THE CENTRAL VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY. 799 
of conferring upon our brethren socially, and the great advan- 
tage that must accrue from them professionally, if only they 
are conducted in a right spirit, that I speak thus. We have 
in these meetings an opportunity of getting possession of the 
knowledge and practical experience of a number of indivi- 
duals ; they bring with them and give you at once informa- 
tion upon the subject before you, which has taken years to 
acquire. If knowledge is power — if by gaining the most 
useful practical ideas and using them we become more suc- 
cessful in our daily practice, and more useful members of 
society generally — if this be the fact, then, I say, surely there 
is no right-minded man who will not join me with heart and 
voice and echo the noble sentiment, “ God speed the above 
Society.” It is because I am convinced of the great value of 
these societies that I commend them with all my strength. 
Let there be found but few, very few, veterinary surgeons in 
London who will give this Society the cold shoulder. Some 
may be naturally bashful and diffident ; some assume their 
experience and knowledge to be of a far superior quality to that 
of others, and desire no more knowledge themselves, while 
their innate selfishness will not permit them to impart the 
information they possess ; of such men I have little to say, 
but only to hope they are a rarity in London. 
I congratulate the Society upon the choice of its officers. 
They are men of the right mettle ; no labour is too much, no 
sacrifice of time too great for them, if only they see they 
are doing some service to their profession. But do not, I 
pray, permit them to endure the heat and burden of the day 
alone ; let every member feel he has a duty to perform in 
putting his shoulder to the wheel and help on the good 
work. 
The papeT read before the Society by Mr. Hunting, on 
“ The Growth and Structure of the Horse’s Foot,” was a 
most instructive one, and reflected great credit upon the 
author. It being a physiological question, its consideration 
would no doubt be felt to be a dry subject to some, and 
especially to old practitioners. 
The discussion which followed was chiefly directed to 
two or three points upon which I would wish to make a few 
observations. 
1st. Are the horn lamina produced by the sensitive lamina ? 
For some years I have studied this question carefully, 
having had many opportunities afforded me. I have watched 
it with a deep interest, and am quite satisfied that the wall 
and horny laminae can be produced perfectly when not a 
vestige of sensitive laminae exists underneath. To conclude 
