SYNOPSIS OF CONTINENTAL VETERINARY JOURNALS. 155 
the proprietor, and by at once informing the Administration 
of the existence of the disease recognised, so that measures 
might be taken at the very centre of the contagion to prevent 
its spread by fresh removals of diseased animals. But thus 
skill would be needed on the part of the authorities, so that 
the same measures might everywhere he adopted against 
contagion so indicated. Since, if the inspection is efficacious 
only m one place and remains neglected in another, it is 
evident that the owners of sick animals would avoid the 
inspected markets, and would crowd towards those at which 
they would have nothing to fear from the action of the 
authorities; hence many of the good effects of sanitary 
inspection may be nullified. To be efficacious it must be 
rigorously enforced everywhere, and should everywhere tend 
to expose the sources whence contagion may emanate. 
This method is perfectly just, and when the law shall have 
been adopted and vigorously applied, it cannot fail to 
realise good results by the uniformity of the measures which 
it will impose, and which it will be in a position to enforce 
as a result of the organisation of the sanitary service. The 
inspection of slaughter-houses and knackers* yards ought to 
be in the hands of veterinarians, since here also there is 
needed appreciation of facts according to technical informa¬ 
tion which a course of instruction at the schools alone can 
thoroughly give. In all questions bearing on pathological 
anatomy there can be no doubt of this, for veterinarians only 
can well understand the nature of such morbid lesions as the 
examinations of carcases tend to prove, to pronounce on the 
gravity of these lesions in their bearing on the value of the 
meat for food, and, in fine, to give to the authorities informa¬ 
tion to enable them, when necessary, to proceed to those 
sanitary measures which the nature of the lesions suggests. 
But does not the practical butcher possess all necessary 
qualifications for inspection of meat? We cannot deny that 
many persons would answer this question in the affirmative. 
It is the duty of veterinarians to counteract this idea by 
acquiring the practical knowledge of which it implies 
appreciation, and which skilful inspection requires. 
M. Baillet , of Bordeaux, considered the best method of 
nomination of inspectors of market meat would be by 
competitive examination involving practical and theoretical 
tests. Veterinarians could not find anything but advantage 
from this mode of election, for it is to them easy to acquire 
experience in such a small degree as would be required 
whilst the persons possessed of such experience without 
theoretical knowledge could not attain the necessary level, 
