*640 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
AS TO THE FREE BIOEOGICAE PRODUCTS SUPPLIED BY THE 
GOVERNMENT. 
Chicago, III., Nov, 4, 1897. 
.Editors American Veterinary Review : 
Dear Sirs :—I beg the courtesy of your pages to say that 
one of the difficulties we have to contend with is that not only 
the Federal Government, but also some State, county and city 
authorities are manufacturing and supplying, gratis or other¬ 
wise, tuberculin and other biological products. Though this 
may be constitutional to a certain extent, yet the practice is un¬ 
doubtedly greatly abused ; it considerably interferes, not only 
with commercial enterprise, but with private rights. Why 
should one veterinarian obtain, for instance, his tuberculin 
gratis^ while another has to pay for it? I believe that the original 
idea of the Government in supplying tuberculin was to thoroughly 
test it as a diagnostic agent. But as this question has long since 
been settled in favor of the preparation, I see no reason why the 
Government should continue in this extraordinary course. The 
same remarks apply to black leg vaccine. This preparation has 
for more than ten years past been recognized as a practically 
.absolute preventive of the disease in question, and it has dur¬ 
ing that time been well known as a commercial product pre¬ 
pared by the most ex{)erienced men in the world and placed on 
the European and American markets by responsible firms. The 
Government is now to some extent supplying black leg vaccine 
for so-called experimental purposes when these experiments 
were made long ago and the vaccine is already well known in 
this country. I know of no reason why the Government should 
supply biological products more than horses or houses, and shall 
shortly have something further to say on this subject, but I 
think it is one that should be taken up by the press. I hold 
myself at your disposal for any further information that you may 
desire. Yours truly, Harold Sorby, 
Manager Pasteur Vaccine Co ., Limited. 
Class Officers of the A. V. C.—At the organization 
meeting of the class of ’98 of the American Veterinary College, 
held in the lecture room on October 21st, the following gentle¬ 
men were elected officers : President, Mr. Weisbrod ; Vice-Presi¬ 
dent, Mr. Atchison; Secretary, Mr. Braisted; Treasurer, Mr. 
Morris; Historian, Mr. Walker. 
