756 
SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
suspending and evenly subdividing the mercuric iodide, as it 
gravitates to the bottom in the lard or oil, and hence is un¬ 
evenly distributed through the mixture. 
Dr. Milnes; In making cantharides blister I made it a 
lule to buy the best quality of cantharides from a reliable 
house, and to make the ointment with what is known as simple 
cerate, dissolving the lard and wax over a water bath, and Stir¬ 
ling in the cantharides and continuing to stir it occasionally 
for an hour or more until the cantharidin was dissolved. Some 
benzoin was added to prevent rancidity. This form of ointment 
was always solid and stable in all temperatures, and was a very 
leliable blistei in my hands. I would like to ask Dr. Bennett 
if the olive oil preparation was not inclined to run over the 
parts below where applied. 
Dr. Bennett: The olive oil makes a liquid blister, and I 
piefer the liquid blister to the blister in the form of ointment. 
The blister is thoroughly rubbed into the parts, and there is no 
excess to 11111 upon the parts below. Of course I took precau¬ 
tion to anoint the structures below to prevent the discharges 
from the blisters from taking the hair off below the part where 
the blister was applied. 
Dr. O. Verschelden then presented the following paper : 
AN UNCLASSIFIED DISEASE FOLLOWING PARTURITION IN COWS. 
Time and again has my attention been called to a certain 
disease of cattle, especially during the fall and winter 1897 and 
spring of 1898, when it prevailed as an enzootic in my dis- 
tiict. I have failed to see it mentioned in any works on cattle 
pathology at my disposal, and feel therefore justified in calling 
it “an unclassified disease,” notwithstanding perhaps that 
many of you have met with it as well as myself; it is with that 
hope, that I present this paper before you this evening. I will 
refrain from dealing with its probable etiology, leaving such to 
some of you who are perhaps better situated than I to study 
obscure diseases and go into original research. I will simply 
describe the symptoms as they present themselves to me, also 
my mode of treatment. I hope, however, of hearing the experi¬ 
ence of others and to have by a thorough discussion more light 
thrown on this, to me at least, obscure disease. 
It attacks cows of all ages and conditions in from three days 
to as many weeks after parturition. The first symptom usually 
noticed is a peculiar gait of the hind parts ; the animal walks 
with the hind legs sideways, not unlike the trot of a dog; the 
geneial health at this stage is not much altered, perhaps a capri- 
