8 
W. L. WILLIAMS. 
of the service, two veterinary surgeons of the first-class and 
two of the second-class, and that said veterinary surgeons shall 
have the pay and allowances of veterinary surgeons of cavalry 
of corresponding classes.” This is the first time an attempt has 
ever been made to provide the artillery with veterinarians. We 
hope the bill will pass. 
ORIGINAL ARTICLES. 
THE FUTURE OF THE VETERINARY PROFESSION. 
By W. L. Williams, V. S., Cornell University. 
Read at Alumni meeting, School of Comparative Medicine of McGill University, Boston, 
Mass., Feb. 17, 1900. 
I would define a profession as a branch of higher learning 
constituting an integral part of civilization and necessary to 
human welfare. 
I11 outlining the future of our profession we must base it 
upon our past history and present condition, considering the 
forces at work, the obstacles in the path, and the progress thus 
far attained. 
Functions now properly devolving upon our profession have 
been deemed essential to human welfare since the earliest dawn 
of history. More than 3000 years ago the Jews were inter¬ 
dicted by the Mosaic laws from using meat from animals which 
had died from disease. 
In recent years we have come to see the-importance of this 
law, through bacteriology and pathology, which have demon¬ 
strated the close relationship or identity of numerous diseases 
of animals and man, and have fully shown the importance of 
wholesome meat and dairy products. 
The Mosaic law was tribal, and the animals killed were of 
their own flocks, for their own tribe, and the killing was super¬ 
vised by one of their own number specially trained for the work. 
While the population in our country remained largely rural, 
so that each family produced its own meat supply or procured 
