EDITORIAL. 
325 
tagious principle should be counteracted by a most thorough dis¬ 
infection of the premises and grounds, and the provision of pen¬ 
alties against transgression of necessary prohibitory laws and reg¬ 
ulations. 
EDITORIAL. 
SHALL WE HAVE A NATIONAL VETERINARY BUREAU? 
It is a fact pretty generally recognized, that contagious diseases 
exist amongst our domesticated animals in this country to an 
alarming extent. The investigation instituted by the Agricul¬ 
tural Department into the “ Swine Plague,” the appointment by 
various States of Commissions authorized to eradicate from their 
territories contagious pleuro-pneumonia of cattle, and various 
other measures adopted for the purpose of renewing and increas¬ 
ing our crippled trade in the exportation of live stock, all indicate 
that the present state of affairs is beginning to be fully appreci¬ 
ated by the public, and as a result, the subject of a governmental 
organization is becoming a general topic of discussion in the 
columns of our leading agricultural papers. It is a subject which 
we were one of the first to strongly urge upon the public, 
as we have already mentioned in the pages of the Review, 
and we find our views endorsed by able agriculturists as well as 
distinguished veterinarians. One of our correspondents, Mr. 
Billings, lectured upon it before the New England Agricultural 
Society a short time ago at Worcester, and it finds a strong sup¬ 
port in a paper from Dr. Paaren, of Chicago, reprinted in our 
issue of this month. It is also ably discussed by S. L. Boardman, 
Esq., in the columns of the American Cultivator , of Boston, of 
which paper he is agricultural editor, while it received marked 
attention from the members of the United States Veterinary 
Medical Association at their last anniversary meeting. 
The establishment of a National Veterinary Bureau seems to 
be the general demand. But how this Bureau shall be formed, 
