316 
CENTRAL VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY. 
conduct of the Students had been, on the whole, satisfactory; and that 
at the Examinations just concluded out of thirty-four Students, who 
presented themselves for the Diploma of the Royal College of Veterinary 
Surgeons, thirty-three had passed, fifteen having done so with great 
credit. 
The Report, which concluded with a statement of the professional 
services rendered to members of the Royal Agricultural Society, was 
considered in every respect satisfactory. 
After some further business of a formal character had been transacted, 
the meeting terminated. 
CENTRAL VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY. 
THE ADVISABILITY OF ESTABLISHING SUITABLE AND 
ADEQUATE CONVENIENCE FOR VETERINARIANS TO 
MAKE POST-MORTEM EXAMINATIONS, &c * 
By George A. Banham, M.R.C.V.S. 
Mr. President and Gentlemen, —As there is little business or 
matter for discussion to-night, I beg, with your permission, to bring 
before you a subject which has more or less occupied my thoughts 
ever since I entered the veterinary profession. It is one, I have no 
doubt, which will meet with strong disapproval, but I hope you will ex¬ 
cuse me for venturing to bring it before you, for if you approve of the 
idea, and consider it worthy of discussion, I shall be satisfied, and if you 
think it useless and unprofitable I shall have the satisfaction of knowing 
that what I think as useful others much better able to judge than 
myself consider otherwise, and I shall have learned something, and hope, 
therefore, that if one member only profits by a meeting it cannot be said 
to be wasted. Moreover, I consider we are all bound as members of this 
Society, to lay before the meetings any suggestion that we consider worthy 
for the members to hear, and obtain the value of their opinions on the 
matter, and so arrive at satisfactory conclusions. Therefore, gentlemen, 
with this apology I will lay the subject in question before you for 
discussion. It is mainly based upon the following questions :—lst a What 
convenience have the London practitioners for properly carrying out a 
'post-mortem, examination ? 2nd. What means is therefor the destruction 
of animals suffering from contagious diseases ? 3rd. How may these 
objects best be obtained. 
I may say that ever since I have had any connection with veterinary 
science I have always found a difficulty in being able to obtain proper 
and adequate facilities to educate myself to recognise the appearances 
and post-mortem lesions of diseases in our patients. May I ask, whether 
we have learned sufficient morbid anatomy and know all the post-mortem 
lesions presented in our animals at the end of our collegiate education ? 
Answering for myself I say decidedly no, but that we are only then in 
the position to profitably commence making autopsies. Therefore, in 
order that practitioners may become thoroughly acquainted with post¬ 
mortem lesions, the utility of which, I think, few will deny, we ought 
to continue our microscopic examinations of ail the subjects which die 
* Read before the Fellows of the Central Veterinary Medical Society 
on April 15th, 1880. The discussion was adjourned till next night of 
meeting. 
