SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
527 
called the physiologic phases of animal husbandry. With his knowl¬ 
edge of comparative anatomy, physiology, chemistry, foods and the 
predisposing and exciting causes of disease, the veterinarian should be 
the natural expert on conformation, selection for special purposes, 
breeding, rearing, feeding, etc. He should also be thoroughly informed 
on stable construction and other practical questions ' related to the 
maintenance and utilization of animals. 
As expert landscape gardeners, civil engineers and architects are 
consulted on the problems within their profession ; so should veteri¬ 
narians be consulted on problems relating to all phases of animal 
husbandry. Before this can occur largely it will be necessary for the 
public to relinquish the idea that veterinarians are useful only "to patch 
up decrepit animals or to check the spread of disease and be educated to 
regard them as experts in animal husbandry—as animal engineers. 
It is also necessary that our schools shall devote more attention to 
these subjects. At present our knowledge of many of these things is 
almost purely empirical ; it remains for veterinarians to formulate it 
and to place it on a scientific basis whence it may advance. Most of the 
accuiate work that has been done in these lines has been done by veteri¬ 
narians, beginning with the illustrious Bourgelat, but there is an 
enormous field that is still untouched. 
This association can do much to broaden the scope and practise of 
the veterinarian. It can encourage the reading of papers relating to the 
subjects that are usually grouped under the title “Animal Husbandry.” 
It can appoint committees to report on special problems coming under 
this head. It can recommend the amplification, the deepening and 
broadening of instruction in 200 technical and allied subjects in the 
veterinary schools. When all of this is done the veterinary profession 
will be in more direct touch and in closer sympathy with the stockman 
and cannot fail to be of more service to the live stock industry and to 
itself profit by these more intimate bonds. 
This thought must have been in the minds of those who planned and 
organized the federal Bureau of Animal Industry. It is fortunate that 
this bureau is established on broad lines, that it is not the Bureau of Com¬ 
parative Pathologj^ or the Bureau of Veterinary Police, but that its pur¬ 
pose is to improve the animal industry in every possible way and that 
its organic law is broad enough to permit this. 
In the same way, so far as an individual may, each veterinarian 
should extend his knowledge and his practise and become an expert in 
animal engineering. 
In dwelling upon this as a legitimate and desirable field effort I have 
not wished to appear antagonistic to any work the profession or this as¬ 
sociation may now have in hand. It is all important and should all be 
strengthened. It is your high duty as the representative body of the vet- 
erinan r profession of North America—as the Veterinary Senate—to point 
the way of advance and to strengthen the hands of the laborers in the field. 
A recess for five minutes was then taken and the ^announce¬ 
ment was made by the chair that the privileges of the floor 
would be granted to all veterinarians, whether members or not. 
The calling of the roll was dispensed with and it was de¬ 
cided to obtain the names of those present by means of cards 
