660 
SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
suits of this meeting, and yet of all this class but one possessed sufficient energy 
and professional enthusiasm to induce him to sacrifice a few paltry dollars and 
less time. When self-interest is added to professional interest and yet the com¬ 
bination fails to arouse even a spark of enthusiasm, the prospects are certainly not 
bright. We have men in Iowa who by their ability, professional standing and other 
resources are well fitted to take an active part in the advancement of our profes¬ 
sion, but I regret to say that when their services are most needed they are too 
often not at their post of duty. 
Let us discontinue these pessimistic reflections and turn our attention from 
what has not been done to what may be accomplished if a little interest be taken 
in matters of importance to the profession in general. 
First, what can we do to aid our veterinary journals? Our first duty is to 
become subscribers for them. Let me urge the absolute necessity of this course 
and if possible that each member of this Association also subscribe for the London 
Veterinary Journal and one of the leading journals of human medicine. To ac¬ 
complish this end, two methods appear feasible. One is for the Association to 
subscribe for as many numbers of each journal as it has members in good stand¬ 
ing and add the price to the annual dues of each member. In this way a reduc¬ 
tion in price might be secured. The other method is to appoint a committee of 
three to solicit subscriptions from all the regular graduates in the State. The for¬ 
mer method appears to me practicable and at the same time more effective than 
the latter. 
This may seem an unusual course, but "the case is a desperate one. Not more 
than half of the regular veterinarians in Iowa subscribe for any medical journal. 
Therefore I ask that one of these methods be adopted, not alone in the interest of 
the journals but particularly for the benefit of my colleagues and myself. We 
can no more afford to be without our medical journals than politicians without 
their daily newspapers. 
Our second duty to the veterinary journals is to write for them. I am aware 
that all are not competent to do this with advantage to the journals, but we have 
at least a dozen veterinarians in Iowa who are competent to write papers of in¬ 
terest and value if they would but devote the requisite time and energy to this 
particular class of work. 1 would therefore suggest that this Association, through 
its President and Secretary or a special committee of three, attempt to furnish 
six papers to each of the two veterinary journals in this country, during the com¬ 
ing year. I don’t mean papers hurriedly and carelessly prepared, with only the 
object of filling up so much space, but papers carefully written only after a most 
thorough research and practical experience in the particular field chosen. This 
can be accomplished to the credit of our Association and the profit of our journals 
and the profession at large, if all will but do their duty. 
After one more suggestion I will conclude this brief address. 
Professor Liautard, editor of the Amekioan Veterinary Review, has offered 
to reprint in pamphlet form, from a full account of the proceedings of this meet¬ 
ing furnished for publication in his journal, as many copies of the same as we 
may desire for distribution among our members, at a merely nominal price, not 
to exceed actual cost of production. I would respectfully suggest that the Secre¬ 
tary be instructed to obtain as complete and accurate an account of the proceed¬ 
ings of this meeting as possible, and together with the papers read, send it to Prof 
