PART I. 



Organization and Function 

 of Army Veterinary Service in War. 



Chap. I.— GENEEAL. 



Unquestionably, all administrative services should be separately 

 constituted in peace, with their own fixed establishments ; and 

 their inflation to meet the purposes of war should not be at the 

 expense of fighting units, but should be carried out by their 

 own agency. 



The Army Veterinary Service at Home — or the Army 

 Veterinary Department as it was then called, learned its lesson 

 of organization during the War • in South Africa. Previous to 

 that war there was no properly organized field veterinary 

 system. The old watertight method of regimental treatment 

 existed. In war, ineffectives were sent to the second line 

 transport of their units, taken along with such transport until a 

 favourable time presented itself for their clearance to the Base. 

 The wastage of animals during the South African War was not 

 happy reading, and much suffering, disease, and loss would have 

 been avoided if an efficient chain of veterinary assistance in the 

 field had existed. Strange to say, India, by reason of the 

 experience gained in Frontier Campaigns, was ahead of England 

 in Veterinary Service in those days, and maintained, as it does 

 to-day, Field Veterinary Hospitals or Sections as part of its 

 war organisation. Some of these were sent to South Africa, 

 performed very useful service, and though the personnel was 

 but of a scratch nature, have merited their place as pioneers of 

 Veterinary Service in the Field. 



