BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 219 



Blanchard, Arloing, Buchner, Ehrlich, Salomenseu, Rcux, Martin, 

 Nocard, and many other of the most prominent scientific men of 

 Enrope, is evidence of the importance of the Bureau being represented 

 on such occasions and taking an active part in the proceedings. The 

 representative of the Bureau was one of the honorary presidents and 

 presiding officers. 



While no new or startling investigations were announced, very many 

 valuable reviews in different lines of work wei-e brought to the atten- 

 tion of the members of the congress, which may be said to have served 

 to a great extent as a "clearing house" and new starting point for 

 continuation of important investigations. 



The Congress of Hygiene had a very much smaller number of mem- 

 bers than the International Medical Congress, and the matters pre- 

 sented were to some extent the same as those discussed in the Interna- 

 tional Medical Congress. The paper read here by Dr. de Schweinitz 

 was a review of the work which has been carried on in endeavoring to 

 control tuberculosis in men and animals in the United States. The 

 resolutions adopted and general views of importance expressed wiU 

 be submitted for publication in the Annual Report of the Bureau. 



PATHOLOGICAL DIVISION. 



The principal work of this division during the past fiscal j^-ear has 

 consisted in (1) the preparation and distribution of blackleg vaccine; 

 (2) laboratory experiments for diagnostic purposes in connection with 

 an outbreak of rabies in the District of Columbia; (3) an investigation 

 of the nature, cause, and economic importance of caseous lymph- 

 adenitis in sheep ; (4) an investigation of an outbreak of rabies in the 

 dairy herd of the Government Asylum for the Insane at St. Elizabeth, 

 D. C. ; (5) an investigation of the prevalence of tuberculosis in the 

 same herd, and the determination of the pathogenic properties of 

 milk from cows which have reacted to tuberculin but show no jjhysical 

 symptoms of tuberculosis; (6) an investigation of an outbreak of 

 facial dermatitis in sheep in Maryland; (7) an investigation of several 

 outbreaks of gangrenous vulvitis in cattle; (8) an investigation of an 

 outbreak of an infectious disease among a flock of sheep in Michigan; 

 (9) an investigation regarding the therapeutic value of the so-called 

 gasoline treatment for parasitic diseases in sheep; (10) an investiga- 

 tion regarding infectious abortion in cattle; (11) the determination 

 of pathological specimens referred to this division for diagnosis; (12) 

 the preparation of answers to numerous inquiries regarding diseases 

 of live stock in the United States. 



In addition to the above, it has devolved upon the chief of this 

 division to prepare the examination for veterinarians in the Unitexl 

 States cavalry and to gi-ade the numerous papers according to their 

 merits. 



THE PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF BLACKLEG VACCINE. 



During the past fiscal year 1,076,150 doses of blackleg vaccine have 

 been prepared and distributed among the various States and Terri- 

 tories, as itemized below. The demand for this preventive is steadily 

 increasing, and the summarized reports of 2,000 cattle owners testify 

 to the great efficiency of the preparation in reducing losses from black- 

 leg to a minimum. It is conservatively estimated that the annual loss 

 from this disease when no preventive measures are taken amounts to 

 about 86,000,000. This estimate is based upon the reported loss of 



