ANNUAL MEETING. 
453 
priety of having two, or three, or four examinations in 
London. Perhaps, however, the funds would not warrant 
the holding of more than one examination per annum. So 
far as the first portion of the report was concerned, he 
assented to every word of it, hut he would pass on and take 
into consideration those propositions that had been made by 
Mr. Ernes and the Committee for improving the examina¬ 
tions. He would divide the subject into three separate 
questions—the preliminary examination, the manner of the 
final examination, and the examiners. It was suggested 
that there should be an independent preliminary examination, 
such as that instituted by the College of Preceptors, and now 
conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons. To such an 
arrangement he, as the representative of the Edinburgh 
College, gave his hearty consent. He thought it was unfair, 
on the present system, to expect schools to reject individuals 
who were willing to become their pupils; but if the Royal 
College of Veterinary Surgeons appointed a hoard to make 
the preliminary examinations, he would give his unqualified 
support. Then as to the method of conducting the examina¬ 
tion—was he to understand that a student, before he could 
present himself, must have studied three sessions ? 
Professor Spooner. —The Council have no power either 
with regard to the previous question which you have sug¬ 
gested or this question. 
Professor Williams. —I say, then, that the Royal College 
of Veterinary Surgeons is not doing its duty if it will not 
assume to itself the power. 
Professor Spooner replied that it cannot. 
Professor Williams said he had no distinct proposal to 
make, but he would suggest that the examinations should 
be conducted over three years, but that they should be on 
separate and distinct subjects every year ; that is to say, that 
upon the termination of the first session the pupil should 
he examined upon descriptive anatomy, especially as far as 
the bones were concerned, upon the first principles of organic 
chemistry, and some other subjects which might be consi¬ 
dered necessary by the Council; that at the end of the 
second year he should pass a final examination upon those 
subjects, and obtain a certificate of proficiency in them, and 
also be examined in something else ; and that the third year 
the examination should be upon pathological subjects, both 
theoretical and practical, and a manual examination of tlie 
patients—the horse—in the hospital. He would have a prac¬ 
tical examination in every sense of the word. He thought 
the Council should make laws of its own if it had the power ^ 
