676 WEST OP SCOTLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
acquainted, and so on. Nevertheless, in spite of all these ex¬ 
pressions of contempt, it continues its destructive career, and is 
strengthened instead of weakened by age. 
Many pathologists look upon it as simply a degenerated 
exudate, the result of inflammatory action occurring in a system 
already debilitated by disease, or constitutionally liable; others 
equally as eminent aver that it is the product of a specific morbid 
poison or virus in the blood. Much argument may be advanced 
on both sides, and it is necessary that we should carefully consider 
the pros and cons of each. 
One word in commencing as to the cell theory of formation. 
Those who deny the presence of cells in tubercle use this as an 
argument of its non-reproductive powers, but is it absolutely 
requisite that we should have cells for the reproduction of a 
specific disease ? who has demonstrated the presence of a cell in 
the virus of rabies, or in the infection of many of the forms of fever 
with which we are acquainted ? 
The Exudative Theory is this:—1. Inflammatory action com¬ 
mences in a part. Lymph is exuded into the connective tissue of 
the organ or organs affected, and from want of organizing power 
within itself, or deficient vitality in the parts immediately sur¬ 
rounding, it undergoes tubercular, fatty, or suppurative degene¬ 
ration, or in some cases liquefies and becomes absorbed. The 
great argument of those who hold this opinion is, that no tubercle 
existed before the inflammation, but how are they to know this ? 
2. That wherever tubercle is found, there also will spots of 
inflammation be discovered, or coagulable lymph. Now, without 
attempting to deny that tubercle is so produced, I shall endea¬ 
vour to show that this is not the case in every instance, and that 
in far the larger majority. Further, that allowing in these 
instances the primary inflammatory origin of tubercle, its conti¬ 
nuance and growth must depend upon other causes. 
1. Does inflammation proper ever attack a number of structures 
at once; i. e. } have we inflammation of a serous membrane, a 
synovial membrane, a mucous membrane, a medullary membrane, 
osseous texture, glandular structure and parenchyma, existing at 
one and the same time ? If the result of inflammatory action, 
how is it that in tubercular meningitis we have no premonitory 
symptom of cerebral disturbance until the moment that effusion 
takes place from pressure, and the animal drops powerless to the 
earth ? Can any inflammatory state be pointed out wherein we 
have successive formation and degeneration of the exudative pro¬ 
ducts, and where we have in some parts of the system nodules 
of disease no larger than a pin’s point, and in other parts growths 
of some pounds weight ? (Pyaemia is the result of a morbid 
poison). Undeniably at some period all the growths have 
