ARMY VETERINARY DEPARTMENT. 
165 
their respective superscriptions, which are these—viz. 1st, troop ; 
2d, number (of the horse); 3d, date ofadmission; 4th, disease; 5th, 
remedies or mode of treatment; 6th, effects and remarks . 
That the registry of the cases of sick and lame horses, and such 
other accidents and occurrences as come under the notice of the 
veterinary surgeon, in a regiment of cavalry, is highly necessary, 
cannot for a moment admit of a doubt in the mind of any one at 
all conversant with medico-military matters: and it only excites 
our surprise to find that so necessary a step has not been taken 
in times long before, seeing that the surgeons of the army have 
long kept registers of a similar description. It will be likely, 
however, to excite more surprise still when I come to state, that, 
although the fact is undeniable that registers are kept, yet that 
which of all others is the most useful end they could tend to is 
overlooked, or rather (by the plan of the journal itself) completely 
frustrated. Surely no one, for a moment, will dispute that a vete¬ 
rinary journal ought not to be devoted to veterinary purposes, and 
kept mainly with a view of improving that art or science of 
which it recorded transactions and occurrences in practice. And, 
yet, do we find this natural and straightforward, and most and 
only truly desirable object accomplished in the “ Register of 
diseased horses 7 ' ? Let any one look into it (kept how it may 
be—for there are more w T ays than one of keeping it), and say 
whether such an object is or ever can be carried into execution? 
The space given renders it totally unfitted for any such use; and 
even if that allowed of it, the plan is upon such a narrow and 
limited scale, that the practitioner and register finds himself so 
“ cabined, cribbed, confined/ 7 that he dares not even attempt it. 
The consequence is, that all the “register of diseased horses” 
amounts to, is, that it informs its reader, that a troop horse of b 
troop teas admitted on the ls£ of Map, 1830, on account of in¬ 
flammation of the lungs, for which he was bled and blistered, and 
of which he died or recovered on the ls£ of June, of the same 
year. What a volume of facts — pure, unadulterated, unin - 
stractive facts!!! 
That which alone can render the registry of the cases of sick 
or lame horses at all valuable, in a medical light, is an accurate 
history of their origin, symptoms , progress and mode of termina¬ 
tion; together with the method of regimen and medical treatment 
adopted at the beginning and every successive stage to the last. 
Were the “register” framed upon this scientific and only useful 
construction, it might (and certainly would, whenever it fell into 
proper hands) be made a very valuable repository for future re¬ 
ference: but, in its present circumscribed and unfurnished condi- 
