I hate to bring this to your attention, but it is in part said process of turning animal into food that led to the largely thorough base of veterinary knowledge we have today... and even human medical care. Farming does have an inherent need built into it to care for the various animals, and the skill of butchering has also granted a deep knowledge of how the creatures are put together, making it easier to treat broken legs and the like.

At no point in my comment did I condemn the gathering of veterinary or human medical knowledge through examining dead animals, or that I was unaware of it.

Neither did I say that farming does not have an inherent requirement of looking after animals (at least until they're mature enough to be sold as a viable product in little baggies).

Why is it that the moment you mention the fact that you're vegetarian, some folk have the burning desire to point out to you the value of the killing animals?

Hoi. I was actually referring, in farming, to the care of horses (for pulling wagons, plows, etc) and milk cows and oxen (for more pulling, and collection of milk). And while it is true that SOME killing of animals, particularly over-hunting, poaching, and the like, as well as treatment of animals, such as puppy mills (so many vegetarians with store-bought dogs. good lord), beef "factories" and the like, are extremely deplorable, there is a big difference, at least in my mind, between that and the careful and humane raising, caring, and eventual slaughter of farm animals in some situations.

That said, it wasn't out of some burning desire to point out "the value of killing animals" so much as to provide a counterpoint to the general overtone of both the original post and the following comments, which was most necessarily concentrated in your closing comment, which could easily be construed by less informed types as "a burning desire to point out that you are a vegetarian whenever something involving preperation/care/whatever of animals is mentioned." One's status as a vegetarian could have no particular relevance to the topic except to express disapproval of the treatment of animals, and such an opinion does, to an extent, require some rebuttal in the form of support for a traditional and once-necessary act. (Note "once-necessary." Today, the slaughter of animals is more to support a largely carnivorous-by-choice diet than out of a need for protein, skins, and tools made from bones, and could be curtailed a fair amount. The actual necessity and means of curtailment and personal choice is a matter for more lengthy debate, and one which I would rather not debate in such a forum.)

It was also a followup on my previous comment on vivisection and it's use in medicine, hence a large portion of the comment's content.