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♦ 
EDITORIAL. 
the protection of domestic animals. Never in the history of our profession has a 
time occurred in this country, when the services of veterinarians, experts insanitary 
science, were more in demand, and relied on by the State authorities and the 
people, for sound scientific knowledge, to protect the prosperity of the nation, by 
demonstrating methods for controlling contagions diseases and preventing fresh 
invasions of the plagues which at present afflict the domestic animals of many 
parts of our country, and render the calling of agriculturists exceedingly precarious. 
As an evidence of the appreciation of our branch of the medical profession, 
observe the haste with which agricultural colleges are adding veterinary science 
to their curriculum, in their efforts to keep their schools popular and supply a 
public necessity, in ’.he person of a graduate (?)in veterinary and sanitary science. 
It is a matter of sincere regret, and a great disparagement to a noble profes¬ 
sion, that agricultural colleges should so belittle themselves and slander science, 
as to imagine, let alone attempt to educate young men in a branch of medicine so 
important, without having every facility for a thorough course in medicine and 
surgery, together with the practical training absolutely necessary in veterinary and 
sanitary science: the result will be that our country will be flooded witli a most 
dangerous class of empirics, and the name of veterinarian become odious in public 
estimation. 
If the Government would fix a standard of graduation in the veterinarian, or, 
better still, take entire supervision of veterinary schools through the appointment 
of a Board of Censors, whose duty would be to supervise such examinations and 
fix a standard of requirements necessary to graduate; then a veterinarian holding 
a diploma would be entitled to some honor, and the public assured of his ability. 
I had entertained hopes that the United States Veterinary Medical Associa¬ 
tion at its last annual meeting held in New York would have considered this sub¬ 
ject, as well as the spread of contagious diseases among the domestic animals in dif¬ 
ferent States; a subject which during the past two years has occupied the attention 
of Congress and the Legislatures of many States. This subject has also been the 
engrossing topic of all agricultural and stock growers’ societies, and has been freely 
handled by the “press,” until almost every stockman of average intelligence is 
completely nonplussed by the conflicting opinions advanced. Hence, you can 
imagine my surprise to know that the Association supposed to be the head centre 
of the veterinary profession, and composed of gentlemen of acknowledged ability, 
had at great trouble and expense, met, elected new officers and adjourned, with¬ 
out reference to any question whereby the profession might have been benefitted, 
or the public served through a discussion of the sanitary condition of its domestic 
animals. 
By its utter apathy, the twenty-third annual meeting of the Association has 
failed to grasp a great opportunity to forward the interests of the profession by 
demonstrating to the public, through the conventions of cattle growers about 
being held in Chicago and St. Louis, their views concerning the spread of conta¬ 
gion among domestic animals ; the best methods of controlling plagues and their 
eradication; the people’s right to indemnity for animals slaughtered to prevent 
the spread of contagion; the necessity of State legislation, and its peculiarities as 
relating to inter-state commerce and quarantine ; also the quarantine of all cattle 
arriving from foreign countries, disinfection of ships, etc. 
