THE LOWER ANIMALS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10630, 8 May 1912, Page 3

THE LOWER ANIMALS

THEIRi INFLUENCE ON PUBLIC HEALTH.

(Isy '.Henry Preston, Clarevilfe.)

i The welfare of maru, a.; regards health-, is remarka-Wy in;! tier, red by the state of our domesticated animals. While there are but fc-.v maladies common to mankind that are capable erf propagation among animals, the number ef those which have an- origin in the- latter,and are capable of trans-aiiis.-ooti to man, is large, and' the | greater part possess dangerous if not fatal results. This fact is 'almost entirely due to the eonsumptlion ef the flcoli of cattle, sheep and pigs as Iramtui food. On the other hand, there are nume-nts which may be communicated to man by externa! can I apt. The preservation of health, and notably the prevention cf disease among ifhascanimals with, which we have me.?* ,fa> do. iis a .subject ot' the utmost importance. To eonrarchend these is tlip great aim- of veterinary science, and in direct proportion as. these, ends are acibieved, the human population derives tho whole proiit in- the ahaps of security from .such maladies. Besides isuoli imimiunity from disease, fJie Dom•inion. reaps a cor-respondDng bena%" in the freedom ifroin losses among istock wHcfli literally means enriching the ifarmeir or producer, providing more' i animal' food at- a cheaper rate, and remotely encouraging the industries, of the country. The .health, wealth' and ihappiness of our numan. population, largely depends upon the health and' v-igmur 'of our "doniestfea'ted arot-of one species in particular, but of all ' ■- ■ '1

■ It 'is the especial duty of veterinary I science to take oversight and cairo of ■ (this. A,s- a • department of our social'! economy it takes one of' the foremost \ ranks.. Seeing this* should we not use every endeavour to maintain that position? The'end "can only be aeeom- { plisibed ,by', fran■sferiiing the charge .so commoiwy entrusted'to those who any unfitted to others who, toy reason of their superior education are pre-eminently qualified to , deal with 'questions,of such scientific char- , sict?.r, with anxiety for the owners of this large wealth in domesticated animals to see and suffer themselves to he led by a common sense view of !tihe .present..position of affairs. .The acknowledged -mission v of veterinary scienceis that. of. curing the maladies to which aniirii'afe arc liable. There are .'many yet imperfectly understood.. The causes--m-others is also obscure. there' is a v'ory common neglect of''the comiforts and general welfare of animals sadly prevalent in onany places. The nature and caus-efs'-of. diseases are likewise, unknown or ignored. Thus many affections, particularly those of a widespread -or contagious nature, are unnoticed until ■scores of lives :ire lost, and possibly ffehe contagion 'is conveyed to the sto'k of intelligent owners, who take every ordinary, precaution, but under such circumstances are doomed to suff--

lequally with the ignorant and_criminally negligent. ' ■'• ■ ■ •'■, '■":..,';. In order to remove or nure d?s?u;'>, we must first understand it in all its characters and known'to us aM those states which, r.s departures from health, constitute disease. The 'signis attending different diseases are as -unlike, ais those 01 healthy function's in the vario'us organs, and signs are usually developed in each disease.

.AiS the symptoms-of disease during 1 life are of vast importance in deter- . imining its Wtu.ro and existence, like- J ■wise - after "death .we 'recognise in the f morbid' appearances of the animal tissues ccnfeniative. evidences. The study or examination of the dead body iii! a healthy state enables us to do itihis.. The list of remedies is not only great, but many are of a special character. While it is far from my intention, to eliow that the study of animal ail- \ orients and their treatment by modi- i cines and surgical appliances is a j .simple arwj easy 'matter- to perform, I I would lake- to impress it upon every J farmer to become his own doctor, and •not to depend upon men of theory. Practical knowledge and experience is what wo ar£ getting every day, and (surely we imai&t learn to be able to teach, oiur vets, instead of them teaching us, or -Crying to. Jufit fancy a farmer with a pig dying.,'and having to send; it to Wellington to find out what it died of, and then to find out : it died from' pneumonia, and advised to give good wiholesome food and oil, : and a dry .bed in future, a.nd all would, go well- wiith -what is 'left. Well, a little.oil is good, and I feel sure in saying in that case the oil should have Ibeen, applied to the.'farmer for being > so dense. I could deal at considerable •length upon these subjects, and would like to see others do as well, and eventually we would become practical j men., and not 'hang on to our old title, "eo\v-tspankcr.s."