338 
A. A. HOLCOMBE. 
ism, jet when viewed from the proper standpoint the Govern¬ 
ment’s action was a worthy tribute to a profession as yet scarcely 
born to American soil. 
Turning to Liautard’s “ History and Progress of Veterinary 
Medicine,” published in the first issue of the American Veteri¬ 
nary Review of 1877, we find that at this time the public could 
have known but little of our profession, for there were but few 
practitioners all told, and most of these were non-graduates, while 
as yet they had no representative organization. Only two States 
had recognized the profession—Massachusetts in 1855 by charter¬ 
ing the Boston Veterinary Institute, and New York in 1857 by 
chartering the New York College of Veterinary Surgeons. But 
at this date the first school had ceased to exist and the latter was 
not in working order, so that it can scarcely be said they had 
accomplished the acquaintance of the public. 
To recognize then, even though in name only, that which had 
merely an existence at the time, must certainly be considered a 
flattering testimonial to the estimated value which the Govern¬ 
ment placed on veterinary medicine. 
But the exigencies of war, particularly the terrible loss of 
horses and mules during the first two years, served to impress the 
Government with the importance of the service which veterinary 
surgeons might render, and so we find Congress taking the matter 
in hand, recognizing the Surgeon as distinct from the Sergeant 
and increasing his pay to $75 per month. Not satisfied with this 
improvement, the War Department a little later in the year de¬ 
termined to test the candidate’s qualifications by an examination 
before a board of officers before making an army Veterinary Sur¬ 
geon of him. 
Possibly it may be objected that this improvement in the 
Veterinary Surgeon’s position was not productive of the results 
which no doubt were desired, i. <?., the employment of competent 
Veterinary Surgeons, for it may with apparent reason be claimed 
that the compensation was not sufficient to secure their services. 
While this view of the question is in part justifiable, a brief 
consideration of the circumstances will, 1 believe, conclusively 
prove that at that time no better terms could have been justly 
