if necessary. Our experience in the present day is not in favour 

 of depletory measures such as the medical theories of his time 

 led Gilchrist to suggest. 



Those who have examined Gilchrist's works on the camel, 

 bullock, and elephant, will admire the energy he brought to his 

 task, his zeal in extracting practical information from native 

 sources, and his boldness in taking on himself the duty of 

 pioneer in this unbeaten track of medical science. If he bleeds, 

 purges, and generally depletes in almost every disease, ho but 

 follows the current medical system of his time as applied to dis- 

 orders of lower animals. If he does not launch into scientific 

 dissertations on his subjects, we must remember that our then 

 knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of these animals 

 would not allow him to do so, and he wisely viewed the matter 

 with an essentially pi-actical eye, and wrote for men with very 

 elementary notions on medical science. 



It only remains for us to impress on our readers the urgent 

 necessity for experiments and observations on elephant patho- 

 logy and for record of all conclusions arrived at and facts ascer- 

 tained, each of which has a scientific and practical value. 



It will be observed that we have utilized freely all records 

 accessible to us, and, we hope, have not failed to give " honour 

 where honour is due." To Gilcheist is undoubtedly due the 

 credit of having laid the foundation of the scientific study of 

 elephant pathology. 



CHAPTER II : ON THE GENERAL DISEASES 

 OF THE ELEPHANT. 

 These disorders are among the most important we have to 

 notice, and present some problems for discussion and future 

 solution which have the highest pathological and pi-actical 

 interest. The various dei-angements which may, roughly, be 

 comprehended under the terms Debility and Asthenia are 

 numerous, frequent, and fatal, but it seems that very much 

 may be done to prevent and cure them. Again, the specific 

 disorders of the Elephant acquire a very great interest and 

 importance in relation to those of other animals. We must lay 

 the more stress upon these latter because untU quite recently 

 their epizootic and communicable nature has been ignored and 

 it is only in isolated reports that we find them touched upon. 



