Many an individual recently assigned to active duty with United States Army Veterinary Corps has expressed surprise upon finding he was to learn federal specifications covering such things as fresh shrimp, lard substitute, creamery butter, eggs; in fact all food products of animal origin. Yet where would a more logical assignment to determine soundness, contamination, and fitness for consumption of such products fall? All of his special senses and thought processes are trained in skillful application of scientific facts to detection of gross and microscopic deviations from normal in animal tissues during life and at post mortem, diagnosis of their causative agents, and methods of preventing their occurrence.