28 ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTION. 



Veterinary Hospitals and their Functional Kole. 



It is quite impossible, and it would be outside the scope of this 

 woi-k to describe in detail the methods pursued in treatment 

 and the technicalities attached thereto. It will be realised that 

 innumerable ailments in varying degrees were encountered 

 during the four-and-a-half years of hostilities; the more serious 

 of them, constituting grave wastage, will be dealt with in the 

 chapter under the heading of " Wastage of Animals in War." 

 It will, however, be instructive to outline the grouping of 

 hospitals for practical work, and to follow the course of animals 

 through them. 



With operations of such magnitude and with the total large 

 number of casualties to be handled, it was found both from an 

 administrative and practical working point of view, that 

 Hospitals were best located in groups of two or three together, 

 each group (excepting essentially base hospitals) functioning for 

 particular sectors of the front line. Each group consisted of : — 

 Eeception Hospital : Mange Hospital : General Hospital. 



On arrival at the Eeception Hospital patients were subjected 

 to the mallein test, were inspected, sorted and despatched, with 

 a minimum loss of time, to one of the adjacent hospitals accord- 

 ing to the nature of their maladies. If any cases were 

 considered hopeless or economically not worth treatment, they 

 were put aside for inspection of the Deputy Director of Vety. 

 Services, L. of C, and his orders taken as to their disposal for 

 purposes of food or otherwise. 



Those animals requiring immediate surgical treatment were 

 subjected to operation at the Eeception Hospital, and it was no 

 uncommon sight to see three animais in the operating theatre 

 under chloroform at the same time. At some Eeception ' 

 Hospitals unloading arrangements were so complete that they 

 were provided with their special railway sidings. Eeception 

 Hospitals also undertook treatment of medital and surgical 

 cases in the same manner as a General Hospital, in addition to 

 reception work. 



Mange cases were transferred to Mange Hospitals as soon as 

 possible, where special treatment was applied; dipping baths 

 being part of their equipment. 



