8
of a Farrier Sergeant from the Royal Artillery, who has lately obtained his dis-
charge, which will do away with this arrangement which does not work satis-
factorily.
The Assistant Veterinary Officers proved of great service both in the
Hospital and College. Owing to the paucity of graduates no one could be found
to fill the Third Assistant Veterinary Officer's post which had to be given to a
student selected from Class C.
Branches of study.
14. Anatomy.—Seventeen subjects were dissected during the year, an in-
crease of two over the previous year. Every effort
was made to preserve parts of bodies which were being
dissected, but it was found impossible, except at great risks to health, to keep
them longer than 48 hours. On account of this difficulty the anatomy students
were relieved of all other work on dissection days. To facilitate the study of
bovine anatomy, an additional skeleton of a bullock was put together by the
Instructor in Anatomy. Several diagrams were purchased appertaining to this
branch during the year.
The Physiology and Chemistry classes were conducted on the same lines
as last year with the exception that physiological chemistry was taught for the
first time and gone into as far as it was considered necessary.
Botany.—The want of a botanical garden is greatly felt. The Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals refused to grant a piece of ground in their
compound for this purpose; but I can now see my way, in the near future, to
overcome this difficulty by railing off a plot of the Government land attached to
the Lazaretto at Siwri, where such medicinal plants as are procurable will be
cultivated for teaching purposes. There is also urgent need for a garden for
the cultivation of fodder plants, so as to enable the students to recognize them.
Pharmacy.—The first-year students were as usual given every opportunity
of attending the Pharmacy, and instruction given to them in dispensing. The
Pharmacy having been mostly fitted up by the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals is not as complete as it ought to be, and is deficient in many
of the apparatus required for conducting the various pharmaceutical operations ;
this, 1 trust, will in time be remedied,
Pathology,—As far as the strictures placed upon the working of the College
by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals would allow, every
opportunity was taken to make post-mortem examinations, so as to show the
students the various morbid changes by the naked eye and the microscope.
Medicine and Surgery.—Here too the best was made of the situation and
such cases, as were admitted by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, were made the fullest use of for clinical purposes; but the practice of
the Hospital is limited to animals belonging to one class, and therefore is not
varied, and consequently of little value from a teaching point of view. Class C
students were on every possible occasion taken outside to see cases and assist
at operations. Animals were also bought for operative purposes, so as to give
these students every opportunity to gain knowledge in this direction, and to, as
far as possible, overcome the difficulty which the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals has created.
Shoeing.—Owing to there being no European Farrier in charge of the forge,
few horses came to be shod, consequently we had to fall back upon the cases
that came to Hospital for practical work.
Hygiene,—As the students were unable to obtain a proper knowledge of
grooming, fitting of saddles and harness and general stable management in the
Hospital stables, and what they did see was far from being correct, I did my
best to show them this elsewhere and also instituted practical demonstrations on
these subjects, by the purchase of appliances for this purpose at the expense of
the College. I further arranged with Sub-Conductor Kettle of the Commis-
sariat Department, who was attending the College as a casual student, to give a
course of demonstrations to the students on grooming, clipping, pack saddles and
fitting of saddles and harness, and through the kindness of the Chief Commis-
sariat Officer, Bombay, mules and pack saddles were from time to time placed at
my disposal whenever they were required for this purpose.