The field of veterinary medicine now includes meat and milk inspection, the establishment of quarantine, regulating trallie in live stock, and stamping out animal plagues, as well as general practice on miscellaneous diseases. While in the past there was most demand for the prac titioner's services in connection with the horse, the raising of more improved stock and the in creased value of live stock in general have caused greater attention to be given to their ailments and to providing proper conditions of •hygiene and ventilation for them. In large cities there is demand for specialists in the diseases of dogs, eats, and other pets. The establishment of veter inary schools has done much to promote the study of animal diseases and to place the science on a firm basis. The first veterinary school was established at Lyons, France, in 1762. The names of some of the later and more important schools, with (kites of establishment, follow: Alfort (1766), Copenhagen (1773). Vienna (1777), Marburg (1789). Berlin (1790), London (1792), Madrid (1793), Saint Petersburg (1808), Stock holm (1820). Edinburgh ( 1825 ) , New York (1857), and Montreal (186'6). In the United States the best veterinary schools are connected with State universities or other institutions of learning. Among the more important of these are the Universities of Pennsylvania, Cornell, and Harvard. In connection with a mmiber of the agricultural colleges courses in veterinary science are given and veterinary degrees granted.
Until recently the entrance requirements and standard of instruction in veterinary schools have not been as high as they should lie. In some schools no previous academie training was required of entering students and the entire course of study consisted merely of two six sessions. With such low entrance require ments and defective instruction the graduates were little if any better prepared to diagnose anti treat animal diseases than the, empirical `horse doctors' found everywhere in both cities and rural districts. The veterinary profession was accordingly considered distinctly lower than that of human medicine. The persistent efforts of the more progressive veterinarians, however, have brought about the gradual elevation of en trance requirements in the better class of veter inary schools, the extension of the course so as to include three or form• years of regular academic length. and a decided improvement in the social and scientific standard of the veterinary profes sion. The American Veterinary Medical Associa tion wields a strong influence in the same direc tion, since graduation from an approved school is required for eligibility to membership.
As a good example of a four years' veterinary course that recently organized at the Iowa Agri eultural College may be cited. The entrance re quirement is a certificate of graduation front an accredited high school. or examination in sub
jects covering an equivalent course. The subjects taught diffino- the veterinary course include the following: 'Comparative anatomy, histology, physiology, pharmacy, materia mediea, thera peutics, structural botany. chemistry, poisonous plants, entomology, pathology, bacteriology, phys ical diagnosis. vertebrate zoology, animal para sites, animal husbandry, theory and practice of veterinary medicine. ophthalmology. surgery, embryology, horse-shoeing, milk inspection, meat inspection, sanitary science, obstetrics, juris prudenee, etc. it will readily be seen that such a course offers instruction not only in the sub jects immediately concerned in veterinary prac tice, but also in related fields, so that the student receives a rounded, comprehensive education.
Within recent years great changes have taken place in veterinary practice. In place of the indiscriminate use of firing iron, purgation, and bloodletting, we have a more rational system of treatment on a humane basis. Moreover, the ex cessive use of drugs has been abandoned and more attention given to the proper care and diet of animals and to preventive medicine. The course and severity of most diseases may be greatly modified by the use of pure water and wholesome food in reasonable quantities. Care ful attention to the temperature and ventilation of stables is also important, especially in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory organs. It is along the line of preventive medicine, how ever, that the greatest progress has been made, Successful methods of vaccination and immuniza tion have been devised for the prevention of anthrax, blackleg, hydrophobia, hog cholera. te tanus., and tuberculosis. (See these articles.) The period of incubation of various diseases has been definitely determined and upon the data thus obtained quarantine regulations for dealing with infectious diseases have been formulated. The im portance of isolating diseased animals and thor oughly disinfecting the premises after the occur rence of animal plagues is well understood. The adoption of such measures tends to restrict the spread of any epizoidic. Sometimes great losses to the animal industry of a country have been avoided apparently by the application of very drastic methods of eradication, including the de struction and innocuous disposal of all affected animals. Such measures are usually accompanied] with the payment of an indemnity by the Govern ment. Great advances have recently been made in methods of disinfection by means of formalin, live steam. lime, copper sulphate, lysol, carbolic acid, and other antiseptics. The development of antisepsis has N•1 chi ed as results in veterinary practice as in human surgery. In ordinary veterinary prac'tic'e, however. the ob servance of strict antiseptic precautions is an exceedingly difficult matter.