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A. A. HOLCOMBE. 
secure the sendees of even average veterinary practitioners, and 
as a consequence there is but little real ability in the Deparment. 
2nd. There is no effective attempt made to secure the interest 
of the Veterinary Surgeons who are serving in the army. There 
is no stimulus to do more than necessity demands. 
3rd. Some of the Veterinary Surgeons are incompetent to 
practice in any place or under any circumstances. 
4th. The Veterinary Surgeon’s authority is too limited to 
allow his services to become fully effective. 
If, then, the Department is to be made of any practical value 
to the army, the existing obstacles must be overcome. Let Con¬ 
gress place this Department on a level with the Medical Depart¬ 
ment and there will be no difficulty in securing the services of the 
ablest veterinary surgeons—men who will be of indispensable 
value to the army, to the profession and to the country. 
There is a great plenty of work for them to do. I do not 
mean simple routine practice , but that higher labor which begins 
with investigation and results in discoveries of importance to 
all mankind. 
Until the opportunity is offered, this work will not be accom¬ 
plished by the Veterinary Surgeons of the army, and the stimulus 
will consist in a salary that will at least preclude want, a chance 
ior promotion, the privilege of retirement after a prescribed length 
of service or from old age, and a pension to his family in case of 
death. 
All these conditions and privileges are denied him to-day. 
It is time the army had rid herself of all incompetent surgeons, 
it matters not whether they are graduates or non-graduates. 
In the future none should be appointed unless their abilities 
are known to be at least up to the average. The simple fact that 
the candidate has graduated from a veterinary college is by no 
means conclusive evidence that he will prove an efficient surgeon 
for the army. His adaptability for the service should be tested 
before he receives permanent appointment. 
When the Army Veterinary Surgeon is made an officer whose 
professional opinion shall carry with it the authority vouchsafed 
now to the Army Surgeon, his services may become effective. As 
