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CENTRAL VETERINARY MEDICAL SOCIETY. 
sake, to establish such a furnace, where animals affected with contagious 
diseases could be “ cremated” at a nominal cost to the owner ? 
We have already too often seen that Government authorities seldom, 
if ever, take up our cause. If this could be done would it not bring us 
under their notice, by showing them that we have the good of the public 
at heart, and endeavour to advance without their aid, if we can only 
do so without a great pecuniary loss ? 
These, gentlemen, are the points I wish to discuss with you to-night, 
and I will provisionally draw your attention to the following questions, 
which I hope I shall be able to show you are fully substantiated, and 
worthy of your consideration. 
The questions are, Are there any means by which the London prac¬ 
titioners can provide a suitable room and convenience for carrying out 
their 'post-mortem examinations ? and also for the proper destruction of 
animals affected with contagious diseases? I will, for argument’s sake, 
answer both these questions in the affirmative, and will endeavour to 
substantiate this answer by picturing an establishment which might be 
formed, and then point out the pro et con arguments as they present 
themselves to me. 
Thus, a limited company could be formed and a suitable piece of land 
(or even one of the existing knacker’s premises) purchased, upon which 
suitable buildings should be erected, and filled with all the necessaries 
for properly conducting and carrying out the business of horse¬ 
slaughtering. It should also be fitted with proper conveniences for the 
destruction of animals affected with contagious diseases, and a room 
where practitioners could make a 'post-mortem examination with all the 
comfort that such circumstances will allow. 
The arguments in favour of such an establishment as this are 
numerous, thus: 
a. Practitioners would have a convenient and properly-fitted place for 
examining dead animals. 
b. It would also serve as a place for procuring pathological and phy¬ 
siological specimens, both for veterinary and human medical science and 
teaching schools. 
c. It would serve as a place where the veterinary students at the 
Camden Town School could be brought by their teachers to have 
practical demonstrations on morbid anatomy, and learn what to look for and 
how to find post-mortem lesions —a branch of veterinary science which, I 
think, you will all agree with me, is too much neglected. 
d. It would serve as a place where subjects could be obtained and 
students brought to have practical lessons in operative surgery upon 
the dead animal. This would be the means of teaching them how to 
handle and use their instruments, and properly perform most of the 
ordinary operations—a branch of science which, in itself, is well worth 
erecting a building for, and I am sure it would be well appreciated by 
our younger members and students. 
e. It would be a place where students would be able to obtain any 
bones or parts of the animal (such as brains, &c.) which they might 
require for any special study at a nominal cost. 
f. Such a place would render us independent of the present wretched 
knacker establishments, which, to my mind, would be a great 
advantage. 
g. For the purpose of properly destroying all contagious diseased 
animals (especially glanders), and it would be well to petition the local 
authorities to enforce persons to send such to this establishment, and 
that only ; thus forming a centre for their destruction. 
h. Last, but not least, I think it would be a very good establishment 
