Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1911-02-24

new veterinarian society was formed
Monday at Milwaukee, to be known as the
Wisconsin Veterinarian Association. The
formation of the new association was the
resnlt of a split in Society of Veterinary
Graduates and the new association starts
out with large membership. The dis
sensions in the Society was 0ocasiOned
largely by politics and personal jealosy,
especially toward DR.. A. Ell. Hartwig OF
this city. The association was organized
by the election of the following named
officers for the ensuing year:
President-Dr. FL. P. CIute, Milwaukee.
Vice President-Dr. J. S. Atkinson,
Marinette.
Secretary-Dr. Arzberger, WatertOwn.
Treasurer Joseph Fifer. Plymouth.
Director-Dr. Chas. Schmitt, Dodge
vile.
The association strongly upheld Dr..
Hartwig in his contention with the
Society from which he and many mem
bers had withdrawn and he pasted it all
over his enemies by documentary evil
dence, which showed that the old society
had been used for political effect.
There's no doubt, but that if the old
society had not been dominated by GER
tain influences, the state and the dairy
men would have saved money and fewer
cows slaughtered by reason Of imperfect
tests.
Following are the resolutions, in full,
adopted by the newly organized associa-
tion:
Whereas, an earnest attempt is being
made to eradicate bovine tuberculosis
from cattle in the state of Wisconsin,
and, 1
Whereas, it is matter OF great i'm
portance to the owners Of stock, to the
veterinary profession and to the public,
who may be consumers that every effort
should be made to stamp out this dread
disease; and,
Whereas, it has heen satisfactorily es-
tablished that the tuberculin test is a
valuable aid in determining whether or
not an animal has tuberculosis in the
early or slight stages of the disease, but
that such test is not reliable and has
little or no effect on an animal which is
in a chronic or advanced stage OF such
disease; and,
Whereas, such test is particularly un-
reliable if applied by inexperienced or
unscienced laymen and will tend II re-
lied entirely upon as a positive dlagnos-
tic agent when applied by incompetent
laymen, to result in the slaughter of ap-
proximately 20 per cent of apparently
healthy cattle, and to allow those ami
mails which are chrOnically affected by
the disease and are most dangerous to
the owners and to the public, frequently
to remain in the herd to breed tubercu-
lar germs by which healthy animals are
affected; and,
Whereas, it is alleged and has come to
our attention that our state sanitary au-
upon diagnoses made by unscienced men,
who apply the tuberculin test as prac-
tically the sole diagnostic agent in such
cases and have permitted such incompe-
tent men to conduct official tuberculin
tests of cattle, which practice in our
judgment, must result in grave danger
to the public, inasmuch as chronic tu-
bercular subjects must under such con-
ditions be passed for sound and given
certificates of health by such incompe-
tent official testers, thereby greatly aid
ing in the spreading of the disease in
stead Of eradicating it; and,
Whereas, such course, if the aforesaid
is true, initiates seriously against the
best interests and welfare of the stock
owners, the veterinary profession and
the public health: and,
Whereas, the state veterinarian, who
was assistant to the former State Vet
ernarian Roberts, with the friends and
adherents of said Roberts, and with a
corps of sp, cial appointees, who are Oh
the payroll of the state, have been active
in an effort to retain the present yeter.
marian In his official position; and,
Whereas, if that be true, such conduct
is an imposition upon the state and the
tax payers of the state; and,
Whereas, in the the furtherance Of
such an end and design, the state vet
erinarian, with such corps of special ap
pointees, have managed to gain contro
of the machinery of the Society of VeB
ernary Graduates, which society pur