76 
THE SCOTTISH METROPOLITAN VETERINARY 
MEDICAL SOCIETY. 
The quarterly meeting was held in Cumining's Hotel, Lothian 
Road, Edinburgh, on Wednesday, 20th November, at 2 p.m.; 
Professor Williams, President, in the Chair. Present—Professor 
Walley; Messrs. Borthwick, Kirkliston; Aitken and Cumming, 
Edinburgh; Black, Howgate; Young, East Calder; and the 
Secretary. 
Mr. Young, East Calder, was elected a member. The present 
office-bearers were re-elected. 
Professor Walley brought forward his motion as to “ Pees for 
Examinations as to Soundness,” stating that in his opinion these 
were at present based on a wrong system, the same common fee, 
10$. §d., being charged for examining a £10 horse as for one 
worth £1000. He considered that such charges should be made 
on the same basis as those of engineers, architects, and other 
professional men, who, when employed to examine and report, 
charge so much per cent, on the value of the machinery, pro¬ 
perty, or other articles examined. 
After a slight discussion; “ It was resolved that, though it would 
be almost impracticable and very unadvisable to form any fixed scale 
of charges for such examinations, and bind the members of this or any 
Society to abide by them, yet it was very much to be desired that 
an effort should be made to get increased remuneration for this 
responsible and at times not very pleasant duty ; and that it might 
be well, through the pages of the Veterinarian , to call the atten¬ 
tion of members of the profession to the subject, so that each 
individual, veterinary surgeon might not always look upon 10$. 6d. 
as his common or maximum fee, but endeavour, at least, to make 
his charge bear some slight proportion to the value of the animal 
and the responsibility incurred in examining him. ” 
As interesting cases, Professor Walley contributed the fol¬ 
lowing :— 
I .—Acute Pheumatismfolloived by Articular Rheumatism 
and Valvular Disease of the Heart. 
Subject —A well-developed dark bay cart colt, three years old. 
History. —The animal was attended, in the month of August, 
for an injury to the foot, being last seen by me on the 29th, 
apparently in perfect bodily health. On the 24th October, when 
visiting other patients at the farm, my attention was directed to 
the animal, the owner saying that he had swelled legs. On 
examination, I found him very much emaciated, and suffering 
from articular rheumatism of the hock and knee-joints, with con- 
