180 
J. F. KENNEDY. 
do his present duty—to insure a wholesome quality of milk, 
butter and cheese, he must depend very largely, if not almost 
wholly upon you. There must be inspection of the herds from 
time to time, as to their freedom from tuberculosis and other in¬ 
fectious and communicable diseases. Their food and drink, the 
condition of their stables, the methods of milking and of taking 
care of and marketing milk. In fact, all the sanitary or un¬ 
sanitary environments must be known. The intelligent veter¬ 
inarian is the only person from whom he would expect to get 
this information. 
The State Board of Health and its auxiliaries, the local 
boards, are under the law charged with supervising and protect¬ 
ing the lives and health of the people ; and as there are so many 
of the infections diseases of animals that are communicable to 
man, yon will readily see the great interest these boards have in 
yonr profession and work. 
It is not necessary to take the time even to name the various 
diseases of domestic animals that are common, or at least com¬ 
municable to man. Yon are perfectly cognizant of them. Be¬ 
cause their presence in the animal is a constant menace to the 
public health the State Board of Health depends upon your pro¬ 
fession largely for protection. 
It is the proper function and duty of your profession to insure 
to the people of the State as early a recognition of, and as efFect- 
ual protection against, the invasion and spread of these diseases 
as possible. 
A great deal of distraction, demoralization and damage have 
arisen from the attempts to prove how extensively an animal 
may be diseased to render it unfit for human or animal food— 
especially in regard to such diseases as tuberculosis and actino¬ 
mycosis and their ability to render meat and milk from animals 
so diseased dangerous. 
I think there has been, in settling these questions, too much 
deference paid to those short-sighted breeders and stockmen who 
care but little what the ultimate results are so long as they 
can line their pockets. 
