164 
ARMY VETERINARY DEPARTMENT. 
and arrangement in the conduct of his medical duties, the veteri¬ 
nary surgeon of a regiment should add promptitude and decision 
whenever his opinion or judgment is called in question; at the 
same time that he is precise in giving his directions and peremptory 
in issuing his orders. Nothing will sooner lose him any precon¬ 
ceived good opinion his commanding officer may have formed of 
him, than indecision, unless it be negligence of personal matters; 
and, therefore, let him take care to be smart and soldier-like in 
his dress, as well as active and determinate in his conduct. 
Antecedent to the year 1818, no official Registries of Veterinary 
Transactions were kept in the regiments of the cavalry. In this 
year, a General Order was issued from the Horse Guards, of 
which the following is a copy :—- 
GENERAL ORDER. 
Horse Guards, 12th Sept. 1818. 
His Royal Highness the Commander in Chief is pleased to 
direct, that a Book shall in future be kept by Veterinary Sur¬ 
geons of Regiments of Cavalry, which shall contain Registries 
of their present practice in cases of sick and lame horses, and of 
the measures which are adopted when any contagious disease 
makes its appea/ance; specifying the particular disease, the re¬ 
medies or mode of treatment, and the result of such treatment. 
A Return is to be subjoined shewing the number of sick and 
lame horses; the nature of the diseases with which they have 
been affected; and the number which have been cured or have 
died, or been sold or destroyed, during every six months. 
It will be the duty of Commanding Officers of Regiments fre¬ 
quently to inspect this Book, which is always to be produced to 
the general officers at their half-yearly inspections, with a view to 
its being noticed in their confidential reports. 
(Signed) H. Calvert, Adjutant General. 
The book or register consists of two parts. The first is a sort 
of diary or journal of cases as they happen to present themselves; 
which constitutes by far the greater part of the register—there 
being twenty or thirty pages of this to one of the other part, and 
is headed as follows, in every page:— 
Register* of Diseased Horses 
Belonging to the - regiment of -; specifying the method of 
treatment adopted for the cure of their diseases , and the result. 
Directly underneath this heading the page is divided by lines 
into six* spaced columns, intended to be filled up according to 
* In the next edition let this be printed 44 Registry.” — Printer's Devil. 
