5i» 
OLOF SCHWARZKOPF. 
than thirty years a veterinary college was unknown in the 
United States. The first attempt to establish such a college in 
Boston proved a failure. In these times that peculiar empiric, 
termed “horse-doctor” in Shakespearian language had his sway, 
and applied his crude and cruel devices in the treatment of the 
various diseases of our domestic animals, a treatment which so 
often has called out the disgust and contempt of intelligent 
people. 
Not until the disease known as pleuro-pneumonia made its 
inroads into fine herds of cattle of our country, mercilessly de¬ 
stroying many thousands of them every year, did the public and 
state and national authorities realize the need and recognize the 
value of a veterinary surgeon with a scientific education. At 
this time several well prepared men went abroad to study at the 
old veterinary schools of Europe, and returning they, with a few 
foreign veterinarians, laid the foundation for the veterinary pro¬ 
fession of this country. Soon one veterinary school after 
another came to life, and to-day some of our proudest Universi¬ 
ties, such as Harvard, McGill, and the University of Pennsyl¬ 
vania are anxiously improving their veterinary departments. 
There are other veterinary schools started and maintained by 
private enterprise. Two or three of these are first-class schools, 
but the most of them are of a very inferior type. This is the 
status of veterinary education as it is at present. 
One need not be a prophet in order to predict a bright and 
prosperous future for veterinary science in this country. Its use- 
fullness has been sufficiently demonstrated and its rapid devel¬ 
opment has overreached the highest expectation ; still of late 
some unexpected events have given to this science a stronger 
impulse. The energetic stamping out of pleuro-pneumonia by 
the veterinary advisers of our national government is being 
favorably commented upon all over the wcna The passing of 
a law by Congress for the inspection of meats for exportation to 
Europe, has given the American veterinarian an official recog¬ 
nition. The execution of this law is a practical success and an 
incalculable benefit to a vast home-industry. But nothing has 
