240 
ARMY VETERINARY DEPARTMENT. 
help. The veterinarian must have such aid or help under his 
control and direction or he cannot give the efficient service that 
we ought to have in our army. As illustrating the value of this 
service, let me say, you have heard nothing of the embalmed- 
beef matter since you have had skilled veterinary surgeons to 
look after the inspection of the meat used in the army; you have 
heard nothing of disease in the army as the result of furnishing 
unwholesome animal food products. Now, in the past men have 
gone into the army without the proper educational qualifications 
for this work. Others with every other qualification have gone 
into the army hopeful that there would be some reward for their 
faithful, efficient service; but up to this time these hopes have 
not been realized. They have been hoping that there would be 
some sort of recognition accorded them, such as has been ac¬ 
corded the profession in every other civilized nation of the world. 
Some have waited for 30 years in the hope that their services 
would be properly recognized, but we are standing in the same 
position to-day. These men are rendering this valuable service 
to the country, giving the country the benefit of their trained 
minds and devoting their lives to the good of the people, with¬ 
out any reward. I do not believe that you gentlemen, who have 
come here and given some portion of your lives to the public ser¬ 
vice, would want to see a profession that has been lifted up to the 
high plane that ours has been, without government or State aid, 
until about five years ago we established for it a higher standard 
than that of any other branch of medical science and, with some 
few exceptions, than that of any other learned profession—as I 
say, I do not believe that you gentlemen would want to deny a pro¬ 
fession like ours the recognition to which we are justly entitled. 
We have hoped for years that the time would come when the gov¬ 
ernment would recognize these men who are willing to devote 
their lives and their abilities to the service of the country, and I 
believe that you will no longer deny it. 
Many of the most distinguished officers of the army have at 
some time given their approval to- this proposition. General John 
R. Brooke urged that the veterinarians be placed upon the basis 
and accorded the recognition proposed in this bill. It was also 
advocated by Major-General James H. Wilson, by Major-Gen¬ 
eral J. C. Breckenridge, and by a number of others officers of 
the army of high rank. All these men have seen the necessity of 
giving the veterinarian this recognition in the army in order that 
he may be enabled to render greater and more efficient service. 
