Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-16
DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANNALS.

DISEASES OF DOMESTIC 44NIlALS.
Senator Williams, of Kentucky, has in
troduced a somewhat extraordinary bill
in the Senate. tits designed to prevent
the introduction and dissemination of in
fictitious or contagious diseases among
cattle and other domestic animals. The
purpose is perfectly proper one, but
most of the provisions of the bill in
question are simply absurd, and wholly
unworthy of consideration. In the first
place it relegates the whole matter to the
national board of health, an organization
composed of lot of old fossils who might
have been capable physicians "a-many
years ago" but who started out in their
professional career with the belief that
they had imbibed all there is of medical
science, and have since refused to learn
anything. They continue to theorize,
however, basing their opinions upon
long exploded aphorisms. They are in
no sense practical men. Furthermore,
they are as ignorant of the physical
structure and habits of horses, cattle,
hogs and sheep as Hottentot is of the
usages of fashionable society, and no
more competent to deal with the diseases
of these animals than they are to regulate
the movements of the heavenly bodies.
A more senseless proposition was never
made in any legislative body.
All power to prevent the importation
of diseased animals from foreign coun-
tries or their transfer from one State or To-
lality to another, is given into the hands
of the national board of health They
have the power to appoint inspectors,
some of whom are to be veterinary sur
geons, and to visit all parts of the world
to study the nature of the diseases of do
nestle animals, and fund of million
dollars is placed at their disposal for the
purpose. On this sum of money all the
members of the board can enjoy three
months trip in Europe every year and
junket to whatever points of interest in
this country they may choose to visit. BY
employing a secretary for month to
write iearnedly of trichina, foot and
mouth disease, hog cholera, Texas cattle
fever and few other kindred diseases,
they can convince Congress that they
have studiously applied themselves to
their business. 1t need make no differ
ence whether the report contains sense or
nonsense, for our august Senators and
Representatives are as ignorant, if such
thing is possible, of these diseases, as are
the doctors composing the board
The scheme is an absurdity from first
to last, and if it becomes law is likely to
prove an expensive one. In place of the
reference of the matter proposed it would
be far more sensible to appoint commits
sion of competent veterinary surgeons to
examine the condition of the animals
imported from Canada and elsewhere
and to see that the herds and droves
from the western and southwestern
plains are free from disease. A man
should he stationed at each of the pack
ing centers with power to condemn all
unsound animals and give them over to
the rendering establishments. Many of
Ihe ClllcS Have SuCH OluCldlS, however,
particularly Chicago, Cincinnati, Mil
waukee and Kansas City, who are as
efficient as any men would be who
worked under federal authority 1t
would be still better to leave the whole
matter to the municipal and State
authorities, who are as much interested
in maintaining the public health as are
the federal powers