ARMY VETERINARY SURGEON IN INDIA. 
611 
I dare say that the Warrant of 1859 induced many to enter 
the army, and some of them have since come to India. 
This was just about four years ago, and nothing has been 
done for us yet. When will the authorities give us our 
rights? Many veterinary surgeons are getting tired of 
waiting for some improvement. It is very hard for a man 
when he has thrown, it may be, five or ten years of the start, 
and also the best part of his life away, suddenly to find he 
has all along been deceived, and that he has to begin again, 
his prospects for private practice being then nearly ruined. 
This it is that prevents many from leaving a service in which 
their talents are paid for at such a miserably low rate. I 
could go on still further. I have supposed, in my statement, 
that the veterinary surgeon finds the climate to agree with 
him, even if the pay does not. If he gets ill in two or three 
years after coming out, is there anything for him but to stay 
out here, at the risk of, and probably the sacrifice of, his life ? 
This really appears a mournful picture, but it is no less a 
true one; and what makes it worse is, hopes are from time 
to time held out of improvement, which hopes never seem to 
be realised, but merely tend to prevent a man leaving and 
improving his position in some other walk of life. 
In conclusion, I w’ould beg of you to let the true state of 
affairs become generally known, so that as few victims to 
the miserable deception carried on as possible may be found. 
To live in a climate like India, and to lose all the pleasures of 
England for half a life, even when well paid for so doing, are 
bad enough. But, Messrs. Editors, to do all this, and to 
get into hopeless debt into the bargain, are evils a man would 
endeavour to save his greatest enemy from. These latter 
evils await the veterinary surgeon in India. Now, all you 
young gentlemen who have had any thoughts of India and 
the army, take warning in time. The smallest private prac¬ 
tice, or the worst paid assistant in England, is a happy and 
a prosperous man compared to, yours very faithfully. 
An Indian Army Veterinary Surgeon. 
To the Tlditors of ‘ The Veterinarian' 
