ARMY VETERINARY MEDICINE. 
401 
ARMY VETERINARY MEDICINE. 
ITS HISTORY ; THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE ARMY VETERIN¬ 
ARY SURGEON ; HIS RIGHTS AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF A SCIEN¬ 
TIFIC PROFESSION, AND WHAT IS REQUIRED BY THE GOVERN¬ 
MENT TO ESTABLISH AN EFFICIENT VETERINARY DEPART¬ 
MENT. 
By A. A. Holcombe, D.V.S., Veterinary Inspector U. S. A. 
(Continued from page 349.) 
This completes a short description of the individuals compos¬ 
ing the Army Veterinary Corps—two of them graduates of the 
American Veterinary College, two of the New York College of 
Veterinary Surgeons, one of the Toronto Veterinary College, 
and three of the English College; while four are not graduates. 
It would, perhaps, seem ungenerous under the circumstances, to 
suggest that Army Veterinary Surgeons in the United States 
should be graduates of American schools, and yet I am of 
opinion it would only be just to restrict appointments to such. 
Under existing orders controlling the Department, they must be 
secured wherever they may be had, but if the Veterinary Surgeon 
is made a commissioned officer so that the position will be con¬ 
sidered worthy of acceptance by the best, the Government owes 
it to our home colleges to give them first opportunity to supply 
the army’s needs in this regard. 
There seems to be some difficulty about filling the vacancies 
in the Fourth, Tenth, and First Regiments, but whether the fault 
lies with the applicants, the want of applicants, or with the au¬ 
thorities, I do not know. If the credentials of the applicants are 
satisfactory, I am not aware of any legal right by which the Sec¬ 
retary of War may refuse to make an appointment, for the law 
says the first six cavalry regiments shall have one Veterinary 
Surgeon apiece, and the remaining four regiments two apiece ; 
seemingly not leaving the matter to be determined by the incli¬ 
nation of the commanding officer of the regiment, nor the 
pleasure of the Secretary of War. 
But be the cause of the vacancies what it may, there are cer¬ 
tainly no inducements for the qualified veterinarian to enter the 
