VETERINARY HOSPITALS. 23 



The percentage of cures in veterinary hospitals up to the 

 second year of the war amounted to 84 per cent. ; it then came 

 down to 82%, 80%, 78%, and gradually lower. The care of 

 animals improved as the War progressed, but the constant 

 strain of service weakened resistance and recuperative powers 

 of individual animals. Again, without specific mention or 

 experience, the difficulties of a large army landing in a foreign 

 country, and without cover for animals, either healthy or sick, 

 can hardly be appreciated. During the first winter in France, 

 a truly dreadful one in p6int of rainy weather, excepting a 

 certain number of brick sheds, there was no available covered 

 accommodation for sick animals nor for newly landed remounts, 

 the remount heavy draughts suffering heavily from catarrhal 

 and respiratory sickness of an infectious nature. Conditions 

 and circumstances during the very ^arly days of the war in 

 France were exceedingly hard on animals. Inefficiency during 

 the first winter, and about the time of the first battle of Ypres 

 stood at 15'8%. In later periods, though in winter it rose to 

 12%, it was brought down during the good weatner of summer 

 to as low as 7"4% at times. I propose, however, to deal with 

 inefficiency and disease under the Section which will be 

 devoted to " Wastage of animals in War." 



The Veterinary Hospital provision for the original Bxpedi- 

 sionary Force comprised six Veterinary Sections each consisting 

 of 2 Officers, 5 Staff Sergeants and Sergeants, 6 Corporals, 10 

 Dressers, 4 Artificers, 83 Horse keepers (Cavalry Eeservists) 

 and 4 Batmen, the. establishment of each Section being for the 

 treatment of 250 patients. These could be utilised singly as 

 Hospitals or grouped together, as circumstances necessitated. 

 The total provision was therefore for 1250 sick animals, which 

 for a Force of 53,000 animals represented approximately 2^ per 

 cent., a totally inadequate provision (Note. — Hospital provision 

 in peace is 6 per cent.). Personnel had to be detailed from 

 reinforcements of combatant branches, and the evil of borrowing, 

 which exists in India at the present day, showed itself in the 

 early days of the war in France. 



Reorganisation of Veterinary Services then became the order 

 of the day. Veterinary Hospitals on the basis of 1000 sick 

 animals were formed, complete with personnel on a self- 

 contained basis. . With the growth of the force these were at 



