80 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
colors, but I question if the proposed legislation is needed, as I 
am of the opinion that any man falsely assuming a degree or title 
is liable under the laws relative to fraud or misdemeanors, and 
can be fined and imprisoned for such an offense. But the term 
veterinary surgeon should be regarded as a designation to which 
no man or class of men shall have exclusive right. It designates 
an occupation, and a man actually engaged in the practice of vet¬ 
erinary surgery has a natural right to call himself a veterinary 
surgeon. Doctorate degrees need uo protection other than the 
laws relative to fraud and misdemeanors afford it. 
“ Fraud,” says Chitty, “ more clearly occurs where one person 
substantially misrepresents or conceals a material fact peculiarly 
within his own knowledge, in consequence of which a delusion 
exists, or uses a desire calculated to lull the suspicions of a care¬ 
ful man, and induce him to forego inquiry into the matter upon 
which the other party has information, although such information 
be not exclusively within his reach.” 
So far as exclusive right of titles is concerned, it smacks a 
little too much of titles of nobility, a thing which the Constitu¬ 
tion of the United States prohibits the States from conferring. 
Class legislation is a thing the masses of the American people are 
averse to unless clearly demanded by their interests. Their motto 
always has been, and I hope always will be, “ Equal and exact 
justice to all, special privileges to none.” The man who possesses 
a diploma or doctorate degree has a recommendation to the pub¬ 
lic that gives him all the advantages over the man who has neither 
that he is entitled to. Law's should hold and do hold both the 
graduate and non-graduate equally responsible for mal-practice. 
When it can be shown that a man is pursuing a calling for which 
he is wholly unfitted he should be legally restrained from practic¬ 
ing, whether graduate or non-graduate. This would be fair and 
equitable. There are other things than the lack of ten or fifteen 
months of college opportunities that unfit men for practice of 
human or veterinary medicine. Many men who are called quali- 
lied because they hold a college certificate are, in reality, totally 
unfit to practice successfully. To give such men special privileges 
by law over others who have studied hard under adverse circuin- 
