626 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
farm, examining their provender, and learning the history of 
their management, I could gather scarcely any further insight 
into the cause or nature of the malady, and under these cir¬ 
cumstances one of the lambs was killed for my examination. 
The body was greatly emaciated, the flesh pallid, and the 
vessels nearly bloodless; but there was no organic lesion of 
any of the viscera of either the thorax or abdomen to account 
for these phenomena. Attention was then directed to the in¬ 
ternal condition of the digestive organs; and on laying open 
the abomasum I was surprised to find its mucous membrane 
so thickly studded with minute worms, about half-an-inch in 
length, that hundreds might be said to occupy but a few 
square inches. Here was at once a satisfactory solution of 
the pathological problem. These parasites by their number 
had drained the system of blood, and thus anaemiated and 
killed the animals. They were so firmly fixed by the inser¬ 
tion of their heads and necks into the membrane that some 
little force was required for their removal—a circumstance 
which led to my subsequent examination of them by the 
microscope. This revealed the singular fact, that a little 
posterior to their heads the integumental covering was eleva¬ 
ted into the form of barbs, with the points directed backwards, 
thus enabling the creatures to effectually retain their hold of 
the membrane, despite the peristaltic action of the viscus, 
and the mechanical attrition of the ingesta against them. A 
parallel of this adaptation of means to an end is found in the 
larvae of the CEstrus Equi, which is well known to attach 
itself to the lining membrane of the stomach of the horse by 
its booklets, and thus remain for months securely anchored, 
as it were, to the place of its habitation. Another circum¬ 
stance worthy of passing remark, especially to the junior 
students, is that by the location of these creatures within the 
stomach, we have a beautiful proof of the power of life in re¬ 
sisting the solvent action of the gastric juice. I must not, 
however, on an occasion like the present, dwell on an invit¬ 
ing theme of this kind, but hasten to speak of other diseases 
which have prevailed during the same period of time. 
With reference to the horse—the animal which many re¬ 
gard as the only one worthy of the veterinary surgeon’s care, 
and who, having their way, would thus “ crib, cabin, and 
confine” the education of the student to the standard of by¬ 
gone days in the history of our profession—I believe he has 
been pretty well exempt from any special disease. During 
the early part of the spring, the so-called influenza prevailed 
in London and its vicinity, and also in several parts of the 
country, but it did not assume a severe form, nor extend 
