118 
WM. HERBERT LOWE. 
As a consequence of the present not merely defective bu 
wretched system, large numbers of unsound animals, untit fo 
service, are anually purchased without regard to proper veterinar 
examination. The mortality is, therefore, large, and the year]; 
list of the condemned is necessarily long. No other civilize* 
army presents so high a death rate as ours, which calls for a yearl; 
appropriation of nearly a quarter million of dollars. On om 
occasion an outbreak of glanders, for want of proper precautionary 
measures, caused the sacrifice of several human lives and a mone; 
loss of property estimated at about fifty thousand dollars. 
Turf, Field and Farm , in a recent issue, says: 
“ Outbreaks of glanders alone during the late war frequently 
rendered a whole regiment of cavalry temporarily useless until t 
new supply of horses could be forwarded to the front and broker 
to their new work, and when the war ended the country becatm 
flooded with glanders through contact with army horses bough 
by farmers, and which had received no intelligent veterinary atten 
tion, and hence were impregnated with a contagious disease tha 
was readily disseminated through the country. We well remembe; 
during the war seeing many cases standing tied to the pieket-liue 
and with a good horse on either side, in advanced stages of th( 
malady, and no one apparently knowing or caring anything abou 
it. This circumstance alone was undoubtedly the cause of the 
spread of the disease, and there is no doubt the same conditioi 
exists in the army to-day. There is but one way to overcome thii 
difficulty and save a great and unnecessary loss to our Government 
and that is to raise the status of veterinary surgeons in the arm; 
to the rank, say, of the commissioned line officer. This alone i 
the only step required to induce educated veterinarians to entei 
the Government service, administer to the ailments of the horse? 
see that animals already impregnated with disease are not palmer 
on the departments as sound, prevent the spread of disease, anc 
thus in the end save their salaries to the Government many time- 
over.” 
With no adequate or competent veterinary corps how can sc 
vast a number of animals as belong to the service be in any othei 
than a deplorable condition, and yet no encouragement is giver 
