LANCASHIRE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 733 
me, to know that that formidable and most difficult disease, tetanus, 
is going to be grappled with to-night by the gentleman who has so 
kindly undertaken the task—a gentleman whose clear perceptions 
and extensive practical experience render him in every way so 
eminently qualified. We all know him; we know he is no idea- 
oligist or visionary man. If he espouses and adopts a plan of treat¬ 
ment it is because it is sound in principle, and if after proving it he 
finds it to be attended with a greater measure of success than he has 
been accustomed to experience, it then affords him the keenest 
pleasure to make it known to others. Thus it is his opinions have 
stamped upon them a genuineness ; and their sound has always the 
ring of the true metal. I invite you, gentlemen, to listen atten¬ 
tively to every word he utters, meditate upon them, and if they 
commend themselves to your minds, carry them home with you; 
apply them in your practice; and if his plan of treatment is at¬ 
tended with the same measure of success with you as it has been 
with him, you will have just reason to bless the day you attended 
this meeting. Let us approach the consideration of this subject 
as a body of earnest men resolved to acquire more knowledge about 
it; for after all, gentlemen, the sublimest theory in the world, the 
most refined, profound, scientific researches, if the result lacks the 
element of success, it is of no more value than the grossest blunder¬ 
ing empiricism. I shall invite each of you to give me your own 
views and opinions ; and I hope we shall be led to adopt the right 
method ; that is always the best method. Gentlemen, the interest 
and the dignity of our profession are at stake ; let us be in earnest. 
We never find this disease trifling; we find this antagonist always in 
earnest. On our first visit we find he has got our patient in his 
death grip; let us endeavour to gain knowledge, so that the next 
time we are called upon to try our strength with this antagonist we 
may be found prepared. If, therefore, we are initiated into a suc¬ 
cessful method of treating this formidable and intractable disease, 
the author of the essay will deserve well of his profession. I shall 
tender him my best thanks; you as a body will, I am sure, most 
willingly and proudly render him deep gratitude; and poste¬ 
rity will look to the deliberations of this night as being one of the 
noblest, brightest pages in the annals of veterinary science. Gentle¬ 
men, I have thought it right to make these few observations with a 
view to induce a proper frame of mind for the reception of great 
truths on this deeply interesting and very important subject. I 
have now very great pleasure in calling upon my friend Mr. Lawson 
kindly to favour us with his paper on “ Tetanus in the Horse.” 
On Tetanus, by J. Lawson , LJsq. 
Mr. President and Gentlemen, — I did not intend to have 
brought the subject of this paper before you for some time to come, 
but having made our worthy president a sort of half promise one 
night, he put the other half to it himself, and thus compelled me 
to appear before you with my views on the treatment of tetanus less 
