Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-07-25
VETERINARIANS ANNUAL
MEETING
Graduate Veterinarians of South
Dakota Take Stand to Maintain
Their Professional Standing
and to Protect the Common
wealth of the State.

At the regular annual meeting of
our State Veterinary Medical Assoc
iation held at Mitchell, South Dakota
June 10 and IL, 1913, the e State
Live Stock Sanitary Law passed at
the Thirteenth Session of the State
Legislature, and approved by the
Governor March ID, effective July LIST,
1885, was the principal matter up TO,
discussion. This act repealed the
Veterinary Practice Law, the Stallion
Registration Law, and all the State
Live Stock Sanitary Law except Sec
tion "a thereof, these laws being en-
acted in 1903 and 1911. Under this
new Live Stock Sanitary Law is in
corporated a Stallion Registration
Law, a Veterinary Practice Act and
a State Live Stock Sanitary Act.
Three members Of the new State Live
Stock Sanitary Board shall be grad
uate veterinarians, the qualifications
Of the other two members are not
specified.
| 1t appears that the purpose Of this
new piece of legislation was originally
intended to protect the non-graduate
practitioners from any %so-called dis
elimination of which they claim they
have been victims the past four years
In drawing this bill, a special effort
was made by the graduate and non-
graduate to make it fair and just to
both. In view of the fact that many
of the non-graduates are men who
through years Of private study and
long experience have attained a con
siderable degree of proficiency in
veterinary science, a provision was
made whereby any veterinarian who
could pass the examination prescribed
by the State Board Of Examiners
might then be appointed a Deputy
State Veterinarian. 1t was further
provided that every veterinarian
licensed under the acts of 1909 and
1911 to practice veterinary medicine
and surgery should be licensed by the
new Board to practice veterinary
medicine and surgery in all its
branches without examination.
This appears to be as fair a PROPOSE
tion as could be offered and at the
same time maintain u professional
standing with our sister states In
issuing certificates and test charts for
live stock intended for interstate ship
ment, and even then we were not
positive that we we're not overreach-
ing ourselves in thinking other states
would accept certificates of mallein
and tuberculin tests made by nom
graduates, even tho they had passed
the state examination. But for all
our provisions, this did not seem to
satisfy a certain nun Der of legislators
and when the bill reached the Senate,
although it was somewhat shattered
by amendments in the house, it was
here on seth day that it ceceived the
finishing touches In a provision Of the
following form: provided, That any
veterinarian who was licensed to prac-
tice under and by virtue of a license
so to do by the board of Examiners in
Veterinary Medicine and Surgery and
who has practiced continuously under
such license, shall, upon petition
signed by forty freeholde rs, wne of
live stock, be appointed a Deputy
State Veterinarian by the Superin-
tendent Of the State Live Stock SAM
tary Board, and further. said Deputy
shall be qualified to inspect stock
leaving or entering the state"
) At the present time, l believe every