396 
EDITORIAL. 
F. S. Billings. Dr. Salmon lias for years occupied his time in 
searching for the germ which, in his view, originates the disease, 
and has at various periods embodied in his reports to the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture his scientific views and discoveries, with an¬ 
nouncements of what he believes to be the true cause and nature 
of the swine plague. Our readers have been made largely ac¬ 
quainted with the fruits of Dr. Salmon’s labors, to which they 
have had access through his published reports to the Bureau of 
Animal Industry. Unfortunately, Dr. Salmon has sometimes 
been obliged to revise and correct his opinions, and he has not 
hesitated to do so whenever new discoveries and developments 
have brought new light to his mind, and new convictions to his 
judgment. 
In one of his later reports he announced his conclusions that 
past all doubt the hog cholera of this country was not the same 
disease as the one for which we had provided him with Bas- 
teur’s vaccine, and positively stated then that it was not the 
Rothlauf of the German. Was it the schweineseuche ? He was 
not prepared to say, for he has offered us the “ gratuitous obser¬ 
vation that-it would still be premature to jump to the conclusion 
that even the German schweineseuche is identical with our hog 
cholera.” 
Dr. Billings, on his side, has also worked hard in the investi¬ 
gations of hog cholera, and has arrived at the conclusion that the 
German and American d senses are similar, by the discovery in a 
choleraic hog of an organism entirely similar to that described by 
Scliutz in schweineseuche. The communication we begin reprint¬ 
ing to-day from Dr. Bowhill will on that account be found most 
interesting. We regret that the paper does not come direct from 
Dr. Billings, as it would give positive data establishing beyond 
doubt its priority of discovery. The priority, however, in this 
case is of secondary importance, and a matter of only personal 
concern. The great question seems now settled that the Amer¬ 
ican and one of the German plagues are identical in their nature. 
New Officers of U. S. Y. M. Association. —We publish the 
list of officers elected at the last meeting of the United States 
Veterinary Medical Association, and the members of the various 
