EDITORIAL. 
5 
Considering all the advantages that may be derived from it, 
if French veterinarians have not yet obtained the law which 
will regulate their practice, we believe their forming syndicates, 
thus uniting together for their professional protection, is a good 
move. 
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* * 
A Veterinary Practice Paw for France. —Is it this 
new creation of veterinary syndicates, which shows the in¬ 
fluence that they can exercise and the prospective union for 
protection that will be inaugurated, or is it the result of the 
official visits of the President of the Republic to the Alfort 
School ? At any rate, a great reform is likely to take place, 
viz., the official and legal protection of veterinary practice. 
After years of procrastination and discussions the project of a law 
regulating the practice of veterinary medicine in France is at 
last presented before the Chamber of Deputies, signed by the 
President of the Republic and the Secretary of Agriculture. 
At last the birthplace of veterinary science comes to the 
front, and it is probable that the protection which has been 
granted already in various European States, and which has ex¬ 
isted for some time also in the United States, will be possessed 
by French veterinarians. It is better late than never. 
The law has two sections. By the first the practice of 
veterinary medicine is prohibited for all who have not a diploma 
delivered by the national schools. Practitioners who have been 
engaged in practice for three years at least previous, and had 
been registered, shall be allowed to continue their work. Cas¬ 
tration is not considered as exclusively belonging to veterinary 
surgeons, and, finally, foreign graduates may be allowed to 
practice in France providing they have obtained the French 
diploma. To this last effect special exemptions of attendance 
to school and of examinations shall be granted to the candidates. 
The second section treats of the penalties inflicted upon the 
delinquents, consisting of fines and imprisonment, as the case 
may be. 
While congratulations must be offered to brother veteri- 
