NEWS AND ITEMS. 
925 
being as active as when she captured the world’s record. 
The annual report of the United States Quartermaster 
General for the year ending June 30, 1899, shows that for the 
use of the U. S. army 7283 horses were purchased at a total 
cost of $790,998.21. At the date mentioned there remained in 
the possession of the army authorities 12,622 horses and 13,158 
mules, valued at over $2,500,000. 
A Distinguished Physician, in the Medical Record , com¬ 
paring the treatment of pneumonia at the beginning and close 
of the nineteenth century, says that in the 1 first epoch the main 
reliance was bleeding and counter-irritation, which are both 
now out of vogue. He regards the abandonment of phlebotomy 
as a distinct loss, as, though it was much abused, it left fewer 
diseased organs as a sequel. 
The Veterinarian in the Army. —The following letter, 
signed “ Cavalryman,” is from the Army and Navy Journal of 
Jan. 27: “The veterinary surgeons of our cavalry regiments 
have an anomalous position. The veterinarian is as important 
for the care of our horses as a surgeon is for the care of our 
men. In other words, he is a necessary adjunct to our cavalry 
service. He should be given an official status similar to that 
of our surgeon, and should have the privilege of retiring after 
an honorable and faithful service. As it is now, a veterinary 
surgeon is appointed by the Secretary of War, and assigned to 
a regiment and becomes a part of that regiment; yet he is re¬ 
garded as a civilian. He sees men grow old in the service and 
retire as a reward for their long and faithful service ; but he re¬ 
mains, no matter how old he grows or how long and faithful 
is his service. Now, that legislation is being considered with 
a view of improving the Army, the anomalous status of the 
veterinary surgeon should be corrected. They should be given 
the rank r pay, and allowances of an officer of cavalry.” 
An Electric Danger for Horses. —Herr Rusterholz, 
writing to the Schweizer Archiv and reported in The Veteri¬ 
nary Journal , relates a somewhat startling story which may 
put veterinary surgeons on their guard in these days when elec¬ 
tricity is used everywhere. He says that two carriage horses 
got into the habit of refusing to take their oats. They both 
appeared to be in perfect health, ate hay with appetite, and 
took their oats easily ; but at a given moment after they had 
consumed a part of their ration, they tried to take up the oats 
at the bottom of their iron manger and suddenly recoiled, mak¬ 
ing curious movements with their heads. The animals did 
