56 
N. H. PAAREN. 
herds, with the preservation of the health of the animals of the 
farm, and when disease overtakes them, their restoration to health 
by proper means of treatment. The relation between agriculture 
and veterinary art is close and inseparable,—their disconnection 
being alike injurious to both. 
There is no subject of greater importance to the live stock 
interest of this country, which is, indeed, one of the leading in¬ 
terests, than the veterinary science. Every year diseases multiply 
among our live stock. Besides the ordinary and generally known 
complaints of cattle, the middle and western States especially 
have been visited by the Texan fever and the so-called hog- 
cholera, and the damages resulting from the ravages of these 
diseases have been enormous. While all Europe is alive to the 
importance of being prepared to meet any outbreaks of disease 
among domestic animals, we Americans, to the astonishment of 
other civilized nations, and greatly to our shame, be it said, have 
neglected to take steps towards eradicating the prevailing destruc¬ 
tive diseases among swine, almost amounting to a plague in its 
effects, by which the swine crop has been decimated for years, 
and caused an annual loss of millions of dollars to the farming 
community. Would such a state of affairs be tolerated, even for 
one year, by any other civilized nation ? 
It may be asked, what are our means of successfully contending 
against the diseases that are almost constantly raging, and those 
more dreadful maladies that threaten our flocks and herds? We 
are almost without any ! Has our government done anything in 
the way of aiding or encouraging instruction in the only depart¬ 
ment of knowledge that can be of service in warding off or curing 
the diseases of domestic animals ? Absolutely nothing ! While 
the ranks of every other profession are crowded, there is a great 
scarcity of persons who have the requisite skill and knowledge to 
treat a sick domestic animal of any kind. Ho where do ignorance 
and superstitition so show themselves as in the remedies that are 
administered to sick animals. No torture was ever so complete 
as that inflicted on sick domestic animals by the ignorant quacks 
who pretend to know how to doctor them. Intelligent humanity 
revolts at the way disease and lameness are treated almost every- 
