32 



special works on tlie subject are not to be bad by tbe general 

 public. The anatomy of the camel is casually touched on in works 

 of comparative anatomy and is dealt with in a few memoirs re- 

 printed fi'om the proceedings of the Zoological and other Societies. 

 The physiology has been mainly worked out in France through 

 the labours of the learned Professor Colin. The diseases have 

 been dealt with in the obsolete work of Gilchrist and the brief 

 sketches by Oliphaut, Leech, C. Steel, and the Algerian veterin- 

 ary officers. We have to search far and wide for information as 

 to medicines for the camel and the special features of their 

 action on his system. Thus our knowledge of the camel has not 

 been focused in the foi*m of literaiy production ; it is to remove 

 this extremely unsatisfactory state of affairs, which may fairly be 

 considered an opprobrium to the veterinary profession in India, 

 that this work has been prepared. 



Chapter II.— GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ON 

 DISEASES OF THE CAMEL. 



As the diseases of the ox are better understood than those of 

 other ruminants that animal must be considered as the standard 

 for comparison in study cf disorders of other species which chew 

 the cud. It Avill be found that in pathology, as in anatomy 

 generic resemblances are very close up to a certain point, but 

 that there are many practically important matters in which differ- 

 ences can be noticed. These differences depend not only on 

 special features of anatomical constitution but on the life condi- 

 tions to which the species are subjected, and, especially, the uses 

 to which they are put by man, thus the length of neck of the 

 camel seems to entail on that animal a liability to certain forms of 

 epilepsy and of injury to the cervical region, dislocation and 

 fracture, not seen very often in the ox. Also it will be found 

 that certain ill-explained disorders of the nape of the neck and 

 upper part of the throat are not uufrequent in the camel and, 

 again, broken back, lacerated thigh muscles, and galls, demand 

 special attention in Cameline Pathology, for they result from 

 abuse cf the camel as a beast of burden. It must be con- 

 fessed that as regards the various branches of comparative study 

 of disorders of the ruminating apparatus we are sadly deficient 

 in knowledge ; that the camel suffers much from disease of the 



