662 NORTH OF ENGLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
opportunity of giving his opinion, he would ask the gentlemen to confine 
their remarks to the space of five minutes if possible. 
Mr. Thos. Thompson, Sunderland, said he thought no one would deny 
the great necessity which existed for legislative interference, and would 
ask what means should be suggested for preventing the spread of con¬ 
tagious diseases. 
Professor John Gamgee congratulated the gentlemen of the North of 
England Veterinary Medical Association on their career, and for the suc¬ 
cessful state to which they had arrived; also the gentlemen from York¬ 
shire and Lancashire—presidents of the respective Veterinary Medical 
Associations—whom he had the pleasure in meeting on this occasion. 
He would take the hint from the President, and not occupy too much of 
the time of the meeting, and in reply to one question put by Mr. 
Thompson, said it was not possible to give an exact outline of the prin¬ 
ciples by which total prevention of contagious diseases could be secured. 
It was clear and patent to all that very little had been really done 
towards suppressing these evils, even by the profession itself; veterinary 
surgeons had not studied the subjects sufficiently, and the question which 
had been just propounded went far to prove the correctness of what he 
was saying. One great principle to carry out is to stop the sale and 
dissemination of diseased stock by unprincipled persons, also to prevent 
the recurrence of disease in byres by instituting a system of thorough 
cleanliness and proper ventilation ; it is always a much wiser and credit¬ 
able mode of proceeding to prevent the spreading of devastating diseases 
than to attempt the cure by the use of drugs, &c. He would propose 
that the Society or Mr. Wilkinson should forward his paper to Govern¬ 
ment, and thus show up a few facts as to the amount of losses which 
arise from the prevalence of foot-and-mouth disease; facts which the 
country at the present time is loth to believe; because animals suffering 
from that disease seldom die, the amount of loss depending upon it is 
as seldom accounted; and besides there are impediments in the way of 
such—vested interests—which are brought to bear upon it, and thus 
prevent legislation in a subject so lucrative to some parties ; but 
Government is satisfied that the veterinary profession needs improve¬ 
ment, and that one plan is to call in its aid to such important matters as 
these. Government is also satisfied that legislature is needed, and should 
be strictly carried out; but there are Irishmen who love a scabby sheep ; 
Scotchmen who love the foot-and-mouth complaint; and Englishmen who 
do not object to a piece from an ox affected with pleuro-pneumonia. In 
consequence of his having entertained such ideas with regard to the cat¬ 
tle disease question, he had been closely identified with the movement, 
but he would state he was not, nor had he been connected with the pre¬ 
paring of bills for Parliament. 
Legislation should not interfere with cattle traffic, only in reference to 
those affected with disease, such as foot-and-mouth complaint, &c., and 
these should be slaughtered at once, and not allowed to go from fair to 
fair, and from market to market, contaminating all with which they come 
in contact, and leaving the disease^ in all the places they visit. What 
applies to epizootic aphtha applies also to pleuro-pneumonia. We should 
follow out the rules of the great European authorities, and legislate for 
special disease as well as for general disease. 
The losses from the vesicular epizootic, it is well-known exceeds all 
others, not even excepting pleuro-pneumonia; they had been computed 
at six millions; he could state on authority, and after a careful study of 
the affair, that they reached much nearer to fifteen millions. The best 
way would be to institute a means of paying the fanner for his losses by 
