398 INDIAN ARMY AND ITS VETERINARY SURGEONS. 
can bear up for so long a time as this one did, may not the 
caecum under such circumstances slough and life be pre¬ 
served? 
I should be glad of any remarks from the members of our 
profession upon this case, which they may be disposed to 
make. 
THE INDIAN ARMY AND ITS VETERINARY 
SURGEONS. 
Bv “Argus.” 
4 / 
The veterinary surgeons of the Indian army have at last 
unexpectedly been called upon to elect for general or local 
service. Those who choose the former will become an 
integral part of the British army, and be gazetted to Her 
Majesty’s new line regiments of cavalry and brigades of 
Royal Artillery; but the men who prefer remaining “locals,” 
will not be employed with English troops. What then will 
be done with them ? There are only five stud appointments, 
the governor general’s body guard (natives), and the Lahore 
light horse (half-castes), to afford employment to local service 
men. I imagine about one third of the Indian veterinary 
surgeons will volunteer for general service, and two thirds 
remain as they are now. Why should not the latter be 
posted to corps of Bengal (native) cavalry ? There are nine¬ 
teen of these regiments in the Bengal presidency alone, also 
five regiments of Punjaub cavalry, and two of Central India 
horse. Each corps numbers 500 rank and file, and all are 
very well mounted. There is a “ salvatri,” or native vete¬ 
rinary surgeon to every regiment. These men are generally, 
in fact invariably, old native farrier majors and farriers of the 
now extinct Bengal light cavalry, who have been taught what 
they know by the veterinary surgeons of the old Company’s 
army. If the government deem it necessary to post an 
assistant surgeon to each native corps, why should they not 
give a veterinary surgeon also ? The subject has been 
broached more than once, but, like many other improvements 
necessary in our department in India, it has fallen to the 
ground, because there has been no person to push it. I have 
often heard people express their surprise that corps of 
Bengal cavalry had no veterinary surgeons posted to them. 
Should the principal veterinary surgeon at home assume the 
control of the department in India, I feel certain that before 
