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These men have to contend with a very serious drawback in the fact that
after they leave the teaching institutions, having obtained their certificates,
they are, in the majority of cases, unable to avail themselves of an opportu-
nity of gaining practical experience in their work under the supervision
of a fully qualified man. This point has been markedly brought to my notice
during my experience of Veterinary Assistants for a considerable time. It is
generally admitted in the Veterinary profession that a man, in order to
become a sound practitioner must serve for a time under a practising Veteri-
nary Surgeon, even though he receives a training in our best European colleges,
and it appears evident that this is much more the case with the men in this
country who receive an elementary education to fit them to become "Assistants
to Veterinary Surgeons," which is all the vernacular Veterinary institutions
profess to give them. The advantage of practice under supervision has been
noted in the case, even, of Military Veterinary Assistants who have, before
going into districts, served for a time in the hospitals of their regiments under
proper supervision. Doubtless this is a very difficult point to arrange for, in
the present state of affairs, owing to the paucity of Veterinary Officers in the
Civil Veterinary Department. It is rendered the more difficult owing to the
want of system which so often characterises the method of dealing with the
men in the districts.
563. At the present time a man with a veterinary certificate may be engaged
by a local authority and placed in independent charge of an extensive tract of coun-
try, entrusted with the arrangements for dealing with various serious contagious
plagues of animals, and with no code of rules or regulations to guide him in his
work and subject only to the supervision of the native district officials. Are the
men, as a rule, qualified to assume an independent charge of this importance
and magnitude ? My own experience is that they are in no way fitted, nor is it
pretended by the institutions which turn them out that they are. In nine cases
out of ten the men never have an opportunity of seeing a case of such diseases
as rinderpest, anthrax, pleuro-pneumonia, tuberculosis, surra, and the theoretical
knowledge which they receive at the schools is, in regard to these diseases, of the
most elementary description, and I cannot admit that the men should be expected
to deal with these maladies in a way which is calculated to ensure good results.
The fact of the men being practically solely under the supervision of the dis-
trict officials who do not understand these questions, tends to make matters even
worse so far as the suppression of plagues is concerned, for they are expected to
achieve impossibilities. It is hoped that the scheme for the subordinate veteri-
nary establishment of the Civil Veterinary Department will make provision for
this point and ensure men being supervised and directed by a fully qualified and
experienced Veterinary officer, and by men of superior training and education
belonging to the subordinate veterinary establishment, placed over the Veteri-
nary Assistants of certain groups of districts.
564. Another serious drawback is the inability of these men to read English
books and periodicals, and the lack of any vernacular journal for their use.
It may be remembered that during the time I was at the Lahore Veterinary
College a vernacular veterinary journal was edited for the use of these men
and met with very great appreciation. Unfortunately on my being ordered to
Poona to do duty in the Bacteriological laboratory the issue had to be discon-
tinued owing to my duties being too heavy to allow of my continuing it. The
journal was offered as a going concern, but unfortunately no one could be
found to take it up. Hence, as it is at present, the men have no opportunity
of keeping themselves up in their work or of improving their knowledge.
Doubtless, much has been done by the native teachers at the Lahore College
by the issue of text books which I was the first to encourage, but I venture to
think that the issue of a good vernacular journal is very desirable in order
that more detailed information regarding many important diseases not dealt
with in the text books should be made available to them. On my return to
Lahore I hope to be in a position to re-edit this journal which will appear
quarterly.