PREVENTION OF PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 181 



disease was spread. The same continues in this country at the 

 present time. The farmers of Holland are recommended to ino- 

 culate, but they have a natural prejudice against it, and the 

 government, in order to get it adopted, as well as to induce the 

 farmers to disclose the existence of disease for the purpose of 

 slaughter, distribute rewards among them as well as the veterin- 

 arians who perform the operation at the public expense, and 

 also allow compensation for animals dying from the operation or 

 slaughtered by command of the executive. The success of the 

 proceeding entirely lay, we have no doubt, in the vigilant 

 slaughter of the diseased animals, and the decline of the disease 

 is to be attributed entirely to the diminution of centres of infec- 

 tion, viz., diseased cattle. The statement of the reporter which 

 refers to the alleged safety in the practice of inoculation, we take 

 as a positive proof of the non-existence of the virus of the disease 

 in the fluid made use of It does not appear possible to commu- 

 nicate pleuro-pneumonia by this means, and we feel confident in 

 the asseveration that if the fluid really contains " the virus," 

 which we believe is of a highly volatile and imponderable nature, 

 no iminfected animal can be safe wherever it is taken. 



We are further informed that of the number of cattle inocu- 

 lated in the province of Groningen in 1854, no less than 16 per 

 cent, died, which number includes those dying of pleuro-pneu- 

 monia contracted before inoculation. How, we may inquire, are 

 we to understand from this statement, that inoculation is a pre- 

 servative against pleuro-pneumonia, and that it ensures at least 

 a milder and a manageable form of disease if not perfect im- 

 munity. 



In 1861, dated October 12th, a report appeared in the "Mel- 

 bourne Argus" of 17th of same month, from the commissioners 

 of Victoria in reference to tiie prevalence, nature, and treatment 

 — remedial and preventive — of epizootic pleuro-pneumonia. It 

 deals with each branch of the subject clearly and in a masterly 

 style, and it is curious to notice that while the mcst stringent 

 enactments are recommended for limiting the spread of the malady, 

 as by slaughter, segregation, and limiting the movement of 

 diseased animals, the operation of inoculation is ijasscd over in 

 convjjlctc silence. It was well known that Mr Bruce had long 

 been clamorous for an edict to render inoculation compulsory, 

 as he is at the present time, yet in the face of all his vaunted 

 success, a commission composed chiefly of scientific men ignore 

 •entirely the proposal. The fact, taken into consideration with 

 previous reports as well as others which followed, is not without 

 great significance. 



In 1862 one of the commissioners, Mr John Miscamble, Y.S., 

 who assisted in producing the report just referred to, addressed 

 the chief secretary on the subject of inoculation for pleuro- 



