THE VETERINARIAN AS A PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER. 
By A. T. Kinsley, M.S., D.V.S., Kansas City, Mo. 
The conservation of the health of the people is a problem that 
seriously concerns the undivided attention of the best talent in 
every civilized nation. The progress of a nation is dependent 
upon the health of its people, and the intellectual attainments of 
the general population indicates fairly well the condition of health 
that is maintained by the inhabitants, of thei country. In other 
words, education of the public is pre-requisite in the establish¬ 
ment of effectual sanitary regulations, and the enforcement and 
maintenance of efficient sanitary laws is dependent upon com¬ 
petent, industrious public health officers. The existing state of 
the health of the general public of any community, common¬ 
wealth or nation depends upon the wholesomeness of the food 
supply and the control of the dissemination of the various dis¬ 
ease producing micro-organisms.- The efficiency of a health of¬ 
ficial depends primarily upon his knowledge of the nature of 
foods and infective diseases. 
The evolution of the sanitarian from the old time medicine 
man through the petty political stage to the present scientific 
standard has been comparatively slow, and it is possible that 
there are some unqualified officers still in charge of responsible 
positions. Before discussing the question of efficiency of veteri¬ 
narians for public health officers, it is advisable to have an un¬ 
derstanding of the qualifications of a veterinarian. In order 
that a veterinarian be eligible to the position of inspector in the 
Bureau of Animal Industry, of the U. S. Department of Agri¬ 
culture, he must be a graduate of a college that gives a definite 
course of study prescribed by the Department of Agriculture. 
All such colleges maintain a curriculum that includes courses 
j-' 
of pathology, bacteriology, meat inspection, T Ac and dairy in¬ 
spection, quarantine and hygiene, subjects that are of especial 
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