546 
D. LEMAY. 
In all European armies, including those of England, France, 
Germany, Russia, Italy, Egypt, Sweden, etc, etc., the veterinarian 
is a commissioned officer, ranking from Lieutenant to Colonel; 
some of those countries are so particular in this respect (France 
and Germany) that they graduate and educate their own veterinary 
cadets, and in all of them their veterinary services are organized 
into special corps and departments. 
The British War Department controls thirteen thousand six 
hundred (13,600) animals and employs over two hundred (200) of 
the most scientific and talented veterinarians, ranking as commis- 
ioned officers, from Lieutenant to Colonel. The United States 
War Department controls over fifteen thousand (15,000) animals, 
and employs but fourteen veterinarians, ranking as enlisted men, 
hence none but the very refuse of the veterinary profession will 
remain in the army under the present humiliating conditions, 
resulting in great loss of public property, and detriment to the 
military service. 
Troop horse-shoers and farriers are detailed to these duties 
without the slightest intelligent instructions, and are left to their 
own ignorant, injurious and often cruel devices, resulting in ruin¬ 
ing, crippling and poisoning public animals, large numbers being 
permanently and prematurely rendered useless, and sold as unser¬ 
viceable and unfit for further service from the above easily pre¬ 
ventable causes. 
The establishment of a veterinary hospital, pharmacy and 
shoeing shop in each post, under the special control and supervis¬ 
ion of a veterinarian, would cause an immense saving, preventing 
the present exhibition of enormous and poisonous doses of drugs 
by ignorant farriers; the ruinous foot butchery and foot mutilation 
now carried out by horse-shoers, and for the isolation of sick ani¬ 
mals. The latter are now retained in their usual stalls, in the midst 
of their companions, hence the frequency of outbreaks of contagi¬ 
ous diseases amongst army animals. 
Approaching service in large cities, and neighborhood of the 
centres of contagious diseases, together with the removal of milita¬ 
ry animals from soft prairies to hard roads and pavements, renders 
the establishment of an army veterinary department, and induce- 
