SCOTTISH METROPOLITAN VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY. 161 
SCOTTISH METROPOLITAN VETERINARY 
MEDICAL SOCIETY. 
The above Society held their usual quarterly meeting in Mrs. 
Cumming’s Hotel, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, on Wednesday, 22nd 
December, at 2 o’clock p.m. The meeting was well attended. 
Present: Professor Williams (Edinburgh); Messrs. Baird 
(Edinburgh), Aitken (Dalkeith), M £ Cormachie (Selkirk), Boothwick 
(Kirkliston), Cunningham (Slateford), Anderson (Glasgow), 
Cummings (Edinburgh), Aitken (Edinburgh), and the Secretary. 
In the absence of the President (William Robertson, Esq., Kelso) 
through pressing professional engagements, Professor Williams 
(Edinburgh) was called to the chair. The minutes of last meeting 
were read and approved of. 
The private business of the Society having been concluded, the 
Chairman stated that Mr. Cunningham would now introduce his 
essay — 
On Some of our Successes and Failures in Practice. 
It is with some regret, but yet with pleasure, that I find myself 
in my present position. I cannot but feel that the bringing forward 
of this, the third paper for discussion, should not have been 
entrusted to ["me, when other members, from long practice and 
experience in the profession, are better qualified and more entitled 
to address you. Still, convinced of the benefits of our association, 
and anxious to do all I can to promote its advancement, I willingly 
avail myself of this opportunity to try, at least, to perform part of 
my duty towards it. 
In choosing a subject on which to address you, I have had some 
little difficulty. I at first thought of making a few remarks on 
some particular disease or class of diseases ; but it occurred to me 
that such, probably, would be the subjects of future essays and 
discussions, and that it would be better first to take, as it were, a 
general look at our practice, to ascertain, if possible, how we stand 
with regard to it. — What good have we done, what evil checked ? 
What diseases do we think we understand, and can prevent or cure, 
and what as yet baffle our best efforts ? What difficulties can and 
have we overcome, in what have we failed, and so on ? Of course, 
I could not expect to do justice to such a subject; neither shall I 
attempt it ; but it appeared to me that were I to go over some of 
the principal diseases with which we have to contend — stating in 
general terms those we treat successfully, and those in which we 
too often, if not always, fail — it might furnish matter for a dis- 
cussion which would tend to show us the real state of practice 
among us ; show us, more especially, on what subjects we are 
deficient, and on which it may be most interesting and profitable to 
have essays and discussions; give us, in short, something definite, 
against wliich our efforts at improvement may be directed. Con- 
