VETERINARY REFORM. 
59 
ranges of the plains. Our half wild cattle on the ranges will 
communicate this disease to the buffaloes, and these again will 
cause its spread from north to south over all the territories, with, 
out limitation or control. In regard to its westward course, we 
have reason to believe that this disease is already now located in 
some parts of Indiana. England has, up to the present time, 
lost over 10,000,000 head of cattle from the contagious pleuro¬ 
pneumonia alone, representing a cash value of about £100,000,000. 
The array of figures relating to the mortality among live stock, 
as presented by the various State Agricultural Departments, clearly 
indicates a necessity for the inauguration of prompt measures, 
and the establishment of means whereby these ravages by disease 
can be brought under control. The statistical reports of the 
Agricultural Department of the national government, give but a 
slender idea of the devastation, misery, and loss that is due to the 
existing ignorance, apathy and neglect of veterinary sanitary 
science. It is no exaggeration to say, that it requires several 
times the figures given by the Agricultural Department, to foot up 
the actual losses, which the prevailing diseases among live stock 
continually entail upon the industry of the country. 
The immense losses by disease among live stock must to a 
great extent, be accounted for in the absolute scarcity of compe¬ 
tent veterinarians—men who have been thoroughly and scientifi¬ 
cally educated in this branch of medical science. That the great 
multitude of intelligent farmers and live stock owners of America 
should be obliged to contend with quacks and charlatans, while 
all other civilized nations (some of them as far back as a hundred 
years ago) have been provided by their governments with amply 
endowed veterinary colleges, is beyond all sound reasoning—is, in 
fact, nothing less than a national disgrace, and justly merits the 
derision of other nations. 
In view of the vast interests involved, and the fearful tribute 
which is annually extracted from the public by the ravages of 
epidemic and other diseases among live stock, it is a matter of 
surprise that no intelligent efforts have been made in the way of 
prevention. The national government has hitherto confined itself 
to the gathering of statistics, and the apparent exactness of these 
