A treatise on the diseases of the ox; being a manual of bovine pathology, especially adapted for the use of veterinary practitioners and students

London: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1881. FIRST EDITION. With 2 full-page plates (the first being the frontispiece and in color), 116 text illustrations and 6 tables. Original publisher’s cloth; tear along upper portion of spine, otherwise an excellent copy overall. First edition of this guide to the diseases that can affect cattle, perfect for vets and cattle owners alike. The author introduces his subject with a general discussion on disease, treatment, therapeutics and materia medica, and follows it with more specific and focused chapters on diseases of the blood, of the circulatory system, of the digestive system, of the respiratory apparatus, of the urine and urinay apparatus, neurology, skeletal system and generative organs. Of particular interest is his discussion on wounds and other surgical conditions, and the book provides an index with a list of surgical operations and diagnostic means.

Steel (1855-1891) was an accomplished veterinary surgeon who authored a number of books aimed at educating vets, among them on the treatment of medical issues affecting camels, elephants, horses and dogs, in addition to oxen. After graduating from Royal Veterinary College in 1875, he worked at London College as an anatomy demonstrator until he went to serve in India in 1882. Apart from producing treatises, Steel founded The Quarterly Journal of Veterinary Science in India and Army Animal Management. In Steel’s view, this journal was of crucial importance to the establishment of veterinary science in the Raj. Over the years, army veterinarians had gathered invaluable information on the diseases and treatment of animals, but as long as their knowledge remained concealed within private journals and notebooks, it was worthless to the profession as a whole.