164 W. A. KIDD,. ESQ., M-D:, B.S., M.R-C.S., F.2.8., ON 
Professor OrcHarp, D.Sc., in response to the Chairman, said : 
In response to your invitation, Mr. Chairman, I am very glad to 
express our sense of debt which we owe to Dr. Kidd for his 
thoughtful and suggestive paper this evening. 
The subject of the protection of animals is, of course, a sub- 
sidiary branch of the great argument of design. It is a branch, 
however, which has generaliy been very much neglected. Dr. 
Kidd has done good service in the cause of truth in calling 
attention to it this evening. 
The AvurHor, in reply, said: I am much obliged to you for your 
very kind reception of this paper, which 1 am afraid was rather 
hurriedly written and is imperfect in parts. 
I did not refer to anything in regard to the protection of man 
because that to deal with this subject would require a paper itself. 
It is well worthy of study—the subject of the protection that is 
given to almost every part and organ of the human body, the veins 
and arteries and those structures, apart from his own powers of 
taking care of himself. J often think that one of the most wonderful 
things is the little tube called the thoracic duct, conveying the 
lymph from the abdominal regions to the venous organs. It is 
in a most elaborately and carefully arranged position, so that it 
is never pressed upon by any large organ, and a wound in that 
tube or a stoppage is quite a rare case in medicine; illustrating 
the way in which this means of communication from one portion 
of circulation to the other has been thought out and protected. 
I can see no other view than that it is a matter of infinite 
and perfect knowledge and design. The substance is softer than 
a vein and far more important than a main vein, simply because 
there are no other means of communicating this immense supply 
of lymph to the body than by this little channel provided with 
valves. 
The CHarrman.—Perhaps Dr. Kidd may be induced some day, 
either this session or next, to give us a paper on this particular 
subject. (Applause.) He referred to Mr. Lyddeker’s work. I 
suppose that is the Royal Natural History ? 
Dr. Kipp.—Yes, and Dr. Sclater ? 
The Cuatrman.-—Yes, and Dr. Sclater’s. I have been recently 
turning over its pages with the greatest admiration. I think it is 
one of the most beautiful works on Natural History that was ever 
