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ABSTRACTS AKD REPORTS.
The results of the experiments have, to say the least, been staggering; for, while we find the sheep and guinea-pigs readIly succumhing to inoculation with vIrulent material, the calves, on the other hand, whether inoculated, setoned, or control animals, have alI ~ucce~,fully with~tood its influence. This would appear to indicate that sheep are actually more susceptible to black-leg than calve~ if the virus be directly introduc~d into the system; it lIkewise points to the possibility of many calves being clas~ed as protected by inoculation, when in reality they may have possesoed some mherent immunity from the disease.
It would also seem that the risk of contagion from black-leg, at least so feu as calves are concerned, cannot be yery great.
Finally, they clearly show that the prevention of black-leg by protective inoculation is still, so far as this country is concerned, by no means established.
liVe regret that the results we furnish you are not more definite; at the same time we think they must be beneficial If they only convince you of the undoubted necessity for further investigation.
NORTH OF ENGLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.
A quarterly meeting of this Society, held at N ewca~tle on the 20th of November last, was devoted to a discU5~ion on the leSIons of contagious pleuro-pneumonia in cattle. The meeting was arranged in the expectation that Professors Williams and M'Fadyean would attend and exhibit specimens in support of their respective opilllons regarding the nature of the lesions discovered in the lung of a particular American ox slaughtered at Deptford in April of the present year. Professor Williams declined to comply with this request, but Professor l\I'Fadyean attended and gave a demonstration of microscopic, naked-eye, and lantern sections to prove that the lesions present in the Deptford ox had all the characteristics of cc,ntagious pleuro-pneumonia. The specimens exhibited included sections from the Deptford ox and others taken from home cattle slaughtered for pleuro-pneumonia, and none of the members present were able to distinguish the American specimens in the mixed series exhibited.
Dr Hunter, Lecturer on Physiology In the New Veterinary College, on the invitation of the chairman, then addressed the meetmg. He exhibited a lantern-photograph of a section from the lung of the Deptford ox, and described at great length the histological changes shown in it. These, he contended, were characteristic of catarrhal pneumonia; and he said that although he had at fir~t 5ight of the lung of the Deptford ox inclined to the opinion that the case was one of contagious pleuro, hIS microscopic inve~tigation of the lung had convinced him that it was a case of catarrhal or bronchopneumonia. In support of this opinion, he exhibited on the screen a photograph, from the lung of an ox affected with pleuro pneumonia, this showing no catarrhal changes. He also referred at length to the investigations of Professor N ocard of Paris regarding an infectious form of catarrh:ll-pneumol1la discovered by him in some American cattle ex posed in the Paris mal ket. Dr Hunter contended that the Deptford ox had been the subject of the same disease.
l\Ir Bowhill, of the New Veterinary College, supported the opinions expres~ed by Dr Hunter. He had, he saicl, been able to find in the lung of the Deptford ox bacteria which, in point of shape and size, agreed with those found by Professor N ocard in infectious broncho-pneumonia, or the so-called "corn-stalk disease." That these bacteria were identical with those de"cribed
ABSTRACTS AND REPORTS.
by l\1. N ocard he had not been rtble to prove absolutely, as there was no opportunity to test their effects by inoculation.
A lengthy discussion on the part of the members of the Society then took place, every speaker, including Mr Clement Stevenson, of Newcastle; Mr Hunting, senior, of South Hetton ; and Messrs Moore, Hunter, and Elphick, of N ewcrtstle, after reviewing the evidence laid before them by Professor M'Fadyean on the one hand, and Professors Hunter and Bowhill on the other, declared in f<Lvour of the view that the Deptford ox had been the subject of contagious pleuro-pneumonia, and strongly upheld the action of the Board of Agriculture in the mrttter.
Professor M'Fadyertn, in replying at the close of the debate, said that he was much gratified at the conclusion arrived at by the meeting. He confessed that he had listened with considerable impatience to Dr Hunter's description of the lantern photographs. The catarrhal pneumonia shown in the photograph of the lung of the Deptford ox, he could parallel from almost every case of genuine pleuro-pneumonia occurring in Bntish cattle. Since Dr Hunter had spoken, lie had submitted to him a number of specimens under the microscope. One of these, Dr Hunter admitted, showed lec;ions similar to those that he had found in the Deptford ox. This lung, l'rofessor M'Fadyean informed the meeting, was from an Edinburgh cow, slaughtered while suffering from typical contagious pleuro-pneumonia.
At this stage of the proceedings, Professor M'Fadyean in presence of the meeting passed a specimen to Mr Bowhill, and asked him, after examination, to say what in his opmion the lesion was. l\Ir Bowhill promptly declared that it was catarrhal pneumonia. This also, Professor M'Fadyean explained to the meeting, was from a case of undoubted British contagious pleuro-pneumonw, and he called the attention of the meeting to the fact that he had publicly convicted both Dr Hunter and l\Ir Bowhill of inability to distinguish genu me pleuro-pneumonia when they saw it under the microscope. In conclusion he said that after the day's proceedings and the opinions which he had been able to lay before them from eminent Continental authorities, no reasonable person could entertain any doubt that the lesions present in the lung of the Deptford ox were not distinguishable from those of contagious pleuro-pneumonia, and in the absence of any clinical history it must be held that the disease was genuine contagious pleuro-pneumonia.
The meetmg was brought to a close with votes of thanks to Professors M'Fadyean, Hunter, and Bowhill.
LANCASHIRE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.
THE Quarterly Meeting of this Association was held in the J\1edical Institute, Hope Street, Liverpool, on Wednesday, 16th December, Mr Arthur Leather, F.R.C.V.S., President of the Association, in the chair. There was a large attendance of members. Mr Laithwood of Congleton was nominated <IS a member of the Association, and Messrs J. M'Kinna, Huddersfield, H. D. Chorlton, Manchester, and A. Breakell, Garstang, were elected to membership.
l\Iessrs LOCKE and TAYLOR reported on the question of obtaining a better l11eeting-place at Manchester, but it was ultimately resolved to remain for the present at the old place of meeting. Mr S. Locke was elected a life govern or of the benevolent branch of the National Veterinary Benevolent and Defence Association, in the room of Mr 'Yoods deceased.
Mr 'Y. A. TAYLOR, in proposing that Mr W. 'Yoods of lYigan be elected President for the ensuing year, said that that gentleman was one who would do credit to the Association. NIr Whittle seconded this, and it was unani-
