602 
SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
cussion of topics of interest and value to him, to actually see 
and assist in surgical demonstrations—things which will enable 
him to be of more service to his clients and to add to his repu¬ 
tation in consequence. Or in the matter of a simple minor oper¬ 
ation, which he is frequently called upon to perform in daily 
practice, he may learn a simpler and a better way to doit. The 
same man might sit up all night reading the technique of such 
a procedure and learn less of it than by a five-minute demon¬ 
stration. In science there is no such thing as a monopoly of 
knowledge, and we are probably secure against the organization 
of a veterinary trust. We each know a little ; some have gained 
more knowledge than others through greater adaptability or 
greater opportunities; some are superior to others upon theoret¬ 
ical points ; others excel in practical wisdom, while we have 
those among us who are equally proficient in both. To one the 
art of surgery is to his liking, and he sees its benefits in con¬ 
ditions where another would overlook them. The less surgical 
veterinarian will hesitate to recommend an operation unless its 
indications are imperative, and then his effort may fail to add 
anything to his reputation. This is the man who will be most 
benefited by attendance at association meetings, especially where 
surgical clinics are a feature. It is my impression, based upon 
my own judgment and the assurances of many others, that no 
association ever presented a better clinic than this one did last 
year, and our worthy Chairman of Arrangements has promised 
that it will be of as equally a high order this year. We have been 
especially fortunate in the personnel of our workers, in our en¬ 
vironments, in the gracious hospitality of our hosts, and in the 
enthusiasm of our membership ; and if the same spirit prevails 
during the next few years this society must of necessity become 
the largest and most influential of any State in this union of 
States. Let us work to that end, earnestly and persistently. 
The past year has been one of unprecedented prosperity 
among veterinary practitioners, for whenever commerce, agri¬ 
culture and finance are free from depression, the live stock 
industry must flourish, which incidentally implies that the 
veterinarian will participate in the common weal. I believe 
that the past year has been the most prosperous in a veterinary 
sense of any in its history in this country, but by no means the 
best that is in store for us, for the field of the veterinarian is 
constantly enlarging, and the services of the worthy practitioner 
is being sought along new lines, in channels which were form¬ 
erly not open to him. The field of canine medicine and surgery 
