Home – Home – Jornals – Humanitarian sciences in Siberia 2018 number

The article is devoted to the veterinary care of the Russian army during the First World War (1914-1917). The horse corps’ quality in the army was an important part of the military activities of the Russian troops. The cavalry, military baggages of infantry units, the artillery unit, horse-drawn vehicles of the nearest rear - all these horses needed veterinary care. An integral part of such care was animals’ treatment, bringing them up to necessary conditions to serve in the armed forces and epidemics prevention. Therefore, the veterinary unit of the front needed skilled doctors and paramedics, as well as the material equipment of veterinary facilities. A significant number of cavalry formations in the troops and the massive use of horses as transportation required veterinary care. Horses suffered from injuries, malnutrition, illnesses and sometimes epidemics in military terms. Military vets were responsible for struggling such phenomena, they performed their duty in spite of the constant staff shortage. As the war dragged on, a coherent system of veterinary services was built up in the Russian army allowing timely treatment of animals, as well as carrying out preventive works. In addition to horse units of the army, military veterinarians were responsible for maintaining cattle supplied for the troop allowance. Various animals were transported to the front alive, for example, cattle, sheep, and pigs. Most of them were sent to the military expenditure droves, where there was a veterinary examination, necessary treatment and slaughter. Preventing diseases of animals intended for slaughter was an important task of the veterinary service. Purchases of foreign livestock for the army in various Asian countries exacerbated the fight against epizootics through vaccination. In general, the veterinary and sanitary supervision was carried out quite successfully complicated only by the lack of necessary people, food for animals, transport facilities. However, the dedicated work of the military veterinarians supported by the rare efforts managed to prevent mass disease and death of horses and cattle at the front during the war. It greatly contributed to the success of military operations.