In veterinary surgery a much larger propor tion of opl.rations are made without anesthesia than in human surgery. It is generally believed that minor operations cause less pain and ineon veld emcee to the animal than the struggles (luring the process of etherization and the after-effects of anesthesia. Ether or chloroform is used in general anaesthesia of the larger animals, and ether alone for cats and dogs. In minor opera tions and in determining the location of lameness cocaine is extensively used and with satisfactory results. In veterinary practice drugs are ordi narily administered in the allopathic form, while hoinceopathy is seldom practiced. Medicines are administered by way of the mouth in the form of balls, boluses, pills, capsules, and drenches; by hypodermic, intratraeheal, intravenous, in tra-abdominal, or intragastric injections; or per reetum in the form of an enema. The actual drugs used in veterinary medicine are for the most part the same as those used in human medicine, and are classified in the same general manner. The doses, however, are usually larger than for man and vary according to the size of the animal.
As a rule veterinary dentistry is merely one branch of the ordinary practitioner's work, and is confined almost entirely to equine practice. There are but few locations where there is de mand for specialists to devote their whole time to this work. Decayed molars are usually pulled from the side by trephining the maxillary bone. Some horses require frequent attention to their teeth on account of the tendency to develop sharp points and other irregularities.
The importance of veterinary science to animal industry can scarcely be overestimated. The veterinary inspection and quarantine service makes it possible to import high-bred stock from foreign countries without danger of introducing infectious diseases among the home herds. The im provement of the dairy and beef industries in the Southern States was not possible until a method was discovered for immunizing Northern cattle to Texas fever. Before this was accomplished high-bred dairy and beef cattle were not im ported into the South, for the reason that from TO to 90 per eent, of them died after ex posure to infection. In South Africa the method of bile inoculation devised by Koch has greatly reduced the losses from rinderpest, and put the business of cattle-raising on a stable basis. As long animals affected with tuberculosis had to he destroyed the improvement of our dairy and beef herds was a difficult and expen sive matter. The Bang method for controlling tuberculosis, however, makes it possible to utilize full-blooded tuberculous animals for breeding purposes without danger to the future of the herd. In short, animal industry in its present proportionk, particularly the production of blooded stock, is impossible without the ex istence of an effective veterinary service.
The relation of this service to human health is best shown in the inspection of milk and meat. Since many diseases are considered intertrans missible between man and animals, it is deemed necessary to exercise some control of the milk and meat supply. The importance of sanitary regu lation of the traffic in milk and meat is grad ually gaining the recognition of legislators, and inspection of these products is required in Mon tana, New York, and Pennsylvania, and in many large cities. In Cernr-ny there is a federal in spection of all meat and meat products. and in the United States export meal is inspected by the federal authorities. Inspection is merely one of the functions of the veterinary service.
The organization of the veterinary service differs somewhat in different countries, accord ing to local conditions. in Germany, England, and other European countries there is an army veterinary corps, the personnel of which bear titles corresponding to the regular army grades. In the United States veterinarians attached to the army are civil and not military officers. Nearly all European and other foreign count ries maintain sonic form of official veterinary service, charged with the duties of investigating out breaks of contagious or otherwise serious dis eases among domesticated animals, and of in specting animals and animal products which may be imported into the country. Germany has
developed an elaborate organization of her veter inary service, with department and district veterinarians in various parts of the Empire. Appeal may he taken from the decisions of these officials to the Federal Veterinary Commission or to the Imperial Health Office. From time to time special commissions are appointed for the investigation of urgent problems. In most of the English colonies there is a Government veteri narian or chief inspector, with numerous deputies and assistants.
In the United States these duties devolve upon the Bureau of Animal Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture, and upon the various State veterinarians and State Boards of Agriculture. The Bureau of Animal Industry maintains inspectors and special agents in various parts of the country, and has charge of quarantine regulations. The State veterina rians have full authority to investigate animal diseases and to enforce all State laws con cerning such matters. Many of the larger cities maintain municipal veterinarians in connection with the Boards of Health. The majority of animals kept in captivity in zoilogical gardens are subject to the diseases which affect farm animals. Tuberculosis is the most important of these diseases, and affects nearly all species of captive animals. It is especially fatal to apes and monkeys. On account of these facts it has been found necessary to fulfill the conditions of ventilation and other sanitary requirements in the construction of animal houses. Official veterinarians are maintained in connection with the larger zoillogical gardens and administer treatment in cases of curable disease. The ad ministration of medicines to most wild animals in captivity is not an easy matter, but may usually be accomplished in connection with food and drink. Surgery on such animals is largely confined to the reduction of dislocations and the setting of broken bones. Veterinary medi cine compares favorably in its achievements with human medicine. The etiology, pathology, treatment, and prevention of a number of animal plagues have been carefully and satisfactorily worked out. Blackleg and Texas fever, for ex ample, are controlled as easily as smallpox and diphtheria in man, and rather more effectively. The recent discoveries regarding the etiology of malaria and yellow fever in man have been paral leled by equally brilliant and important results obtained in studying the protozolin diseases of animals—e.g. dourme, man de caderas, nagana, etc. Many problems, however. remain to be solved, and investigators have, in the study of animal diseases, a very tempting field which already boasts of such distinguished names as Koch, Ostertag, Von Behring, Kitt, Chauveau, Noeard, Arloing, Perroncito, McFadyean, T. Smith, Salmon, Pearson, Law, Moore, etc.
The literature of veterinary' seienee is ex tensive and rapidly increasing. Among books the following may be consulted: Noeard and Leclainehe, Maladies mierobiennes des animaux (1903) ; Ellenberger and llainn, Ilandbarh der Anatomic der Hausthiere (1903) ; Ostertag, Handbuch der Pleisehbesehan (1902) ; Eichbamn. Grundriss der Oeschichle der Thier heilkundc ( 1885 ) ; Smith, Physiology of Domestic Animals (1880) ; Fleming, Text-book of Veleri nary Obstetrics ( 1882 )1 'Hoare. Manual of l'eteri nary Therapeutics and Pharmacology (1896) ; Hopkins. Peter/nary Elements (1901) ; 1 w, Pannwr's 'Veterinary Adriser (1892) ; Law. Text book of Veterinary Medicine (1896-1903) : Smith, Nanual of Veterinary Hygiene (1887) ; Williams, Principles and Practice of Veterinary Medicine (1897) ; Winslow, Veterinary Materia Mrdira and Therapeutics (19011; Moore. The Pathology of Infectious Diseases of Animals (1902) ; and Thompson, Elementary Veterinary Lectures (1903). A large and increasing number of veterinary journals are published, among which may be mentioned The Journal of Comparative Medicine and Veterinary Arehires, and The American Veterinary Review, published in the United Stales. The bulletins and reports of the Bureau of Animal Industry and of the State Experiment Stations and State Boards of Agri culture are also important sources of veterinary information.