Show FOR VETERINARY SURGEONS TH BILL TO PROVIDE THEM FOR TH AMY United States Far Behind Other Nations Na-tions in this Respect Tho Need and Duties Clearly Pointed Out Washington April Z3The legislation now under consideration for the establishment estab-lishment of a veterinary corps In theV United States army brings Into prom nence to the surprise of many a most disgraceful condition of neglect both In point of economy of elllclency and of thecare of health of our large army of 100000 men with over 20000 horses and mules for the cavalry artillery and quartermasters transportation To the average mind beforelooking Inlo the subject the functions of the army veterinarian are just what they have been and there are In fact today in the United States army horse doctors doc-tors employed under about the salmc conditions as civilian teamsters Are to treat the lameners or the colic or some other disease after It has gone so far as to render the animal unserviceable unser-viceable There Is not as much method and economy In the present service as Is I found a necessity or as there Is In the stables of any large brewery contractor con-tractor or stock farm In the country most of whom do employ competent veterinarians at salaqs higher than the pay of the lower grades of commissioned commis-sioned olllcers In the army A petition forwarded to Congress by the American Ameri-can Veterinary filed leal association summarizes the condlllons as follows The United Stales has nearly 3000 000 invested in its army horses and mules each year and Us soldiers consume con-sume an enormous quantity of animal food annually and that The United States is the only civilized civ-ilized government In the world whose army has not a veterinary corps or any proper provision for the care of thc health of Us nnlniala and for the inspection In-spection of the animal food which Its soldiers consume and that Numerous States have in the last two decades established veterinary schools educating veterinarians to be the scientific peers of oilier medical men and that The work of the bureau of animal industry of the Department of Agriculture Agricul-ture and the several State veterinarians veterina-rians and of the various agricultural schools and experiment stations has shown lint there are numbers of vet ernarlans now In this country who by education experience and ability are worthy officials of the Government a o 0 Under an act of March 2 1SOO for the first lime an examination to show the competency of the l veivrnarlaiiH employed em-ployed In the cavalry was required for what were termed the llrslclass veterinarians I veter-inarians while none IN required for the second claps none Is required Jor Ihoso employed by the qiwriurmaslers de pall mllt 01 the artillery for there an Irregular class of men Is I employed by the day or month with no future no responsibility re-sponsibility no olllclal position they are civilian employees with no authority author-ity and educated and competent men will not accept these positions Examination Exam-ination of the regulations of the veterinary veter-inary service in all European countrlei and even In thc army of Japan shows In each n completely organized Hcrvlco entailing duties which are unheard of I in the United States army The English army has a principal veterinary surgeon with a rank of Colonel Colo-nel fortytwo secondclass principal I veterinary surgeons with the rank of LieutenantColonel and Major 189 first I veterinary surgeons with the rank of First Lieutenant ninetyone assistant I veterinary surgeons with the rank of I SubLIeu tenant The German army has sixteen corps I I of veterinarians with uniform corresponding corre-sponding to Major fortyeight brigade veterinarians with uniform corresponding correspond-ing to Captains recently created 11G regimental veterinarians with uniform corresponding to First Lieutenant 215 veterinary surgeons with uniform corresponding cor-responding to Second Lieutenant lOG assistant veterinarians ranking as Sergeant Major The veterinarians i1 rank as higher military officials i In the Italian army there IH un nip n-ip ctor nerl of military veterinary medicine with the rank of Colonel one I veterinarian with the rank of Colonel and one with the rank of Lieutenant l with Inspector generals olllce at head auartera of the army two with rank of LieutenantColonel and ten wIth that of Major lo the twelve army corps ns Inspector of public animals twenty four with rank of Captain and forty I eight with rank of Lieutenant to the I twentyfour regiments of the cavalry I twelve with rank of Captain and twen J lyfour with rank o Lieutenant to the twelve regiments of the artillery Il twelve with rank of Captain and thlr tyslx with rank c g Lieutenant In the bnttnllony of the train two with the rank of Lieutenant to engineer corps I one with rank of Captain to military school ono rank of Captain two rank of Lieutenant to cavalry school In the Belgium army there la lhi I chief of service Chief veterinarians LieutenantColonel twelve chiefs of service two principal veterinarians Majors ten regimental veterinarians first class Captains There are twcn tytwo adjuncts to chief of service Five regimental veterinarians second I class CaptaIns en second nine vet rrlnarlans second class 1Ieu eI I eight veterinarians third class Sub LIeutenant I Every military school has n course 01 j instruction on hlppology as complete as can be given to a layman so that I the ofllcers In taking charge of an animal ani-mal understand the conformation of a horse the value of a forage the principles I princi-ples o stable hygelne and the care of ian Ian i-an animal First sergeants and far I rlers arc given thorough Instructions In I I thu fundamental principles of the anatomy anat-omy of the foot shooing care of animals ani-mals and the emergency treatment of ordinary diseases None of this exists In the United Slates In Europe every board of officers appointed for the pur I I chase of horses has as one member an army veterinarian an expert trained i In the details of false conformation I and In the diagnosis l of the disease which will escape the observatIon of I I the cavalry or artillery olllcer though the latter may by long experience br I I i Infinitely the superior or better expert in selecting the l type of animal wanted 1 I for draught or saddle I I Vhllo the professional veterinary work In any of Its details can be performed per-formed by the employment of a Mvll veterinarian as has been the custom in the quartermasters department and as many of the cavalry and artillery posts this method Is not satisfactory i It IH more expensive and the civil vet i crlnarlun Is not responsible for lie I work beyond the moment of Us performance I per-formance Veterinarians educated In I botany and chemistry are required for I the Inspection of oats hays and other l forage and experts learned in the science I I sci-ence of hygeino arc employed In the prevention of disease In stables corrals cor-rals and on transports I In the United Slates army all this Is loft lo the accident of what practical training an officer of the line or In the quartermasters department may have f acquired In Europe all animal food for the soldiers j sol-diers Is Inspected on the hoof and dressed by the army veterinarians before be-fore It Is Issued as rations Our army depends upon a chanco of the meat I food coming from a packinghouse which employ veterinarians of the bureau bu-reau of animal Industry It Is I not required I re-quired after all the notoriety In regard to the uninspected meal of the Span ishAmerican war there Is not today a qualified meat Inspector Jn the United States army A commissary or oilier officei may know the difference between spoiled meat and fresh but he and even the medical ofllcer Is not familiar with the cyslerlcercus of tape worm the rIch enac the lesions of tuberculosIs or Other diseases as they occur In animals rendering them unlit for food C A HAMILTON J |