146 
EDITORIAL. 
us concerning our sheep, if foot and mouth disease should be 
proved prevailing amongst them. 
But the need of State Veterinary Inspectors is not only to be 
looked upon so far as it concerns the above-named diseases; 
others as contagious, and probably as prevalent, are not to be 
overlooked, and at home they need as much professional watch¬ 
ing; we all know that glanders, farcy and anthrax, under its differ¬ 
ent forms, hog and chicken cholera, Texas fever, &c., &c., are 
destroying yearly thousands of animals whose loss weighs heavily 
on the farmers and raisers. 
It is therefore with great satisfaction, and we have no doubt 
with a feeling which will be appreciated by all, that we register the 
good news of the act passed by the Legislature of Illinois creating 
such a bureau. This great breeding State has taken the lead in 
that direction, and is now bound to protect her large live stock. 
We shall anxiously look for the news of the appointment, and 
hope that one well educated and well posted in sanitary science 
will be called to the position. We hope that the bureau will soon 
begin to perform its duties by an early appointment; in so doing 
Illinois will again take the lead of New York State, which is still 
waiting the appointment of the Commission which is to resume 
the work of stamping out pleuro-pneumonia, with the assistance 
of the appropriation recently granted by the Legislature of that 
State. 
The creation of veterinary bureaus is one that must soon be 
general all over the country, perhaps specially so in the eastern 
States ; and if we consider the condition of our live stock in those 
principally, all interested in domestic animals and their health will 
ask for it. 
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES. 
But a few years ago all contagious diseases were considered 
the most obscure portions of medical science. Their etiology and 
nature were so little known that all kinds of theories were ad¬ 
vanced, admitted, to be soon rejected, and replaced by others of 
no greater value. To-day, thanks to the various researches made 
