SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
577 
SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
MASSACHUSETTS VETERINARY ASSOCIATION. 
The first meeting of the season was held at Boston, October 27th, 1886, at 
which formal organization under papers petitioning the State for a charter of in¬ 
corporation took place. The board of officers chosen at the annual meeting in 
April was formally elected. . 
A report from the executive committee favoring the applications for mem¬ 
bership of Samuel D. Lee, M.D.V., and Herbert M. Smith, M.D.V., was re¬ 
ceived, and by a unanimous vote the said gentlemen were elected to members ip. 
Dr. Lee then read a short paper, taking for his subject, “ A few remarks on 
the diseases of dogs.” _ . , 
He first spoke of the sudden and complete paraplegia in dogs as a result 0 
conttipation. He said it was a condition never seen in the human subject, T e 
dog being a very nervous animal, the irritation of impacted fseces caused para¬ 
plegia by reflex action of the nervous system. Cases were cited of paralysis ot 
one hind leg, in which, purgation being produced, the paralysis ceased. 
He also spoke of other nervous conditions, as convulsions, caused by foreign 
bodies in the ear, improper feeding, and by indigestion generally. 
Canine distemper, or, a s the essayist remarked, more properly called * canine 
influenza,” was described at length, the nervous symptoms connected therewith 
receiving particular attention. He said that no lesions of brain or spinal cord 
had been found by him in post-mortem examinations of these cases. 
In his opinion, canine influenza is not contagious, but may be epizootic. At 
the conclusion of the paper a vote of thanks to Dr. Lee was unanimously carried, 
and the meeting then adjourned. 
The next meeting was held at Boston, November 18th, 1886, at which Presi¬ 
dent P. H. Osgood presided, and a large number ot members were present. 
No important business was transacted, but a very interesting paper by . 
M. Smith, M.D.V., ot Haverhill, was listened to; subject, “ Pyaemia and 
Septicaemia.” , . ^ . . 
This was a very complete and exhaustive treatise of the subject. Beginning 
with its history, these diseases as noticed by ancient writers, and following down 
to the writings ot authorities of modern times, the essayist in a clear manner dif¬ 
ferentiated the two conditions, entering fully into the etiology and especially the 
pathology of each. . 
The etiology of pyaemia he divided into four classes—mechanical, nervous, 
chemical, and the germ theory. There are two sources of contamination: 
through the wound, and by the vitiated atmosphere. He said that symptoms 
were different in character according to the character of pus injected; that the 
injection of fluid pus into veins would not produce metastatic abscesses, as lad 
been proved by numerous experiments ; that the injection of healthy pus would 
not produce metastatic abscess, as in the lungs, liver, etc., but that injections o 
ichorous pus certainly would. 
