U. S. VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
899 
been properly enforced in only about half the counties, the prothonotaries in the 
other counties not having been particular as to who registered or how they regis¬ 
tered. The Veterinary Associations in Pennsylvania have brought several suits, 
to bring about the observance of the law, most of which they have lost, and some 
of which have been appealed to the Supreme Court. He says that in his State 
the profession is strong and has influential men in every county, and can get any 
proper law passed that they ask for. The trouble with the present law is that it 
was drawn up by veterinarians when it should have been by lawyers, and he con¬ 
cludes that it is about as wise for veterinarians to act as lawyers, as it would be 
for lawyers to act as veterinarians. 
In New York State, judging from what Dr. Coates has to say, I should think 
the law worked better. As to the standing of the profession there, he says that 
in New York City the public are educated up to the point where they appreciate 
the qualified veterinarian, and in the rest of the States man’s standing in the com¬ 
munity and success in obtaining practice depends largely on who he is, and his 
social standing. 
It seems to me that the legislation so far obtained is far from satisfactory; 
it legalizes a lot of ignorant quacks, some of which can only make their marks 
when called upon to register in the County Clerk’s office, and that they are going 
to be a good many years in dying off before the coming graduates will be bene¬ 
fited ; it recognizes a lot of mountebanks who were much more easily ignored 
without laws of this class than they are with them. Furthermore, I believe that 
in this country anybody has a right to employ whom he sees fit to do anything, 
and that if an individual wishes to employ a quack to do his work he has a per¬ 
fect right to do so. It seems to be the modern idea that legislation of some kind 
must be a universal panacea for every ill, whereas, we have more silly laws on 
our statute books than any country on the face of the earth ; and most of them 
are either not half enforced or else are dead letters altogether. The American 
people (not including politicians who make the laws) are a pretty level-headed 
lot, and in time will appreciate the distinction between the educated veterinarian 
and the quack horse doctor; and also between a veterinarian with an education 
and a graduate of a so-called veterinary school who can scarcely read or write. 
The following letter from Dr. John A. McLaughlin, of Providence, R. I., is 
so good .and expresses so exactly what I think, that I take the liberty of reading 
it. 
Providence, R. I., July 8, 1890. 
Dr. Austin Peters, 
Dear Doctor :—In answer to your note, allow me to state that there are no 
laws, as far as I am aware, protecting the veterinary surgeon. If there are they 
are a dead letter. 
As to the standing of the veterinary profession, it stands better with the pub¬ 
lic than it does with its own members; in other words, the public are willing, if 
not exactly anxious to receive us at our own worth, from which I have but one 
suggestion—that we need improvement more than legislation; that we will bene¬ 
fit our profession more if we put our endeavors in our own improvement than in 
demanding or begging legislation to make a veterinary “trust.” 
The public are intelligent enough to judge between the capable and the in¬ 
capable men. If legislation were had to the effect that no citizen could employ 
any but a graduated veterinary surgeon, I believe it would do more injury than 
good. The people here would kick, and kick hard! 
