294 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE VETERINARY SCHOOLS. 



an animal when it is affected to an incurable (?) degree with the 

 following diseases : 



Horses. — Gland ers. 



Cattle. — Anthrax, rinderpest, and pleuro-pnenmonia. 



Sheep. — Variola, and in all animals when complicated with rabies. 



The rank and advancement of veterinarians in the Belgian army 

 are as follow : 



The veterinary inspectors rank as major; the first-class veteri- 

 narians as captain ; the second-class veterinarians as first lieuten- 

 ant ; the third-class veterinarians as second lieutenant. 



In order to become a third-class veterinarian, the applicant must 

 have graduated well for a civil veterinarian ; must be twenty-four 

 years of age, and a citizen, or naturalized. No one can become 

 second class without having served creditably in the third for at 

 least two years. To become first class, he must have served in the 

 second for at least two years to the same degree. As inspectors, 

 three years' first-class service is necessary. To be first or second 

 class, the applicant must also stand a practical examination. The 

 inspectors are appointed by the king. Veterinarians of all grades 

 receive, after ten years' active service, one fifth more pension than 

 army officers having a corresponding rank. 



Russia* 



We are somewhat inclined to look upon the Russians as a sort of 

 half-civilized people, but the reverse is much more near to the truth, 

 at least so far as it has reference to the support given by the Govern- 

 ment to the advancement of science. In no way is this more true 

 than in relation to veterinary science, the need of which made itself 

 apparent very early in this century, on account of the wealth of the 

 nation in domestic animals, especially cattle, horses, and sheep. As 

 should be known to every one, rinderpest, the most terrible and 

 devastating of all animal plagues, makes its home upon the steppes 

 of Southern Russia, causing yearly a loss of thousands of cattle, and 

 frequently extending its ravages to neighboring countries. In 1877 

 the official returns of the losses caused by rinderpest are given as 

 217,768 cattle and 1,884 sheep; and the same authority gives as the 

 number of cattle in the empire, 25,918,600 : the loss from this cause 

 amounting, therefore, to 0*82 per cent. 



Russia has three veterinary institutes, one each at Kharkov, Dor- 

 pat, and Kazan, all supported and regulated by the Government ; the 

 degrees given are doctor and magistrate of veterinary science. The 



* Miiller, " Russische Veterinar Institut Magazin," vol. xxx. 



