2 
EDITORIAL. 
or none of the discredit attaching- to this unsatisfactory state of 
affairs belongs to them, for it is generally understood that the 
duties which are undertaken by the Board are at present dis¬ 
tributed among its officials on the principle that the possession 
of a veterinary qualification is evidence of unfitness to undertake 
such work as the tracing of diseased and suspected animals. 
For that duty, a naval or a military training is apparently 
thought to be the best preparation.” This is pretty severe criti¬ 
cism, which we are quite certain cannot be brought to the door 
of the officers of the Bureau of Animal Industry. 
But, in relation to foot-and-mouth disease, there is another 
point which deserves the close attention of our veterinary in¬ 
spectors. It is the subject of diagnosis. Prof. McFadyean in the 
last issue of his most valuable jonrnal, relates a peculiar instance, 
where veterinary authorities in high standing disagree upon a 
diagnosis, some claiming the disease as being foot-and-mouth 
disease, while others claimed it was not. This last contention 
was correct. What was the matter, then ? It was an affection 
which had already been described by the late Prof. Walley, 
which was called “ contagious dermatitis ” or “ oef ” in sheep, 
and also as “ hair-and-hoof disease,” “ mouth-and-foot disease,” 
or “ carbuncle of the coronary band.” Prof. Walley described 
the symptoms as follows : “In the early stages, the lesion is 
circumscribed and presents itself as a local inflammation, in¬ 
volving the skin and to some extent the subcutaneous tissue. 
The skin of the affected part, usually of the coronet and lips, in 
the first place, is swollen, hot and tender, and, where the color 
can be seen, red ; in a few days a breach of the surface takes 
place, serum oozes from it and a sore is quickly formed, which 
tends to spread and to propagate itself to the skin of any part 
devoid of wool with which it comes in contact. The area in¬ 
volved in the diseased processes at the outset does not usually 
exceed an inch in diameter, but as the malady progresses the 
whole of the limb may become involved, either as the result of 
of peripheral extension or by coalescence of different centres of 
disease. From' being of the nature of a comparatively healthy 
