Van kwade droes tot erger : een historisch onderzoek naar de rol van het militaire paard in de oorlogvoering, zijn leven, zijn lijden en zijn veterinaire verzorging (1762-1874)

Abstract

My research regarding the function of the horse mentioned in the literature of military history, and the development of equine medicine in particular since 1762, when the first veterinary school was opened in Lyon, occurred as a result of two happenings. The first was the transcription of the diary of my great-great-great grandfather, General Jan Egbert van Gorkum, written during the famous Hundred Days War, which began with Napoleon's flight from Elba and ended with the Battle of Waterloo; in the diary the subject of horses was of particular interest to me. The second was my discovery of a monument in Winchester, England, in memory of the four hundred thousand horses which perished during the Boer War. The most important conclusion which can be drawn as a result of my historical research is that the role of the military horse in times of war is minimal in literature. For the horse to be mentioned is a great exception. As the British historian Keegan indicated in 'The face of battle' where he wanted to give attention to the ordinary soldier, as in most literature works only kings, princess, commanders and generals are mentioned, I wanted to pay attention in this dissertation to the functioning, the life and the suffering of the military horse. Horses were amongst the most important protagonists in war during the last two thousand five hundred years. What progress has been made in medical support and care of the horse as a result of the advance of equine veterinary knowledge since the middle of the eighteenth century? That the appearance of the military equine veterinary surgeon in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries occasioned no noteworthy improvement for the military horse can be attributed to diverse factors. Firstly, the fact that equine veterinary knowledge, as was the case with human medical knowledge, was largely based on ideas stemming from humorale pathology, as a result of which the treatment had frequently little effect, and indeed could be harmful for the patient. Besides, the hierarchical position of the military veterinary surgeon was so low that his instructions and advice given, mainly on zoological matters (feed, housing, care etc.) although extremely useful, were mostly ignored by his superiors. The cooperation of the farriers was also far from ideal as the importance of their role had considerably decreased with the introduction of the Alfort School. The former were of the opinion that their practical knowledge was far greater than the theoretical knowledge introduced by the 'artistes veterinaires'. In this dissertation, it is also highlighted that the glanders and horse scurvy were the most frequent infectious diseases which affected the military horse. Both diseases could be effectively fought towards the end of the nineteenth century, when the causes were identified and effectively treated. Most military forces treated the diseases effectively, but in the French army the infections lasted, as the French were of the opinion that the diseases appeared spontaneously; they did not accept the diagnosis,and thought that treatment was therefore not necessary.