Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1917 — WAR HAS MANY EQUINE HEROES [ARTICLE]

WAR HAS MANY EQUINE HEROES

Rival the Men in Distinguished Service on the Battle Front in France. GET BEST OF FOOD AND CARE ~~ ----- -' ' ■ - i ■* ... Horses Find the Front More Nearly Approaches Their Idea of Heaven Than Home—Hospital Service Most Efficient. With the British Armies in France.— It--would he difficult, to find a more pampered lot of beings than the war horses. In the stress of battle they suffer with the men, but the number of equine “casualties” among the hundreds of thousands of horses employed is very small. There are veterans-among the horses who have been wounded three or four times, there are even those who have suffered nervous breakdowns from the shattering shock of shells. If they were men in khaki they , would have gold stripes of honor upon . their sleeves, but the faithful old horses go back to the front time and time again, asking nothing in the way of rank or distinction. '-•x

What they get instead is the very best of food and plenty of ity4he kindest of care and the keenestf appreciation of the services they render. Visitors to the battle zohe invariably express amazement at the appearance anil condition of the horses. — — reason for the splendid appearance of the horses at the front is the Tact that the moment-one begins to show signs of over fatigue or debilitation he is taken out of service and sent back to a hospital,to recuperate. ~ The hospitals provided for them by the army must very nearly approach the horse’s idea of heaven. It is a joy to go into one of the convalescent “wards,” especially at meal times. Sometimes the convalescents stand air most nose to nose, and if the horse across «the way gets Ids hay first there is a terrible hullabaloo. Fed Four Times a Day. All the horses In hospitals are fed foufalmes a' daj - . The more debttitated -ones tfcre fed five c and six times. When they are particularly run down and in danger of being mistaken for beneyard hatraeks pf some sort) the patients get -nothing but cooked foods, and they fairly revel in them. They have tonics, too, and It Is remarkable to see the Improvement In their condition that a few’ weeks work. Thg diet for “debilities” consists of oatmeal groel, linseed gru&! boiled turnips and scalded oats. Later they get* crushed oats aa.d chopped hay, and. almost before they

know it are in the convalescent ward. The operating rooms with their big beds spread upon the concrete floors are as cheery and immaculate as if intended for human beings. For all except the most minor operations an anaesthetic is administered. “The horses take the chloroform remarkably well,” said the officer commanding one of the hospitals to the correspondent of the Associated Press. “I don’t think we have lost' but one patient in the last six months.” “Patient” seems a most appropriate designation for the horses. They are very- pictures of patience until they reach the stage of convalescence. Each patient has a little aluminum tag and a hospital chart which fells his age, color, where he came from, what he shall have to eat and drink and take, when he shall have a nice hot bath, arid various notations as to his condition and behavior. There is a personal touch about the treatment of the horses which in itself bespeaks the esteem in which they are held. Walking about the wards the genial “O. C.” had a kind word or two for his patients. It' seemed a particularly human tiling to ; do. -■ - A Glass Eye for One. “This old charger,” he said of one, “is a great favorite in the hospital. He has been one of the bravest of the brave, has lost an eye in battle, and so we call him Nelson. I am going to send to Paris and get him a good glass eye before he goes back to the front.” So thorough Is the work of the veterinary service that if a patient develops a contagious disease all the horses in the unit from which he came are called In for disinfection and-ex-amination. So successful is the work that 82 per cent of all sick cases and • “casualties” are returned to active service. “If we were dealing with human beingk,” said the officer commanding, “we could run the percentage up to ~th«L_ nineties. But unfortunately In dealing with the horses we have at times to weigh their cases In the scales of pounds, shillings and pence. In other words, we have to decide whether It will pay to save the animal. Is he too ol«j( to be of much service when he Is eured, or will the course of treatment be., so long and expensive as to outweleh value of future usefnlness7 In striving for war efficiency and the highest potentiality of borSe pmvflr all these things must be ‘Considered! It is the old, old story again of. the survival of the fittest. is no other way.” Some idea of the number of American horses “doing their bit” in the war can be gained from the fact that 40 per cent of all admitted to hospital come from the Statuo.