SOCIETY MEETINGS; 
525 
studied as disease in the broadest sense possible, and not, as heretofore, as a 
morbid process confined to a part of the body of a single species of animal. 
“ Comparative patholog3 r ” already has a familiar sound and labora¬ 
tories are being erected or equipped and enlarged to make special pro¬ 
vision for this new development. This movement is evident not only in 
this country, but abroad as well, and notably in Germany. The result 
pf this, it is hoped, will be to throw new light on many of the obscure 
points in the pathology of the disease of animals and overcome the condi¬ 
tion that Johne described in explaining why he did not finish his text¬ 
book on pathology that was announced ten years ago. He said, “ The 
pathological institutes in human medicine are filled with young physi¬ 
cians who have sought and found in this field a subject for a thesis or are 
undertaking advanced work. This results, at least, in the accumulation 
of a plentiful amount of material that without too much labor can be 
sifted and worked over. Thus building stones are made from which the 
master can erect a building. Of this, veterina^ pathology has nothing. 
The teacher of veterinary pathology is not supplied with sufficient help and 
has scarcely time to attend to the current work of his department , the post-* 
mortems and courses and lectures, if he is thorough in them. There are 
no positions to strive for or other encouraging conditions to attract 
young veterinarians to provide building stones for great text-books.” 
Since these words are true of the conditions in America even more 
than in Germany, we hail with joy any movement that promises to 
provide facilities for and to encourage workers in comparative pathology. 
It is not at all likely that this development will fail to receive a warm 
and sympathetic welcome. We must not be content with this better¬ 
ment, however, nor shall we fall into the error of thinking that this is 
all of the veterinary sciences. We must not allow the other essential 
veterinary sciences to be neglected and fail to develop in proportion to 
their fellows and their own innate importance. 
If comparative pathology is taken up by laboratories usually con¬ 
ducted by physicians and principally for the purpose of throwing light 
on the diseases of man, and if our veterinary teachers must go to this 
source for their facts, we must allow all of the veterinary sciences to be 
humanized in the same way and developed as side issues to subjects 
that are conceived to be more important. 
Our veterinary schools and veterinary departments of universities 
must always stand on independent bases. It will never do for them to 
become lesser departments incidental to schools of medicine, for example. 
If any arguments are needed to support this contention they may be 
found in the vast importance to the nation of the interests that are pro¬ 
tected and fostered by the veterinarians and in the histories of veteri¬ 
nary schools in other countries. 
First, veterinarians guard the greatest income producing property in 
the United States. Five stock husbandry is the most profitable branch 
of our agriculture ; it feeds more people and furnishes more homes than 
any other branch of manufacturing commerce or trade. It furnishes the 
material for exports amounting to more than $200,000,000 per annum. 
It represents an investment of more than $2,000,000,000. The success 
of our agricultural population comprising 58$ of the people of the 
country, depends on their horses, cattle, sheep, swine and poultry more 
than on any other factors. 
