THE VETERINARIAN AND THE HUMANITARIAN. 
605 
and should be discountenanced by the veterinary surgeon. Those 
operations which, after all, are only .fashionable mutilations of 
perfect animals, devised by a morbidly artificial and corrupt taste, 
should be suppressed, if not by law, at least by the influence of the 
surgeon.” From the quotation just made it may be inferred 
that this is the opinion and sentiment of many of the most emi¬ 
nent members of the profession to-day, but, so long as owners 
remain the slaves of fads and fashions, and ignorant of the pain 
these ‘‘ fashionable mutilations ” and other modes of torture, 
from whatever cause, inflict upon their animals, so long will 
these unnecessary and painful operations and methods be prac¬ 
tised. In other words, the demand for such must be decreased, 
through the better education and enlightenment of the people 
In those matters, a knowledge of which would greatly preclude 
:he possibility of such requests being made by those of intelli¬ 
gence. 
I have, in the foregoing, omitted reference to open and 
vvanton acts of cruelty which could not possibly escape the 
« even the uninitiated ; and have deemed it more 
mstructive to allude to some of the agencies which lead to pain- 
|ul results, but which are liable to escape the notice of those 
jesponsible for their production, with, however, no cruel intent. 
Before leaving this part of my paper, I would like to add a 
vord or two with reference to lameness. It is my opinion, that 
lome of the officers or inspectors of our humane societies are not 
ufficiently familiar with the pathology of this condition, and 
eem to attach less importance, relatively, to it, and more to 
>ther conditions, which, to the casual observer might appear 
"xtremely severe, yet do not, in reality, produce nearly so much 
,)ain as that causing an animal to go lame. To illustrate : The 
jlriver or owner of an animal may be arrested and fined because 
j'f his animal having an abrasion of the skin, or “ gall,” as it is 
pmetimes termed, below its collar, no larger perhaps than a 25 
ent piece ; yet on the other hand, 50 or 100 lame animals may 
•e allowed to pass unheeded, unless in the case of those that are 
bsolutely prostrated and unable to proceed. Now in the case 
