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The Relation of Farmer and Veterinary Surgeon
The Veterinary '7ournal. needed. On the whole, our investigations have thus far proven highly interesting. The proportion of recoveries has been high, each case, aside from the two instances of tracheal stenosis, if not cured promptly, have either shown constant improvement for a year or more, or, at the worst, have remained practically unchanged, in which respect they differ materially from the results following arytenectomy, where cicatrical tumours and necrosis or other diseases of cartilage occlude or deform the larynx, and invite a gradual and usually insurmountable development of dyspncea. The operation is simpler, has less danger for the life of the animal, the patient recovers far more promptly, and, 'all in all, while since last reporting two animals have been practically ruined by the operation, we yet feel that the results have added to the encouragement entertained last year. In the two animals which were practically ruined the disease had already rendered them of little or no commercial value, except through the agency of permanent tracheotomy, and this course was still freely open in each case; but few Americans will consent to use a horse while wearing a trachea tube. We venture to thus briefly lay before you the results of our investigations to date, hoping that they may arouse increased interest in the practicability of the restoration to usefulness of a large proportion of valuable animals affected with roaring. - --~ . ----------
THE RELATION
OF FARMER AND VETERINARY SURGEON. BY "UMPIRE,"
THE author of this article has chosen the 110111 de plu1J/e of "Umpire" on account of the peculiar position he is in. Educated as a farmer, always keen on veterinary work and the profession, late in life forsaking the former for the latter, places him in the position of being able to view the situation unbiassed, and, perhaps, able to throw out some hints which may bear fruit in the relationship between the profession and its most valuable clients. First allow a review of the situation from the farmer's point of view. An animal is taken ill. The element of feeling for the patient's suffering is, I fear, if not always, at all events in the great majority of instances, but a minor consideration to him when compared to the commercial aspect. He has, therefore, to ask himself these questions : (I) Do I know what is the matter with this animal? (2) Can I cure it myself? (3) How much is the animal's commercial value, if I kill it at once, before spending any money upon it, and before giving it any medicine which may destroy the value of the carcass? (4) If I treat the animal myself, or send for a professional man, how long is it going to be ill, and what will be the expense of curing it ? To discuss the first question is fruitless, for almost every farmer has a very keen sense of diagnosis-or shall we call it intuition ?-of the common diseases of farm stock, and generally, rightly or wrongly , answers it in the affirmative.
Relation
0/ Fa1~mer
and Veterinary
SU1~fi"eolZ.
N ow comes the difficulty, " Can I cure it myself?" In many cases the farmer keeps a large case of patent medicines by him, also a smaller or larger library of veterinary works, as well as a weekly paper, canine or agricultural, which contains a veterinary column edited by some traitor veterinary surgeon, who answers questions and gives advice gratis. He then commences, with these" aids," to treat the animal. In some cases it recovers, when the fame of " So and So's" drink or " oils" spreads round the neighbourhood, only to do the professional man out of more cases. The lihrary is also lent out, and brother "Giles" copies out copious recipes, to be used at a future date. Then there is the other class of farmer, few and far between, who does not attempt amateur doctoring. He sends for the professional man, but alas! only too often when the disease has become beyond mortal aid. \i\Then asked why he delayed getting professional assistance, the answer is nearly always: "I hoped it would get better without treatment, and it is not worth spending a lot of money upon! " We also have the man to contend with who says: "Cheaper to let the horse die, or to kill the bullock or cow, than to have a vet. to it." Now, in practice this statement should not be true, but I fear on analysis it often is. Take, for example, a store bullock of the value of £12. It is taken ill with some disease which requires more treatment than the mere administration of a cathartic. A veterinary surgeon is summoned, and has to call for a period of a week, perhaps, every day, and two or three final visits. There are the journeys to pay for, professional attendance and medicine, which, at a low estimate, can be put at, say:Seven journeys, at 2S. 6d. Seven attendances at 3s. 6d. Medicine .. .
£0
Total
£3
17 4 o 18 0
6 6 0
0
Now, had the bullock been killed immediately on sickening, he would certainly have been worth £9, and there would have been no risk of the treatment failing and the animal dying full of physic, and worth from ·15S. to £1. Having taken the farmer's point of view, let us consider that of the veterinarian. He has first of all to maintain the dignity of his profession, and also to do his work at fees profitable to himself, taking into consideration the risks both bodily and financial. He is often treated with but scant consideration by his client, being only called in late at night, many hours after the animal has been taken ill, and when treatment is almost hopeless, and often the patient has been made a veritable cesspool for patent and quack remedies. If the patient dies, he is blamed; if recovery takes place, it is laid to the door of the nostrums which were gi ven before the veterinarian's arri val. Now, let us consider in what way the veterinarian can meet the difficulties which present themselves. Firstly, the Illembers of the profession should set their house in order as regards the circulation of books, written in popular language, on veterinary medicine and surgery. The publication of such books for the general public should be punished by the Council of the Royal Veterinary College as severely as advertising in a newspaper, hoarding, or omnibus, or any other unprofes-
654
The Veterinary
:1 ournal.
sional conduct. If the Council had only the courage to attack, and treat summarily, some of the leading offenders in the profession-men who have been teachers at our colleges, and also men considering themselves canine specialists, &c.-this would soon have a deterring effect, and remedy this great injustice to the profession at large. Secondly, some sort of legislation is wanted restricting the sale of patent and proprietary medicines. I purposely name proprietary articles, as even some of the profession stoop to this practice, not stopping at the contortion of their Christian and surnames to get a catchy name for some drink or other with which they may attract the public eye. I fear, although the motto of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is " United we stand, divided we fall," it is but seldom acted up to. A movement of this sort would want the entire support of the profession, and also of the twin medical profession, to bear any 'fruit whatever. But I am certain, if the question were brought up at every Veterinary Society's meeting, and the brother profession approached, eventually fruit would be borne of the effort, and this unjust competition lessened, or done away with by legislation. In France and Germany the sale of patent medicines is subjected to such a heavy tax as to make their profitable sale almost impossible, in arldition to which Germany insists that every bottle and package shall contain the exact formula of the contents. But in the meantime, how is the competition to be met? I hold that every veterinarian should refuse to attend an animal that has been given any of these quack nostrums. He should further gain the confidence of his client, and be able to persuade him to purchase any medicines he requires from him. Of course, if the practitioner insists on charging one shilling for a ball which can be purchased at the chemist's for fourpence, and other medicines at proportionate prices, he cannot blame the farmer. But surely the practitioner can successfully compete against patent medicine vendors who have to spend such enormous sums in advertising and putting their goods up in what the Americans call" elegant packages." A further grievance from which the profession is suffering, and one, I believe, not generally known by it, is the price at which they purchase their drugs. The wholesale druggists send out price lists to veterinary surgeons which are accepted by the latter as wholesale prices;, this, however, a chemist informs me, is not the case. The quotations are at a considerably lower rate than retail prices, but in many cases 20 to 25 per cent. higher than charged to retail chemists. If this is so, surely it ought to be remedied by combining against and coercing the druggists to give the profession the same terms as chemists. The quantities used in veterinary medicine are larger than in human medicine, and surely ought, if anything, to have the advantage of purchase in bulle
THE RELATION
OF FARMER AND VETERINARY SURGEON. BY "UMPIRE,"
THE author of this article has chosen the 110111 de plu1J/e of "Umpire" on account of the peculiar position he is in. Educated as a farmer, always keen on veterinary work and the profession, late in life forsaking the former for the latter, places him in the position of being able to view the situation unbiassed, and, perhaps, able to throw out some hints which may bear fruit in the relationship between the profession and its most valuable clients. First allow a review of the situation from the farmer's point of view. An animal is taken ill. The element of feeling for the patient's suffering is, I fear, if not always, at all events in the great majority of instances, but a minor consideration to him when compared to the commercial aspect. He has, therefore, to ask himself these questions : (I) Do I know what is the matter with this animal? (2) Can I cure it myself? (3) How much is the animal's commercial value, if I kill it at once, before spending any money upon it, and before giving it any medicine which may destroy the value of the carcass? (4) If I treat the animal myself, or send for a professional man, how long is it going to be ill, and what will be the expense of curing it ? To discuss the first question is fruitless, for almost every farmer has a very keen sense of diagnosis-or shall we call it intuition ?-of the common diseases of farm stock, and generally, rightly or wrongly , answers it in the affirmative.
Relation
0/ Fa1~mer
and Veterinary
SU1~fi"eolZ.
N ow comes the difficulty, " Can I cure it myself?" In many cases the farmer keeps a large case of patent medicines by him, also a smaller or larger library of veterinary works, as well as a weekly paper, canine or agricultural, which contains a veterinary column edited by some traitor veterinary surgeon, who answers questions and gives advice gratis. He then commences, with these" aids," to treat the animal. In some cases it recovers, when the fame of " So and So's" drink or " oils" spreads round the neighbourhood, only to do the professional man out of more cases. The lihrary is also lent out, and brother "Giles" copies out copious recipes, to be used at a future date. Then there is the other class of farmer, few and far between, who does not attempt amateur doctoring. He sends for the professional man, but alas! only too often when the disease has become beyond mortal aid. \i\Then asked why he delayed getting professional assistance, the answer is nearly always: "I hoped it would get better without treatment, and it is not worth spending a lot of money upon! " We also have the man to contend with who says: "Cheaper to let the horse die, or to kill the bullock or cow, than to have a vet. to it." Now, in practice this statement should not be true, but I fear on analysis it often is. Take, for example, a store bullock of the value of £12. It is taken ill with some disease which requires more treatment than the mere administration of a cathartic. A veterinary surgeon is summoned, and has to call for a period of a week, perhaps, every day, and two or three final visits. There are the journeys to pay for, professional attendance and medicine, which, at a low estimate, can be put at, say:Seven journeys, at 2S. 6d. Seven attendances at 3s. 6d. Medicine .. .
£0
Total
£3
17 4 o 18 0
6 6 0
0
Now, had the bullock been killed immediately on sickening, he would certainly have been worth £9, and there would have been no risk of the treatment failing and the animal dying full of physic, and worth from ·15S. to £1. Having taken the farmer's point of view, let us consider that of the veterinarian. He has first of all to maintain the dignity of his profession, and also to do his work at fees profitable to himself, taking into consideration the risks both bodily and financial. He is often treated with but scant consideration by his client, being only called in late at night, many hours after the animal has been taken ill, and when treatment is almost hopeless, and often the patient has been made a veritable cesspool for patent and quack remedies. If the patient dies, he is blamed; if recovery takes place, it is laid to the door of the nostrums which were gi ven before the veterinarian's arri val. Now, let us consider in what way the veterinarian can meet the difficulties which present themselves. Firstly, the Illembers of the profession should set their house in order as regards the circulation of books, written in popular language, on veterinary medicine and surgery. The publication of such books for the general public should be punished by the Council of the Royal Veterinary College as severely as advertising in a newspaper, hoarding, or omnibus, or any other unprofes-
654
The Veterinary
:1 ournal.
sional conduct. If the Council had only the courage to attack, and treat summarily, some of the leading offenders in the profession-men who have been teachers at our colleges, and also men considering themselves canine specialists, &c.-this would soon have a deterring effect, and remedy this great injustice to the profession at large. Secondly, some sort of legislation is wanted restricting the sale of patent and proprietary medicines. I purposely name proprietary articles, as even some of the profession stoop to this practice, not stopping at the contortion of their Christian and surnames to get a catchy name for some drink or other with which they may attract the public eye. I fear, although the motto of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is " United we stand, divided we fall," it is but seldom acted up to. A movement of this sort would want the entire support of the profession, and also of the twin medical profession, to bear any 'fruit whatever. But I am certain, if the question were brought up at every Veterinary Society's meeting, and the brother profession approached, eventually fruit would be borne of the effort, and this unjust competition lessened, or done away with by legislation. In France and Germany the sale of patent medicines is subjected to such a heavy tax as to make their profitable sale almost impossible, in arldition to which Germany insists that every bottle and package shall contain the exact formula of the contents. But in the meantime, how is the competition to be met? I hold that every veterinarian should refuse to attend an animal that has been given any of these quack nostrums. He should further gain the confidence of his client, and be able to persuade him to purchase any medicines he requires from him. Of course, if the practitioner insists on charging one shilling for a ball which can be purchased at the chemist's for fourpence, and other medicines at proportionate prices, he cannot blame the farmer. But surely the practitioner can successfully compete against patent medicine vendors who have to spend such enormous sums in advertising and putting their goods up in what the Americans call" elegant packages." A further grievance from which the profession is suffering, and one, I believe, not generally known by it, is the price at which they purchase their drugs. The wholesale druggists send out price lists to veterinary surgeons which are accepted by the latter as wholesale prices;, this, however, a chemist informs me, is not the case. The quotations are at a considerably lower rate than retail prices, but in many cases 20 to 25 per cent. higher than charged to retail chemists. If this is so, surely it ought to be remedied by combining against and coercing the druggists to give the profession the same terms as chemists. The quantities used in veterinary medicine are larger than in human medicine, and surely ought, if anything, to have the advantage of purchase in bulle