942 VETJ^miNAEY HYGIENE 



It is a mistake to place too many patients under one roof 

 without dividing walls ; a group of ten stalls is a convenient 

 size. Box accommodation should exist for one-third of the 

 sick. In a large hospital three or four of these boxes should 

 be fitted with the most approved appliance for slinging 

 horses, while arrangements both of water-supply and 

 drainage should exist in the event of continuous irrigation 

 being required. A foot-bath of concrete to accommodate 

 the fore feet only is a valuable adjunct. 'Stocks' are a 

 useful accessory to the operating appliances. The remain- 

 ing essentials are dealt with on p. 352. 



There is one extremely important duty of Hospitals in 

 time of peace, viz., they should ' condition ' their patients 

 before they are sent back to work. It is obvious that after 

 a case has been away two, three, or several weeks from 

 duty, it is inviting further trouble if that animal is sent 

 back to the ranks before being got ' fit.' No facilities exist 

 in any regiment for conditioning horses after sickness, and 

 when returned to duty there is nothing to prevent them 

 being sent to a ' Field Day ' at once. 



Much of our trouble, with lameness especially, is due to 

 this cause, and it should be regarded as part of the veterinary 

 officer's duty to get the animal fit for work as well as to 

 cure it. This may be effected by means of an automatic 

 exercising track (to be presently described, see Eemount 

 Depots), belonging to each hospital. In war this service 

 should be performed by the Eemount Department. 



In South Africa the hospital consists of three blocks of 

 semi-detached buildings, where possible arranged in line, 

 and divided in such a way as to allow of the grouping of 

 cases in hospital. Each section of stabling has an enclosure 

 in which the patients may be allowed their freedom if 

 desired, with water - troughs and mangering. All the 

 enclosures open into an exercising track, where the animals 

 can be automatically dealt with. 



The isolation buildings are quite distinct from the 

 hospital proper. Fig. 216 shows diagrammatically the 

 plan of this building. 



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