424 
W. J. COATES. 
in him only a “horse doctor,” as they style him. Are they to be 
blamed, imposed upon as they have been by men assuming our title, 
with no greater ability than perhaps that gained as grooms or stable¬ 
men to veterinarians in the old country, or by reading books written by 
horsemen, who themselves had but a superficial knowledge of the horse ? 
Others that deserve more credit than many graduates, are benevolent 
men, who took an interest in horses and cattle, read the best books they 
could find, and by the practice gained, tried to supply the want that is 
still felt in many sections of our country for qualified men. Sometimes 
you will meet a foreigner who will appreciate an educated veterinarian 
foi awhile, till he begins to see that veterinarians, as a profession, are, in 
America, indulging in quackery even more so than the quacks them¬ 
selves, and thus lowering the profession to the ground, where it seems 
to lie. 
Gentlemen, if you want to bring the veterinary profession to the 
point it ought to occupy, there are' three things to do : 1st, Respect 
yourself; 2d, Suppress quackery wherever you see it; 3d, Form so¬ 
cieties, support them and each other. 
lo have self-iespect you must mix yourself with all kinds of so¬ 
ciety. Remember the old proverb : “ Show me your company, and I 
will tell you who you are.” It will suffice to patiently wait till Amer¬ 
ican society lespects you. No ; self-respect ought to begin at home, 
and remember that respect for your profession is so closely allied to 
self-iespect that you cannot sever the two. Does not your profession 
claim from yourself any other consideration than that due to it as the 
means of obtaining your livelihood ? Are the powerful instruments the 
study of veterinary science has put under your control to be used for 
no higher aims than those of making money? If this is so, please 
point out the line where quackery stops and veterinary surgery begins. 
Strict honesty and close attention to duty, with persevering researches 
and study by all veterinarians, would soon convince the people of this 
continent, as it has done already in Europe, that in our science there is 
much to be respected. 
To suppress quackery is certainly every veterinarian’s duty. How 
is it to be done? Do not resort to it or countenance its use by any 
other person. We have not yet obtained that point reached by our 
Canadian brethien, where the law punishes the false appropriation of 
our title. But the quacks possess no organization ; they have associa¬ 
tions where the interest and energies of every individual member are 
united. 1 he hold they have on stock owners is only an apparent one. 
