THE RELATION OF THE LABORATORIAN TO THE 
PRACTITIONER. 
By Leroy F. Thompson, D.V.S., Fort Worth, Tex. 
It is my aim to present to you for your consideration the 
many points in common that exist between the laboratorian and 
practitioner in as brief and concise a manner as possible and yet 
incorporate the essential features which tend to unite one to the 
other. It is my opinion that the laboratorian is not receiving 
at the present time due credit for his assistance in the relief of 
suffering and cure of disease, due partly to the lack of knowledge 
in regard to laboratory methods as carried on by him in the 
interest of science, humanity, and the animal world. 
Without his tireless efforts being exerted in behalf of the 
practitioner, no doubt he, the practitioner, would be languishing 
in ignorance as in times past, as shown by the history of the 
advancement of science and medicine. 
Perhaps a more definite understanding can be reached as to 
his importance in the world of medical science, when the state¬ 
ment is repeated from the mouths of several of our most eminent 
authorities, to the effect that there have been more discoveries 
made within the past thirty years in one field of labor in med¬ 
icine, namely, that of bacteriology, than had been made previous 
to that time in over 3,000 years, and who give practically all of 
the credit to the laboratory men as a crown for their success 
after having given years of tireless energy, vigilance, patience 
and devotion to that branch of science. True that some credit 
is due the practitioner for his having introduced it to the world 
at large and for ascertaining just how valuable the agent or 
method is that is being offered for consideration at the hands of 
the world by the discoverer. And by such comparisons it can 
be readily seen by the close observant how the two branches of 
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