NORTH OF ENGLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 529 
operated the mare was at her usual work in seven days, healed and sound. 
One word of warning; when you have a constitutional or strumous 
diathesis in your patient antisepticity will not remove that. 
Summary .—Discovery and proof that the germs which produce, under 
favorable circumstances, “ Bacteria, are floating about in the air, how 
they get there we are as yet unaware ; but that whilst the germs are 
aerial, the parents are aquatic, and prefer swimming to flying.” They 
are capable of rapid growth by means of division, and are of various 
kinds. Whilst some appear harmless, others are, or have the power of, 
generating specific properties. Bacteria of some kind are necessarily 
present before putrefaction can take place; this is proved by the fact 
that matter most prone to take on putrefaction, if only pure air is 
permitted to come in contract with it, if the air be better filtered or 
rendered sterile by the use of some antiseptic agent, that septicaemia is 
due to the introduction into the system by septic matter, which is a 
product of putrefaction produced by Bacteria. 
The agents that destroy this and render anything containing it sterile, 
are termed antiseptic agents. Those most generally in use, and how to 
apply them so as not to retard the reparative process, antiseptic agents, 
are not to heal wounds, but to place them in such a state that the 
healing process only will be allowed to operate. In conclusion, gentle¬ 
men, this is an important subject that I have tried to place before you. 
It contains but little matter the result of my own individual effort; for 
the main features we are indebted to the special Scientists. My part 
has been simply, yet efficiently, I trust, to apply them to some practical 
purpose; and whilst science, whose soul is explanation, halts with hostile 
front at mystery, who shall say, until the strife is over, which of her 
children shall most deserve the victor’s wreath for his crown. 
An interesting discussion followed, in which the following gentlemen 
took part:—Messrs. P. Taylor, W. A. Taylor, W. Pallin, R. Reynolds, 
D. Hutcheon, Mr. Whittle, Dr. H. Brigg, Mr. Palin, &c. 
A cordial vote of thanks was accorded the essayist for his very 
admirable paper, and also to the chairman. 
Samuel Locke, Hon. Sec. 
NORTH OF ENGLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL 
ASSOCIATION. 
The first meeting of this Association was held in the Douglas Hotel, 
Newcastle-on-Tyne, on Friday, May 31st, 1879. Mr. D. Dudgeon, 
President, in the chair. 
There were present—Messrs. C. Stephenson, H. Hunter, A. Hunter, 
G. Elptick, J. Gillespie, J. Corbett, W. S. Pringle, W. J. Masters, C. 
T. Shorten, Dr. Armstrong (Newcastle-on-Tyne), D. Macgregor 
(Bedlington), W. Wheatley (South Shields), J. Gofton (North Shields), 
J. Mulvey, Bishop Auckland, Mr. W. Anderson (Hexham), J. Nisbet 
(Fence Houses), Professor Williams (Edinburgh), Messrs. Foreman, 
Junrs. (Leadgate), A. L. Butters (Sunderland), C. Hunting (South 
Hetton), and the Secretary. 
Letters of apology for non-attendance were received from Professor 
Pritchard, Messrs. T. Greaves, F. Welsby, D. Hutcheon, J. Storie, F. 
Meikle, T. Foreman. 
The President said he would not trouble tLe members with an in- 
