CORRESPONDENCE. 
Y9 
designate the name of an occupation, and the letters Y. S. are 
merely an abbreviation of them. 
Some years ago, at the suggestion of an ill-qualified graduate, 
I was asked, while on the witness stand of a circnit court, if I did 
not know that I had no right to use the title veterinary surgeon, 
as I was not a graduate of any college. I answered that I used 
the term to designate the kind of business I was engaged in. The 
attorney insisted I had no right to use the term, as it was a title 
conferred by colleges. The judge of the court ended the dispute 
by saying, “ Every person has a right to designate the nature and 
character of his business by respectable and significant terms, and 
that he was not obliged to designate his calling by vulgar terms 
or coarse epithets.” He said, for instance, “ if a man were en¬ 
gaged in the calling of dentistry he had a right to call himself a 
dentist, and that he could not be compelled by any individual or 
legislative body to call himself a rotten-tooth doctor; and so also,” 
he said, “ you cannot compel a man pursuing the veterinary prac¬ 
tice to adopt the vulgar epithets of horse or cow-doctor. So long,” 
he said, as he does not falsely assume doctorate or other de¬ 
grees, he was not censurable.” 
Now, as far as I am concerned, I am not anxious to designate 
myself a veterinary surgeon. The term veterinarian suits me just 
as well, it is just as significant, quite as dignified, and I am con¬ 
tent to designate my calling by it. I shall carefully avoid ap¬ 
pending Y. S., or veterinary surgeon, to my name hereafter, as 1 
am anxious to avoid a feeling on the part of veterinary graduates 
that I am infringing on what they deem their exclusive right. 
Therefore, in sending letters or papers to me hereafter, direct 
simply to E. Mink, and I shall feel full as much honored as to 
have you append Y. S. to it, when I know you think 1 am not 
entitled to it, and that it is an ovevness of honor conferred upon 
me. I will, however, insist upon designating myself a veterin¬ 
arian, and would, if possible, contest the constitutionality of any 
law that might be made to prohibit it. I am led to writing thus 
after noticing that you approve of the attempted legislation in 
New Jersey in reference to veterinary surgeons. 
Now, I consider it immoral and criminal to sail under false 
