People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1895 — PAPER BY H. J. KANNAL. [ARTICLE]

PAPER BY H. J. KANNAL.

f “The Veterinarian and His Relation to the Farmer,” Read Before \ TOE JASPER COL'NTT FARMERS' INSTITUTE ‘ Meld at the Court House in RensseV. laer, Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 30 and 31, 1393. FULL OF HISTORICAL INTEREST. [ ' ’ « i In the Art Gallery of the late ‘Columbian Exposition, where ; the muses held their court and | were treated in stone, bronze and oil, theie was one statue i more wierd, more impressive ’ and more startling than all. pThe Hippocenteur—half man liand half horse. It faced a main entrance [through which surged the popjulace for several months. From [.many, it received scarce a glance. I Some looked and. smiled, oth’ers frowned. But as the eyes of the intelligent student of mythology swept its massive 'outline and his mind conjured up the physical and mental possibilities of the combination, the profoundness of the old ■Grecian philosopher transfixed and startled him. |a It is the commonest figure in i 'Grecian art. The Athenian master made it his triumph. It 5 was the inspiration of the novice, *lhe embodiment of a strange - fable, you may say, the result of ideal fancy or barbaric imagination. No, ladies and gentlemen, i <Grecian art is too comprehen- ■ .sive. Mythology is not crude, >but profound. Its figures which have been carried down through ages and embodied in ‘ stone, in painting and in song, ;are not the result of ideal fancy, (fcbut are the result of philosophic ,;and penetrating minds. These • old philosophers recognized the uhorse as man’s best friend, and • the fibst subjugation of nature ; and nature’s forces they ascribed to a combination of the. two — hence the figure. The combined efforts of all the writers and orators of the century could not pay a grander tribute or draw a more impres•sive delineation of the mutual • dependence, the mutual fealty, ,• existing between man and horse. •Of marvelous fertility were the ’minds of this race. They were .skiliedin the art and the sci- • ences, and practiced medicine >with marvelous results. A descendant of the race, Chir'on of Thessaly, achieved a reputation for the successful treatment of various ailments of equines, that was limited by the then existing bounds of civilization. Tradition states, and is supported indisputably by the historical records we have of that time, that journeyed to Chiron and induced shim to become his tutor. Therefore the founder of the modern school of medicine, the patron saint of our brother M. D., had for his preceptor a Veterinarian, j Ladies and gentlemen, we

claim priority; we are the originators, the fountain head of the science of application of remedial agents for the alleviation of disease. Following Chiron of Thessaly, came Erictheus, a young Greek, who achieved considerable reputation dn the treatment of, equim disorders, Xenophon, Limonides, of Athens, Varro, Columella, others were students of the art of practitioners and authors who have left us records of their experiences. Magus, a Carthagenian, about 400 years B. C., collected, recompiled and published their works in twentyeight volumes. Hippocrates, who lived about this time, is considered the ablest of early authors, and is to-day referred to as the father of medicine. He devoted his works equally man and horse, and it may be a matter of interest to some to know that the literal meaning of his name is horse force. Really it is a matter of difficulty to separate the early history of the medical profession from man’s best friend. Three hundred years after Christ, the works bf previous authors were again revised by Vegetius, another Greek disciple

of Chiron. The decline of Athens and the social and intellectual supremacy of Rome which followed, naturally transported the profession westward, and proud and honored was the position occupied by the veterinarian. His rank in the Roman army was recognized and the foremost titles and honors of the land were conferred upon him. Not in Rome alone whs the veterinarian appreciated, the Merovingian kings of France conferred upon their veterinarians the highest rank in the land, viz: that of “Constable, - ’ -while the Normans conferred that of

“Marshal.” There accompanied William I to England, a family highly skilled in the healing art as applied to the equine, and he held them in such appreciation as to create for them the present title of “Farriers.” But henceforth for several hundred years the horizon of the veterinary profession assumed a very sombre tint. No sparkling star of intelligence served to illuminate its background. It seemed as if the mass of superstitious rubbish which had attracted itself to it like barnacles, would eventually ungulf it. But the good endureth, and Phoenixlike, out of ashes of ignorance and superstition the profession has once more sprung with advancing steps, greater than ever displayed by any other, until once more, to-day it holds in the minds-of the intelligent portion of the public, the proud position it occupied in the days of Aristotle and Alexander. I submit to you, gentleman: Can the public, in the .face of so old and honored a history, apply to a profession, so noble in its imports and designs, the disapprobative term of “a horse doctor”? Mythology, tradition, legend, history, past and present, and the prophicies of the future, lead in a manner which cannot fail to impress the bluntest perceptions with the grand mutual co-operative obligation existing between man and- horse, their inseparable fealty and mutual dependence.

“If God created man, the horse was created next to him,” said William I, as he viewed the bloody field of Hastings; the victory being due to his Norman horsemen. “Gone to the dogs,” is a very common expression and w’e will admit that men have gone there; but the fact is self evident that the dog has not become contaminated by the association, but remains to-day, the personification of courage, faithfulness, sterling integrity and honor.

But what of the present and future of the veterinarian? In all European countries the veterinary colleges are supported and controlled by the government, and rank equally with their medical universities. Their graduates are given positions of importance in the army, on health boards. England ranks her veternarinans as colonels, majors and captains, an example followed by France and Germany. Our government, I am sorry to say, has been negligent in this matter, and it is to be regretted that the veterinarian has not been accorded the recognition he is deserving of. Prevention of disease and protection of human life are far more important than the treatment of disease. Nearly all contagious diseases are transmissable from animal to man, and here the veterinarian stands as a safe-guard to public health, seeking out, isolating and checking the ravages of disorders of the most dangerous types. Legislative action is now being taken by several of the states aiming at complete and thorough veterinary inspection of all animal food and dairy products, so that without encroaching upon the honored position of the physician as the alleviator of disease, we will still be given opportunity to demonstrate our ability as preventers. The late Mr. Charles Darwin .in his great work, “The Descent of Man,” delineates with wonderful accuracy the similarities of many of the attributes, actions, fancies, lives and dispositions of man and the brute creation. Sympathy and its twin brother, the humanitarian sentiment, are in his opinion, the highest

I attributes of the human family, that which chiefly distinguishes us from the lower animals. If this be so, let us cultivate, cher- | ish and guard religiously the i attribute, and as civilization and the race advances we can confidently look forward to the time when the sick and injured animal will be treated with the same care and by as intelligent physicians as the sick man. Twenty millions of dollars is a low estimate of the value of live stock in this country. In fact it is a matter of great difficulty for the mind to comprehend the vast amount of money the people of this country have invested in this interest. The men controlling most of this vast wealth are the farmers. You are the ones most interested in the work of the veterinarian.

If some devastating plague or contagious disease breaks out in your herd it may not only cause the loss of many valuable animals, but it injures the market value of those remaining. You all know the market value of a beef affected with act inomycosis (or lumpy-jaw). And are you aware-that many cases of the dreaded disease consumption are caused by the use of milk from cows affected with tuberculosis. How many of you can say that your own herd of milk cows are free from this disease, as it may be present and the animal seem in perfect health. The farmers should put their shoulder to the load and give their united support to the framing of laws to rid the United States of such dangerous diseases. The Veterinarian can’t accomplish this without your aid. The Bureau of Animal Industry protects you in foreign markets by placing at all packinghouses, veterinary inspectors, but how about the meat and dairy products sold in towns the size of Rensselaer. No one guards against the sale of diseased meat or dairy products im cities of less than 10,000 inhabitants. You are the breeders and sellers of these products and it rests to a great extent with you to remedy this danger to human life. The veterinarian must have your support to gain the desired end.

From an aspect purely financial, irrespective of any human duties, the men who guard this vast wealth from dangerous and devasting plagues and diseases, as well as ministers to the animal scientifically, should have youi’ respectful assistance in all movements directed toward your own and the public’s benefit.