CATTLE DISEASES. 
113 
affected with the disease), seem to be fully alive to the 
importance of doing something, but they “ do not feel that 
the matter is yet ripe for action.” I am not a little surprised 
to find Government have taken a similar view of the matter, 
by handing it over to the Princpal Inspector General of the 
Medical Department. This is quite as farcical as a letter I 
read a few months back in the Veterinarian, where an unfor¬ 
tunate gives an account of an examination he had to undergo, 
shortly after his arrival in the country, to test his professional 
attainments, before he was given an independent charge. The 
examining board consisted of a superintending surgeon, a 
garrison surgeon, a surgeon from a regiment in canton¬ 
ment, and one veterinary surgeon. Some absurd questions 
were asked by one member of the faculty, while the others 
remonstrated among themselves on the absurdity of the 
thing. 
I am pretty confident the Principal Inspector General 
would rather be left alone to his own legitimate work than to 
be troubled with what he knows nothing about, unless he is 
like a certain little minister at home, who, Punch says, has 
brass enough to take charge of the Channel fleet. Now, if 
we are to improve the agricultural status of the natives, as I 
see, by a late impression of your paper, His Excellency the 
Governor, in his published minute, is anxious to bring about, 
pray let us begin, if we wish to secure good faith and confi¬ 
dence among them. There are, I think, ten veterinary sur¬ 
geons in this presidency, all of whom must have served an 
apprenticeship to a practitioner at home, where he must, in 
a great agricultural country like England, have seen some 
cattle practice, besides, at least, two or three sessions of 
lectures and practice at College under the ablest cattle patho¬ 
logist in Europe, whose services the Continental Govern¬ 
ments have more than once engaged to co-operate in scientific 
inquiries, when murrain, rhinderpest, and other epizootics, 
were devastating Europe. Trusting you will pardon the 
length of this letter, and support me in urging the necessity 
of a head to the veterinary medical profession, as is the case 
in Bombay and Calcutta, to whom those Governments, I 
think, would have applied if similarly situated; also please 
remind Mr. Minchin if he wants assistance and advice, he 
had better apply to Government for. the temporary services 
of a 
Veterinary Surgeon. 
To the Editor of the Madras Times. 
XXXVII. 
8 
