302 SCOTTISH METROPOLITAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION. 
honour you have conferred upon me I thank you, and will, there- 
fore, solicit your kind indulgence in any remarks I may make, assur- 
ing you that, at any rate, 1 will not detain you long. 
In the outset I simply remark that such an association as this is 
must be of paramount importance to all its members. As an indi- 
vidual, I have had great pleasure in attending the meetings ; the 
subjects brought before us have been very interesting and instruc- 
tive ; and while they are the means of diffusing useful knowledge, 
they at the same time serve to foster that unanimity which is so 
becoming and so desirable among professional brethren. 
We require help and counsel from each other, and here we enjoy 
it, at the same time learning the meaning of the double blessing. 
“We give — we receive,” and both are enriched by the exchange. 
Let such a spirit animate our meetings, and we shall have no cause 
to regret the few hours we spend in our associated capacity. 
I shall now very shortly refer, first to the profession itself, and 
then to the preliminary education thought necessary for entering 
upon it. For long the state of the veterinary profession was so 
stereotyped that it made little progress. Of late years, however, 
signs of new life are discernible, and we are now beginning to 
move in an upward direction. Rome, we know, was not built in a 
day, and we can scarcely expect to rise rapidly or to come to matu- 
rity at once. Hitherto, amidst great difficulties, we have been 
feeling our way, but still progressing, with so much success that in 
many localities the veterinary surgeon is respected, and his services 
valued equally with those of his neighbour in the medical pro- 
fession. 
And why not? The profession is an honorable one, and its mem- 
bers are qualified to move in a higher position than they generally 
do. To obtain such a position, however, the veterinary surgeon 
would require to be endowed with three important qualities. He 
must be possessed of stern integrity, and of tact and talent. In order 
for him to have confidence placed in him by his employers he must 
have such qualifications. In disputed cases it is expected that he 
can be relied upon, and he must be beyond suspicion in giving his 
opinion. It requires no ordinary degree of tact and talent to 
diagnose and treat the diseases of our domestic animals. The 
study of our patients is often most difficult, and the information 
gained from the attendants often tends more to bewilder than to 
guide us. We must turn to the animals themselves, and, as they 
are not given to feign or dissemble, by a minute discrimination we 
are enabled to form as correct a diagnosis as our medical brethren 
can, who have all the advantages of ascertaining by information 
from the patient himself his feelings, his pain, and the seat of it. 
Gentlemen, I think the want of uniformity of opinion, so common 
amongst the members of our profession, especially in the vexed 
question as to the soundness of horses, is much to be deplored. 
Cases occur every day which must have a very damaging effect to 
the profession in the minds of the public. I may cite one instance 
in illustration occurring in my own practice the other day. A horse 
