Park. — On Animal and Vegetable Parasites. 451 



Art. XLI. — Animal and Vegetable Parasites associated with 

 the Production of Neoplasms in Cattle and Sheep. 



By Archibald Park, M.R.C.V.S. 



Communicated by Sir J. Hector. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 17th July, 1893.] 



I DID not expect to be called upon to address such a learned 

 body as the members of the Philosophical Society in this 

 colony. When I left Tasmania I merely put up a few pre- 

 parations to show Sir James Hector the progress 1 have made 

 since he visited my laboratory in Hobart in October, 1893. 

 Of course you are all aware that tuberculosis is the disease 

 that we are led to believe is dangerous above all others in 

 consuming the flesh of animals affected by it. During the 

 early part of my professional career I was quite satisfied to 

 accept the testimony of what was considered to be reliable 

 investigation ; but when Dr. Creed, of Sydney, New South 

 Wales, so warmly took up the subject of tuberculosis in 

 rabbits, in 1883, and by his influence Mr. Anthony Willows, 

 M.E.C.V.S., was despatched to Tasmania to investigate the 

 disease in that colony, I was enabled to see what Mr. Willows 

 pronounced to be tuberculosis, scrofula, cancer, &c. My ex- 

 perience in the Old Country twenty years before enabled me 

 to pronounce an adverse opinion at the time, and, having 

 since struck out a line of investigation for myself on 

 this important subject, I find that no one has yet de- 

 monstrated the existence of tuberculosis in wild rabbits, as the 

 disease so frequently alluded to is the well-known Coccidium 

 oviformce. Then, the "scrofula" in cattle as reported by 

 Mr. Willows proves to be the now well-known actinomycosis ; 

 and I am glad to say no case of tuberculosis has yet been 

 found in Tasmania, notwithstanding the alarming report cir- 

 culated by the New South Wales Stock Department in 1884. 

 I have spent eighteen years in Tasmania, and have taken 

 every opportunity to find tuberculosis in cattle in that colony, 

 but up to the present time I have not succeeded. It has 

 always occurred to me, Why should tuberculosis be so pre- 

 valent in these colonies (I mean in Australasia) as is reported ? 

 There must be something wrong somewhere ; so, still endea- 

 vouring to solve the mysterj^ I obtained permission and assist- 

 ance from Mr. P. R. Gordon to visit Queensland in 1893, and 

 went on to several stations where caitle were not knocked 

 about, as would have been the case if I had only made exami- 

 nations at boiling-down establishments. x\fter making over 



