ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



Di't'..u Tmrtttf. : 



Reptiles 



OND L. p„ 



Published bi-monthly at the Office of the Society, 

 111 Broadway, New York City. 



Yearly by Mail, $1.00. 



MAILED FREE TO MEMBERS. 



Copyright, 1910, by the New York Zoological Society. 



Each author is responsible for the scientific accuracy 



and the proof reading of his contribution. 



Elwin R. S 



Editor and Official Photographer 



Vol. XXII. No. 4. 



JULY, 1919 



purpose of organizing advanced Veterinary 

 Hospital No. 5 for duty overseas. This hos- 

 pital was composed of 311 enlisted men and 

 seven officers. 



"After a period of training at Camp Lee 

 and Camp Hill, Major Blair and his organiza- 

 tion sailed from Newport News on May 9, 1918, 

 landing at St. Nazaire, France, the latter part 

 of May. 1918. Immediately after landing, his 

 hospital was assigned to duty at Auxiliary Re- 

 mount Depot No. 1, Base Section No. 1. at St. 

 Nazaire'. Finding no adequate facilities here 

 for quarantine and hospital treatment of the 

 large number of animals suffering from stran- 

 gles, influenza, pneumonia, etc., a series of bar- 

 racks occupied by French Colonial Troops were 

 obtained from the French authorities, and after 

 these were vacated the barracks were converted 

 into a model hospital. This hospital was lo- 

 cated about three-quarters of a mile from the 

 Remount Station, so that all contagious or in- 

 fectious diseases were removed from the Re- 

 mount Depot. After the hospital had been in 

 operation two months, it was visited and in- 

 spected by the Commander-in-Chief of the 

 A.E.F.. with a number of his staff. The ar- 

 rangement of the hospital and the work of the 

 organization were highly commended by Gen- 

 eral Pershing. 



"On August 1, 1918, Major Blair with his 

 organization was ordered to the Headquarters 

 of the 3rd Army Corps, with station at Mezy- 

 on-the-Marne, for the purpose of assisting in 

 the evacuation of animals during operations in 

 that vicinity. 



"On August 22, Major Blair with Hospital No. 



5 was ordered to the Headquarters of the 1th 

 Army Corps located at Toul. Here, he was as- 

 signed as Corps Veterinarian of the 4th Army 

 Corps, and the command of Veterinary Hospi- 

 tal No. 5 taken by Major Nelson. 



"In his capacity as Corps Veterinarian, Ma- 

 jor Blair organized the veterinary service pre- 

 paratory to the 4th Corps' participation in the 

 St. Mihiel drive during September 12th to 14th. 

 The veterinary service of the evacuation of ani- 

 mals during this drive received the commenda- 

 tion of the Corps Commander, General Dick- 

 man. 



"On Major Blair's recommendation, a num- 

 ber of concrete dipping vats for the prevention 

 and treatment of mange were established 

 throughout divisional areas so that animals 

 could be treated without evacuating them to the 

 hospitals in the rear. This method of treatment 

 was highly successful and met with the hearty 

 approval of the organization commanders who 

 were universally opposed to the complete evac- 

 uation on account of no replacements being 

 available during this period. 



"After the Armistice, Major Blair accompa- 

 nied the Headquarters of the 4th Army Corps 

 when it became a part of the Army of Occu- 

 pation in Germany, finally locating at Cochem, 

 Germany, where he remained until relieved by 

 Major English and ordered to the United States. 

 Major Blair reached the United States May 22 

 on the S. S. "Imperator." Upon his arrival in 

 tlie United States, he was ordered to the office 

 of the Surgeon-General for report and was dis- 

 charged May 31. 1919. 



"Major Blair expressed himself as having en- 

 joyed the Army and as having received the very 

 best kind of co-operation during his service in 

 the A. E. F. Having commanded both veter- 

 inary hospitals and the veterinary services of 

 Corps Troops, it enabled him to gain a very wide 

 and valuable experience, and his views on re- 

 organization and the needs of a properly-organ- 

 ized veterinary service have been greatly ap- 

 preciated." 



Major Wm. Reid Blair, V.C., was honorably 

 discharged from the Veterinary Corps, May 31, 

 1919. 



Immediately upon being mustered out of the 

 army. Major Blair resumed his position and his 

 duties at the Zoological Park, where officers, 

 men and animals welcomed him with open arms. 



