PREFACE. 



The small amount of knowledge possessed by us con- 

 cerniug tlie Diseases of the Elephant is thus far advan- 

 tageous that it enables us for the present to deal with 

 their cure in language familiar to non-professional read- 

 ers and at the same time make our remarks suggestive 

 also to those who have been scientifically educated to the 

 treatment of diseases of animals in general. 



Few veterinarians pay attention to the branch of their 

 science with which we are about to deal and even those 

 who do are rarely placed in professional charge of ele- 

 phants, facts which react on one another and retard the 

 advance of this division of pathology. Sucb observations 

 as have been made are mostly due to Transport and other 

 Mihtary and Civil Officers in whose "way chance has 

 thrown the charge of elephants among multifarious duties 

 of a very different nature. 



It is extremely creditable to such officers as Drs. Gril- 

 christ and Slymm and Lieut. Ouchterlony that, under such 

 discouraging circumstances, they have done so much as 

 they have "on the spur of the moment" as it were. 



Although we know very little about elephant diseases 

 and still less about the action of remedies on this huge 

 quadruped, the labours of various authors have resulted 

 in a considerable amount of information about the man- 

 agement of the elephant and his relations to Army Trans- 

 port. Our object is to summarize and digest such mate- 

 rial as is to hand and adapt it to the use of Transport and 

 Veterinary Officers and to others interested in Elephant 

 Management. 

 Bakgalore, 1885. JOHN HENRY STEEL. 



