812 FRENCH ARMY VETERINARY SURGEONS. 
and privileges and society of the officers, but he was placed low 
on the regimental list; and, after many years of honourable ser¬ 
vice, was compelled to limit his ambition to the acquirement of 
the rank of quarter-master. 
Worse even than this ! degradation of rank was the least insult of 
which the cavalry surgeon had to complain: it was more than 
insinuated that he was or might be incompetent to the discharge 
of his duty, or dishonourably neglectful of it; and he was placed 
under surveillance, and of whom ?—of the riding-master of the 
regiment, to whom he was to render a daily account of all that 
he did, and who was to report to the major of the health of the 
horses, and the attention of the veterinary surgeon. 
This was an unnatural and a degrading state of things, and 
galling to the veterinarian were a thousand circumstances con¬ 
nected with it. The general dissatisfaction of this branch of 
the service had often been strongly expressed, but, so far as we 
are aware, no attempt had been made to bring the complaints of 
the veterinary surgeons in a tangible form before the proper 
quarter. The professors of the different schools, the natural 
guardians of the interests of their Heves and the respectability 
of the profession, had slumbered at their posts: the cavalry ve¬ 
terinarians had never coalesced as a body, and claimed those 
rights to w'hich on every principle of reason and justice they 
were entitled. Under an arbitrary government, and a military 
law more than usually severe, perhaps this would have been 
dangerous; and the different governments which had rapidly 
succeeded to each other had something else to do, beside re¬ 
dressing the grievances of the oppressed and undervalued medical 
attendant on the horses, the companion of the assistant quarter¬ 
master. At length, one of their number, a mere assistant vete¬ 
rinary surgeon (veterinaire en deuxitme), boldly put himself in 
the breach. This was M. Vogeli, of whom such honourable 
mention is made in our account of the late concours. He addressed 
petitions to the minister of war and the chamber of deputies. 
They were rather lengthy ones: we will somewhat abridge one 
of them; but M. Vogeli shall in a great measure speak for himself, 
and our readers will then better understand the situation of 
the veterinary surgeon in the French cavalry service. M. Vogeli 
deserves and he will receive the gratitude of his brethren. 
We give his petition to the minister of war, which, mutatis 
mutandiSf was the same as that to the chambers, except that it 
was presented after that to the deputies, and contained fuller 
reference to the ordonnances which relate to veterinary sur¬ 
geons :— 
