290 NORTH OF ENGLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
treated a case of disease. Gentlemen, I have no hesitation in say¬ 
ing that our profession w’ill never take that position in society which 
it ought to take until we have some means of preventing uneducated 
men from entering our veterinary colleges. The preliminary ex¬ 
amination should be enforced, and there should be a positive law in 
relation to all our schools, to prevent every applicant who is not 
a first class English scholar being admitted. I believe there are 
many noble, plodding, industrious, persevering men amongst us, 
who have made their way in the world against the disadvantages of 
defective education. If, however, they had received a better educa¬ 
tion, it would have enabled them to shine more brightly, and made 
their power to be felt through the length and breadth of the land. 
We have on record the names of not a few whose memories are 
dear to us, and will not soon be forgotten, whose education was of 
a superior kind. And wt have still amongst us a Spooner, Simonds, 
and Gamgee, whom the profession will, as long as memory lasts, be 
proud to number amongst its noblest spirits. We have gentlemen 
. amongst us, I am proud to say, who are worthy of our highest 
praise; men of talent, men of respectability, and men of principle 
too, who are able to stand side by side with members of any other 
profession in the kingdom, and I fondly hope their number may be 
increased. And this can only be done by giving our sons and pupils 
a suitable education, and having the examination for the diploma of 
a strict and searching kind. 
Gentlemen, we must never rest satisfied till we get a satisfactory 
veterinary bill from Parliament to prevent men without diplomas 
using the title of veterinary surgeons. How is the public to dis¬ 
tinguish between us and quacks, when both exhibit the same name of 
veterinary surgeon ? I believe there are scores of such men prac¬ 
tising the art, whose clients are quite of opinion that their veterinary 
attendant is a legally qualified practitioner. If we look at the 
sister profession, we find they have the protection of the law on their 
side, which prevents any man assuming the title of surgeon unless 
he is a member of the College of Surgeons. I think that we should 
obtain similar powers, it would be a protection to the public against 
impostors, and it would save the veterinary surgeon from much 
reflected disgrace, consequent upon the graduate and empiric alike 
using the title which he alone can claim. Let us endeavour, gen¬ 
tlemen, to do everything in our power, and use all lawful means 
whereby the profession may be placed in that position where we all 
desire to see it—in the place of honour and justice. I promised at 
the beginning of my address that I would not keep you long. I 
will now make good that promise and draw my remarks to a close 
by thanking you for the patient manner you have listened to my 
address, and hoping we may soon be in possession of the privileges 
and protection which the profession justly demands. 
