766 MIDLAND COUNTIES VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
I asked myself if the benefit of such an experiment could 
not be applied to the demonstration of the physical con¬ 
ditions of the active elements of the virulent humours; as 
these exhibit definite particles floating in a plasma or serum, 
like the spermatozoa in the liquid portion of the semen. 
Dilutions more or less extensive should act on these humours 
in the same manner as with the spermatic humour : separating 
the particles suspended in the serum more or less from one 
another, but not interfering with the homogeneity of the fluid 
portion. So that if we took a series of very fine drops from a 
virulent humour thus diluted there would exist, in the same 
degree of dilution, the substances dissolved in the semen ; 
but so far as the corpuscular elements were concerned there 
would not be the same identity of composition in the drops. 
If the quantity of water added to the virulent humour is con¬ 
siderable, if the corpuscles are consequently removed farther 
from each other, the drops will not contain them all, and the 
number of those which shall be without them will have all 
the more chance of being great as the dilution is carried to a 
higher degree. And if we inoculate with a comparatively 
notable quantity of these drops, realising for all the inocula¬ 
tions identical conditions, we may assure ourselves if these 
drops have exactly the same activity. If they have, then the 
result will be favorable to the attribution of the virulent 
faculty to the liquid portion of the humour; but if they have 
not, then it will be conformable to what was obtained with 
the spermatic dilutions, and it might be affirmed that the 
virulent property belonged to the solid portion. 
( To be continued .) 
THE MIDLAND COUNTIES VETERINARY 
MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
Oeeicial Report. 
The annual meeting of the Midland Counties Veterinary 
Medical Association was held at the Midland Hotel, Derby, on 
Tuesday, July 23rd, 1872, the President, E. Blakeway, Esq., 
Stourbridge, in the chair. There were also present Messrs. 
Proctor, Coventry; Pyatt, Nottingham; Carless, Stafford; Perrins, 
Worcester; Cresswell, Broomsgrove; Taylor, Manchester; Greaves, 
Manchester; Blower, Derby; Rossell, Sandiacre; Bailey, Leicester, 
&c. &c. Letters of apology for non-attendance were read from 
