every scientist whose reputation might 
serve him as a stepping-stone if he could once get it under 
his feet ? 
Why then are these reports of his, which contain no dis¬ 
coveries of value, if they contain any discoveries at all, re- 
