ARMY VETERINARY LEGISLATION. 
737 
ral condition, the knowledge of hippology, should be well known to 
every cavalry officer. To be a good horseman is a necessary qualifica¬ 
tion of a cavalry officer, and gives him a wide field of studies, as hippo- 
log}" contains the history of the horse, the history of the art of breeding, 
training, saddling, riding; also the sanitary care and economy of the 
horses in regard to the principles and practice of stabling, feeding, wa¬ 
tering, grooming, and finally the knowledge of the exterior conforma¬ 
tion of the horse on a general anatomical basis, with the view of proper 
judgment for the purchase of horses to the different branches of the ser¬ 
vice. But quite separate from modern hippology is veterinary medicine 
and surgery; that is absolutely a medical science of vast extent. 
“It is a deplorable fact that the United States is far behind Euro¬ 
pean nations in the matter of veterinary surgery. It is the only gov¬ 
ernment in the world that does not make its army veterinarians com¬ 
missioned officers. This defect must be apparent to every man who has 
had the slightest understanding of military matters. Contract veterin¬ 
arians who have no official authority are as helpless as can be in the 
enforcement of orders. 
“The present system can but bring to the service men of inferior 
abilities; and while there are many men in the service of much fitness, 
yet a veterinarian of high class can not seek government service where 
his authority can be questioned by the men in the ranks. 
“Now, therefore, Mr. President, I hope that the amendments just 
read will be adopted for the reason that if reorganization of the army is 
to be had no more advanced step can be taken than one which will en¬ 
graft on our army service a veterinary corps. I hold that the expense 
of the corps will be paid and money saved by its adoption. 
“The losses to our government during the last war in horses by 
reason of a lack of proper medical care would support for years a veter¬ 
inary corps as provided in these amendments.’’ 
The following are extracts from the report of a special committee of 
the American Veterinary Medical Association: 
“ In France the veterinarian who enters the army on leaving one of 
the three Government schools enters the Cavalry School at Saunnir and 
has a year’s instruction in military education before being assigned to 
a regiment. In England and Italy it is the same; in Germany and 
Austria many of the veterinary students are soldiers before entering 
the schools, and have to serve a long probation as non-commissioned 
officers before their final examinations, when they become officers. 
“ We will not repeat what has been gone over in previous addresses 
and circulars of the necessity of a separate corps instead of the individ¬ 
ual veterinarians as they are now attached to cavalry regiments. The 
necessity is obvious. The artillery and the transportation animals of 
the Quartermaster’s and other departments must be provided for. 
“The cadets at West Point .should have a thorough course of in¬ 
struction in hippology, so that when they receive their commissions as 
officers and become responsible for the horses of a troop of cavalry or a 
battery of light artillery they should know something—as much as a 
layman can commence with—of the conformation of a horse, its physi¬ 
ology, stable hygiene, nutrient value of forage, and last, but not least, 
the care of the foot and shoeing. 
“ The cavalry and artillery schools at Forts Riley and Leavenworth 
