CORRESPONDENCE. 
593 
questions for that time, in the presence of the candidate, and the 
examination proceeded under close supervision. 
The subjects were as follows : 
First Day (6 hours)—Grammar, arithmetic, geography. 
Second Day (6 hours)—History, conformation and soundness, sani¬ 
tary medicine. 
Third Day (6 hours)—Anatomy and physiology, descriptive and 
operative surgery, materia medica and therapeutics. 
Fourth Day (5 hours)—Pathology, practice of medicine, horseshoe¬ 
ing. _ 
Fifth Day (5 hours)—Meat inspection, veterinary hygiene, equita¬ 
tion. 
Sixth Day—Physical examination. 
Sample of questions : 
Anatomy. —Describe the digestive apparatus ; urinary apparatus. 
Physiology. —Describe and give functions of the solid organs in the 
abdominal cavity. How long does food remain in the stomach of 
solipeds ? 
Surgery .— Etiology, pathological lesions, descriptive anatomy, 
diagnosis and treatment for pus in the gutteral pouches. Operation for 
poll evil, lesions, anatomy, diagnosis, treatment, operation, also cause. 
Materia Medica. —Questions on the alkaloids, doses, etc. 
Practice of Medicine. —Ascaries megilocephalis in the horse, descrip¬ 
tion and its effects. Pinkeye, its cause, diagnosis, incubation, duration, 
treatment, inoculation, etc. Contagious pustular stomatitis, its cause, 
diagnosis, treatment and prevention. 
Meat Inspection. —Pretty nearly the whole subject. 
Sanitary Medicine. —Contagious diseases affecting the horse, their 
eradication, steps to be taken on discovery, disinfection, etc. 
Veterinary Hygiene. —Air space in stables, ventilation, selection of 
camps, watering and feeding. 
Conformation. —Examination for soundness. Outline of a good 
cavalry horse, ages from 4 to 10 as indicated by teeth, giving diagrams. 
External form to be illustrated by diagram. 
Equitation. —Saddling, bitting, riding, packing saddle, centre of 
gravit}-, etc. 
Horseshoeing. —Care of feet, application of shoe, preparation of foot, 
Charlier shoe, Fitzwagram shoe, ordinary shoe, hot and cold fitting. 
Pathology. —Inflammation, necrosis, emboli, thrombi ; post-mortem 
examination, how made, lesions to be looked for and where. 
These are a few of the technical questions given from 
memory, as it was requested by the authorities that the ques¬ 
tions be not copied, and a request in the military service is 
equivalent to an order to a good soldier. 
The questions on the graded subjects could be readily 
answered by those possessing a public school education, and 
were of course practicable. 
The Washington board consisted of three cavalry officers 
and one veterinarian. I do not know who the latter gentleman 
