1314 
FRENCH ARMY VETERINARY SURGEONS. 
of their squadron; but every saddle or draught horse entering the infirmary 
shall be attended to by the soldier to whom he belongs. 
As soon as the veterinary surgeon shall have discovered the nature of the 
disease with which the horse is affected, and shall have indicated in writing 
to the riding-master the treatment to which he is to be subjected, the latter 
(the riding-master) shall see that all the necessary operations shall be per¬ 
formed, and the medicines regularly administered. 
The riding-master shall each day give an account to the major, both by 
writing and in the general report, of the state of health of all the horses 
in the infirmar}', and the attention which the veterinary surgeon pays to the 
treatment of them, and he shall also see that the horses are classed accord¬ 
ing to the nature of their diseases. 
Article —The riding-master shall exercise a constant superintendence 
of the shoeing, by entering into all the details of the farriery, visiting the 
operations of the forge, repressing all the abuses which he may discover, 
such as the shoes being badly made, or made too heavy, the nails being 
badly driven, or of a w rong sort, &c.; he shall also take an account of the 
quantit}' of iron used by the shoeing-smiths; he shall see that they are 
provided with nails, and shoeing tools, &c., and with those instruments 
which, not belonging to the forge, are not furnished by government. 
The blacksmiths shall be personally examined by the riding-master, but 
onl} as to their competence to discharge the duties of their situation ; and he 
shall frequently deliver a report of the observations which he has made on 
that subject. 
Three evident divisions present themselves in these articles. 
In looking over the first, which comprehends the regulations con¬ 
tained in article 77, 79, and 80, should we not think that we are 
reading the regulations which indicate to veterinary surgeons a 
fraction of the medical part of their duty? I say a fraction; for 
beside all that is there required as to general medical treatment, 
a crowd of other objects, such as the influence of exercise, food, 
- water, stabling, &c. on the health of the horses, is omitted in the 
regulation which announces the duties of this officer. 
As to the 83d article, its very wording suffices to demon¬ 
strate that the government, penetrated by a feeling of the im¬ 
portance of the cavalry horses, has judged it indispensable to 
place some one over them, whose rank is high enough to enable 
them to repose all confidence in him; but they will not allow 
the veterinary surgeon to be that man, though he alone of all 
in the regiment has pursued that course of study which will 
enable him properly to discharge these duties, and conduct this 
superintendence. On the contrary, the greater part of the 
duties of a veterinary surgeon are assigned to the riding- 
master, without requiring from him the same studies; while to 
the veterinarian is assigned nothing but the surgical exercise of 
his art, and those duties which properly ought to belong to the 
farrier-major: and for this little responsibility, they require from 
him four years of serious study, and which can only procure for 
him a title in the army almost illusory. The following expression 
