THE 
VETERINAR 
VOL. XXVII, 
No. 315. 
MARCH, 1854. 
Third Series, 
No. 75. 
A PRINCIPAL VETERINARY SURGEON IN INDIA. 
By J. Western, M.R.C.V.S., Madras Horse Artillery. 
Dear Sir, — It was with the very greatest pleasure that 
I perused your article, in the Veterinarian for October, on 
the necessity of a Principal Veterinary Surgeon to the Indian 
army being appointed. There can be no doubt of the fact, 
that this deficiency, which has now existed about twenty- 
seven years, has tended in a variety of ways to the detriment 
of the service, and the disparagement of the profession. 
Nothing can be more directly to the point than your 
second paragraph, where you say A young man embarks 
for India direct from one of the Veterinary Colleges, who, 
perhaps, has never had a case of a sick or a lame horse con- 
fided to him to treat on his own judgment and responsi- 
bility in his life. On his arrival in India, he does duty for 
three months under some senior veterinary officer, and then 
can call for examination, and, should he pass, at once comes 
into charge of a regiment.” Nothing can be more strictly 
correct than this ; and here is a responsibility, — three hundred 
and fifty horses placed under his treatment! and, if a troop of 
Horse Artillery be located at the same station, he has charge 
of that also, making upwards of five hundred horses, besides 
valuable chargers belonging to the officers ! It must also be 
borne in mind that in nearly every instance lie stands isolated , 
nay more than this, he is thus suddenly placed in the receipt 
of as many pounds per mensem , as he, perhaps, has previously 
been in the habit of receiving annually ; for, in point of fact, 
he actually draws better allowances than any other officer in 
the army of similar standing, civil or military, and at the 
same time, in his medical capacity, is almost utterly beyond 
control. It is quite true, there are orders in existence 
which oblige him to visit his hospital at stated periods, and if 
he strictly attends to this, although half his patients die, 
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