384 
X. H. PAAREX. 
the proprietor of an extensively advertised “ specific” for the cure of this disease. 
Although the United States commissioner of agriculture was made aware of this 
mistake, soon after that appointment was made, and also with the alleged fact 
that this doctor, in connection with the advertisement of his nostrum, announced 
the fact of his official recognition, in such terms as would lead one to infer that 
his appointment was an endorsement of his specific,—nevertheless has the commis¬ 
sioner of agriculture seen fit to retain this man. The making, vending and using 
of a secret remedy or “specific” compound, for the cure of disease, is very 
reprehensible and unprofessional; but when such practice is both sanctioned and 
rewarded by the government of the United States, with what feelings of confi¬ 
dence can we expect other nations to regard our efforts for the elimination of 
contagious diseases among our domestic animals? 
In all of the European countries, sanitary measures are prescribed by legis¬ 
lation, to prevent the spread of contagious maladies, and the means of carrying 
these measures into execution are very stringent. By a satisfactory system of 
inspection, epizootic and contagious diseases cannot exist long without due atten¬ 
tion being paid to them, and measures, often adequate to check the disease, being 
adopted. How different with us! We do nothing to prevent the spreading of 
disease, or to exterminate disease, but eat all our diseased cattle. Instead of 
qualified veterinarians being employed to check the progress of maladies, the 
butcher’s services are in requisition, or the animals are hurried off to the stock 
yards or slaughter houses of our larger cities. The traffic in diseased swine is 
on a larger scale than most people would believe. Hardly a day passes but num¬ 
bers of such animals arrive at the stock yards in Chicago, especially by early 
morning trains. The obvious reason of this state of things is, that wherever there 
is dangerous disease among stock, the owner’s commercial instinct will be to 
make whatever salvage he can. The state of our meat trade is a disgrace to any 
civilized country. Into every large city, diseased cattle, sheep and swine, and 
diseased meat, are constantly taken without fear of detection. 
In the “Revised Statutes of the United States” we fail to find any reference 
whatever to legislation for the prevention of the spread of infectious and conta¬ 
gious diseases amongst our domestic animals. The few acts that have been passed 
by some of the states are totally inadequate for the purposes for which they 
were passed, and most defective also in their operation regarding the prevention 
of the sale of diseased animals for consumption as food. In the various European 
states ample provisions are made for the enforcement of the existing laws by the 
appointment of veterinary sanitary officers, who are in direct and constant com¬ 
munication with the authorities. Our state legislatures have failed to provide for 
such officers, and from want of proper information as to the real nature and ex¬ 
tent of disease existing in the country, the state governments remain ignorant of 
what it was necessary should be done, in order to check its progress. To stop 
the traffic in diseased animals we must prevent disease. But we cannot accom¬ 
plish the latter object without a proper system of enlightened supervision, ll 
must have struck any one who has paid attention to the occasional complaints as 
to the traffic in diseased animals and diseased meat, that there has been no one in- 
this country to interfere for the public good. It is a well known fact that every¬ 
body’s duty is nobody’s duty, and the public interest never suffers so much as 
