604 
F. OSGOOD. 
In Switzerland the curriculum is very much the same as 
that of the French schools, but the course is by recent legisla¬ 
tion extended over a period of six years. 
Having thus briefly surveyed the educational conditions 
which prevail abroad, we can gain some idea of the standard 
we must strive to attain. I do not apprehend that we need 
resort to violent methods to remedy the evils and shortcom¬ 
ings of our educational system, or to overcome any detriment 
to the profession that may now be caused by the intrusion 
of incompetent and unqualified practitioners. The medical 
profession does not escape the entrance of incompetent per¬ 
sons into its ranks, but the achievements of the accredited 
members overcome any pernicious effect from this cause. 
Our efforts to improve must largely be made by keeping 
our own standard high, and inferior practitioners will be 
gradually eliminated by the law of natural selection. Our 
aim must be to build up what we have, not to destroy, to im¬ 
prove our educational institutions, to which end much has 
lately been done. 
Our educational institutions have been spontaneous, indi¬ 
vidual, and I fear, in many cases, lacking in high and disinter¬ 
ested purpose. A marked result of all this is a lack of 
cohesion among our colleges. There is not only little uni¬ 
formity and sympathy, but actual discordance at many points. 
If the American veterinarian would have universal recogni¬ 
tion, we must have a uniform standard throughout our coun¬ 
try adopted by all our schools, A uniform matriculation ex¬ 
amination, which must be rigidly enforced ; a uniform curri¬ 
culum, and a uniform length of study. 
This standard should be high, so that the uniform Ameri¬ 
can degree would be recognized the world over. What is 
our condition to-day ? America, with more veterinary schools 
than any country on the face of the earth, does not confer a 
degree that is recognized as a guarantee of scientific educa. 
tion and training, outside Our own country, simply because 
we have all grades of schools, and the world is not going to 
inquire as to the standard of each school; but when it becomes 
a recognized fact that the American degree has a definite 
