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CENTRAL VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY. 
(Official Report.) 
The monthly meeting of this Association was held on Thursday, 
April 6th, 1871, the President, George Fleming, Esq., F.R.G.S., 
M.R.C.V.S., &c., in the chair. 
After the minutes were read and signed, and other preliminaries 
arranged, the ballot was taken, which resulted in the unanimous 
election of Mr. W. Helmore, M.R.C.V.S., Stratford, Essex. Mr. 
J. E. Jarvis, a newly-elected fellow, being present, was formally 
introduced by the President. 
Influenza in Horses. 
Mr. F. J. Mavor desired permission to make some remarks on 
the subject of the paper — Influenza in Horses — which was read at 
the previous meeting. Being absent from that meeting, and unac- 
quainted with the nature of the proceedings, except as informed by 
the minutes, he thought one important point had been omitted — the 
peculiar and excessive amount of early prostration of power, involv- 
ing the involuntary as well as voluntary muscular systems. This 
led to extreme torpidity of the bowels, as well as heavy hard breath- 
ing, and, in his belief, the cause lay in the great nervous centres 
alone. It is important, he said, that the seat of disease should be 
correctly ascertained, in order to pursue a proper course of treat- 
ment. 
Mr. T. W. Gowing, sen., considered it necessary to inquire whe- 
ther the nervous depression does not arise from the altered state of 
the blood, viewing it as an effect, not the cause. If the nervous 
centres are first affected, we must inquire how that is brought 
about. 
Mr. W. Clark said he could not argue from large experience, but 
what he had already observed was the great tendency of influenza 
to assume varied forms and characters, and the depression alluded 
to might be absent in one or more of them. 
The President remarked that these observations were re-opening 
the discussion of the past meeting, and he thought it necessary to 
learn the opinion of those present on the desirability of resuming 
that which had been formally closed. 
After several fellows had spoken in favour of pursuing the sub- 
ject of Mr. Mavor’s observations, it was agreed to re-open the 
debate — to constitute the proceedings of the eveniug. 
Mr. Thos. Bur rill, jun., said the question before the meeting was 
evidently one of causes. In that raised by Mr. Mavor, who argued 
in favour of the nervous system being primarily affected, we might 
infer that such would bring about a relaxation of muscular fibre 
from diminished nerve force, and which terminates in the conges- 
