The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-11
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM A TION
BURE AU.
DOCroRING THE WAR HORSE.
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. J
Washington. d. c.

DOCTORING THE WAR HORSE.
Washington, D. c., May S.-This
is the first war in which any organized
attempt has been made to conserve
the lives of horses. In the Crimean
war, the Boer war, the Russo-Japan-
csc war, and even recently in the
war of the Balkans horses were sacri-
feed on an enormous scale. Tales of
horses that lay for days, wounded and
helpless, on battIefields deserted by an
advancing army, of blind horses that
died slow death of starvation, and of
rivers changed to red by horses blood
were sufficiently horrible to start a
movement among horse-loVers to pre-
vent their recurrence. But 1t Is from
an economic, rather than a sentiment
tai point of view that the lives of
horses are SO carefully guarded in this
war.
1t is the same kind of economy that
demands the conservation of all nu-
man wreckage of the battlefield, and
of metal shrapnel as we'll. 1t Is the
economy that has created a recon-
struction force equally as numerous.
equally as scientific and equally as
necessary as the force of destruction.
The horse that goes to war today Is
as carefully protected, with the ex-
lception of insurance, as the man VINO
rides him. He is chosen by the pur-
chasing officers with as much care as
to his physical capacity and suitable
ity And when he gets to the firing
line there is an army veterinarian to
look after him.
The purchasing of army horses is
done by the quartermasters corps OF
1.-THE war department. After being pass
ed upon by a purchasing board OF ex-
perts, they are brought in large num-
bers by agents of the war department
to the horse recruiting stations, where
they are carefully inspected by the
army veterinarians. AS in the case OF
, enlisted men, when a great many
horses are brought together IL usuaiiy
develops that many are affhcted with
various maladies such as strangies,
FLANDERS and influenza. Hence, the
sick cases must be isolated, ana the
other horses inoculated withVacclneS
prepared as preventives
IT is Interesting to discover that the
} practice of taking the pa1lentS ten II.
perature and making him display MS
tongue is not one originated by phy-
sicians merely to embarrasS or I'M
press their cases. For they take the
I horses temperature, and look at MS
tongue, too Moreover, the same drugs
are administered to him that are ad-
ministered to the human animals. only
(poor horse!) in larger doses.
When the horses have been thoroly
inspected and their physical condition
l
distributed among the various train
ling camps. Even here, the horse is
kept under close surveillance by army
> veterinarians detailed to each camp
t They must see that his living quarters
, are clean and comfortable. and, above
, all, that they are well ventilated. The
horse is fresh air fiend. They must
, also make sure that his drinking wa
: There are certain water-borne diseases
= that are contracted by horses. so that
! his drinking supply requires as care
! full analysis as that of man.
: His forage, moreover, must be
a scrupulously inspected by the veteri-
5 marian, for the horse is an animal
! which is very fastidious about his food
r and possesses firm and unalterabie
habits of eating. Unlike the amiable
| COW and the hog, the horse insists
5 upon his food being clean, which is not
an unreasonable demand when you
consider that horses are subject to at
: lacks of forage poisoning quite as ter
ri6le as the human ptomaine poison
ing. Furthermore, he likes his food to
be served at the same time every day.
1t is a we'll known horse fact that ami
mails fed at different intervals every
day lose their appetites and finally
their robust health.
: Under this elaborate care, it might
be expected that nothing could happen
| to disturb the life of the horse, but
tnlS is not a correct dSSuHlpllOH MdHy
. things can happen to him. He can
5 contract bronchitis, or pneumonia, or
tuberculosis, or sprained tendon or
Z any number of Affections visited also
l upon man. There is still plenty of
I work for the army veterinarian. Dis
, tributed among the various training
3 camps are horse hospitals in charge
of veterinary surgeons, and horses be-
coming ill debilitated are imme-
diately removed to them. Here they
cd
: and then put in nice green meadow
for a period of convalescence.
Frequently, a veterinarian finds that
, there is nothing the matter with a
horse except his teeth. These often be-
come misshapen from constant grind
. ing and prevent him from masticating
his food properly, so that he begins
i, to evidence signs of under-nouriSh-
ment. In this event he is led into a
hospital stall, his head placed in a
), skillful appliance that holds his
mouth open, and the army veterinar-
. ian proceeds to file or remove his bad
I teeth. Fortunately for the horse,
however, the nerves of his teeth are
so that all horses that have reached
!, this age of discretion suffer no pain
l in having their teeth treated.
The veterinary corps is an impor-
|, tant division of the medical depart
ment, under Surgeon-General Gorgas
1t has a large personnel, including
1878 officers, 500 reserve officers and
10000 enlisted men, all of whom are
kept extremely busy, for there are
100000 horses and mules serving in
v the American army.
In Europe the health of the horse
4 is guarded as carefully as it is in this
: country. He is inspected at the port
. of Decentralization, and he is inspected
again when he reaches the mobiliza-
I ton camp. Army veterinarians &C.
I.,nr ,<,I, iCfr 81 hr %I,,i
| goes to the front When a horse fall.
| in battle and there is no hope for hi:
] recovery, someone is there to Shoot
him; if his wound is one that viii