98 
objection, namely, that a paper, no matter how important 
or pressing its contents, read say in February, had no 
chance of publication for at least a year, and more probably 
fourteen or fifteen months after date. It was felt that this 
delay was a standing source of weakness to the Society, that 
authors of papers of any special interest could not afford to 
let their work remain hidden away so long before seeing 
daylight, and that to attract the more interesting and im- 
portant class of papers we must give greater facilities for 
earlier publication. Owing chiefly to the energy of our 
Honorary Reporting Secretary, the matter was thoroughly 
taken up by the Council, and it was eventually decided that 
for the future the ‘“ Proceedings ”’ of the Society should be 
published in two parts, the first part to contain the papers 
read during the first half of the year, the second part to 
contain those read during the second half, together with the 
reports of meetings, list of members, balance-sheet, &c. 
Owing to some amount of detail having to be arranged 
with regard to the altered method of publication, it was 
somewhat late in the year before the Council were justified 
in passing the scheme, but upon its completion no time was 
lost in taking advantage of it, both the Honorary Reporting 
Secretary and Mr. South, who has very generously acted as 
Editor for some time past, pressing the publication forward 
with all possible speed, with the result that Part I of 1897, 
containing papers read up to the middle of September, was 
in the hands of members during the autumn. The printer’s 
bill for this Part I of the ‘‘ Proceedings”’ has been paid 
within the year instead of after its completion, which, you 
will see, readily accounts for the smaller cash balances, 
and of course there will be proportionately less of last year’s 
printiny to be paid for in the present year’s accounts. You 
will, I think, agree with me that the two apparently con- 
tradictory statements referred to are in reality quite in 
harmony. 
There has been some change in the personnel of the 
Council during the year. It is not my intention to dwell 
upon the details, but I take this asa fitting opportunity to 
put on record the sympathy felt by the Society with one of 
its members, who, owing to severe domestic affliction, found 
it impossible to retain his seat upon the Council. I would 
also take this same opportunity to offer our congratulations 
to one other member, whose preferment to an important 
position as a medical officer necessitated his removal from 
London to a distance too great to admit of his continuing 
