438 
EDITORIAL. 
their desired results and taking effect over an enlarged area, until 
now we occasionally hear of the formation in the Western States 
of such organizations. Ohio, Illinois, and Kansas have for some 
time had their State societies, and recently we hear of a new or¬ 
ganization in process of formation in Indiana, while, as we repor¬ 
ted in our December number, California has also shown a dispo¬ 
sition to fall into line. 
Difficulties have doubtless occurred in respect to the most 
proper course to be adopted in the organization of these institu¬ 
tions. Thus, the Indiana State Veterinary Association, we un¬ 
derstand, is in favor of restricting its membership to graduates of 
good and recognized veterinary schools, and the California insti¬ 
tution aims to establish itself as the center of a scientific body 
worthy of the Golden State. Our late announcement of the for - 
mation of this organization, and our remarks upon the urgency 
of the need in which it originated, have induced one of our corre¬ 
spondents to write us a letter, which we print elsewhere, in which 
the author aims to show that we have done injustice to the veter¬ 
inarians of California. If our remarks were susceptible of 
such an interpretation we owe an apology to our friends which we 
freely tender. We are very far from intending any injustice, and 
would by no means disparage the motives or offer any obstacle to 
the efforts of the profession in California. The letter of Dr. 
Carpenter is ably written and speaks to the point, and with him 
we need not hesitate to quote a motto which we adopted years 
ago for our own, to wit, “ Quackery and science are inconsistent.” 
Our own experience corroborates that of many societies now in 
existence, in emphasizing the truth and the wisdom of that axiom. 
If societies can be safely established with the inclusion of ignor¬ 
ance and quackery in their organization, it is the proper thing to 
do, and it will be well for the new organization to bear this fact 
in mind. In any case it may be well to remember that scientific 
societies coming into existence at the present time can better af¬ 
ford to do so than those which were born years ago. 
Castration not Veterinary Surgery.— We have received two 
letters on this subject which we print in another place. The sub¬ 
ject, as we have from the first considered it, is an important one, 
