50 
EDITORIAL. 
if pessimistic suggestions like these are to be accounted slander¬ 
ous, absurd and unpatriotic, let us see the evidence. Let the 
embarrassment of the members of the Association, in voting on 
the papers not yet received, be founded on the fact that there 
is such a thoroughness of research, such a patience in the com¬ 
parison of obscure phenomena, such acuteness of perception in 
detecting hidden niceties of lesion, such sagacities of diagnosis, 
and such infallibility of prognosis, in all the essays, not yet 
written, that every one shall *be better than all the rest, and 
nothing less than a medal for each can satisfy the demands of 
impartial justice. Let this be so, and we will answer for all the 
medals thus earned. 
Nous veri'ons —perhaps. 
Tuberculosis in the United States. —The subject of conta¬ 
gious pleuro-pneumonia seems, at the present time, to have lost 
much of the interest with which, in former years, it was regarded. 
Probably the variety of the means and the vigor of the measures 
employed to oppose the ravages, and the prompt resort to the 
stamping out process on the appearance of any new outbreaks, 
with the fact that it seems to have proved itself to be quite amen¬ 
able to the stringent and successful methods adopted by the 
State authorities and their official veterinarians—probably all 
these causes combined have had the effect of measurably removing 
the subject from public attention, and allaying the excitement 
and alarm formerly so prevalent. Another reason may probably 
be found in the existence of another bovine scourge, which 
appears to be prevailing throughout nearly every section of the 
country, and which, affecting as it mostly does, the more costly 
and valuable grades of animals, is likely to be attended with a 
more serious pecuniary loss than some of the other epidemic and 
infectious diseases have inflicted. We refer to tuberculosis, 
numerous invasions of which disease have recently been brought 
to public notice. Maine, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey> 
besides other regions, are reported as having herds of tuberculous 
animals, amongst which are many of high value, including bulls 
and cows of the Jersey families. This is a disease which well 
merits the attention of the veterinary sanitarian, and when wc 
