SCOTTISH METROPOLITAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION. 515 
read a paper at this time, but having been unexpectedly called to 
take charge of a practice in Limerick he could not fulfil the en¬ 
gagement. In a letter to the Secretary, however, Mr. Hutcheon 
stated that had he remained in Edinburgh he intended to have 
made a few remarks on the “ Therapeutic Action of Counter- 
irritants,” and gave a sketch of the divisions of the subject. The 
members, while regretting that Mr. Hutcheon should have re¬ 
moved so far away from them, and expressing their best wishes 
for his future success, expressed a hope that at some future time 
it might be in his power to communicate the paper to the 
Society. 
Professor Williams , at very short notice, kindly consented to 
supply Mr. Hutcheon's place, and read to the Society some very 
interesting remarks on “Inflammation of the Veins—local and 
general, and the effects of the introduction of Air and of Gas into 
the Circulation.” Commencing with inflammation of the jugular 
vein after bleeding he described minutely the effects of inflamma¬ 
tion on the coats of the vein, the process by which the clot or 
plug is formed, the various results—obliteration, abscesses, &c., 
and the treatment to be recommended in each ; suggesting that 
the medical faculty might do well to try the effect of blistering in 
the human subject, seeing that it is so effectual in horse practice, 
—showing also that the seeming anomaly of inflammation of the 
vein, extending towards the heart in man and towards the head 
in the horse, depends really on the different veins operated on ; 
citing as a very strong proof a case which he had been allowed 
by one of the Professors of the University to see, in which a man 
had attempted to cut his throat, and subsequently died from in¬ 
flammation of the jugular veins, the inflammation extending not 
towards the heart but, as in the horse, towards the head. Glanc¬ 
ing at diffused inflammation of the veins, the Professor described 
the causes and the appearances presented, remarking that in 
many cases of injuries terminating fatally and in which blame 
might be attached unjustly to the practitioner in attendance, he 
believed the unfavorable result was due not to improper treatment 
but to inflammation being excited in and becoming diffused through¬ 
out the ramifications of veins of the injured part. On the 
introduction of air or of gas into the circulation, Prof. Williams 
also made some very interesting remarks. He stated that about 
two years ago he had made, along with Mr. Hutcheon, some in¬ 
vestigations and experiments on the subjects for dissection at the 
College to test one of the theories as to broken-wind. He found 
that, on blowing air into the vein or slowly introducing a solution 
of carbonate of soda, the effect was just the opposite of broken- 
wind ; the horse drew in his breath with difficulty and expired 
easily, and in no case did he inspire easily or gulp down the air 
