Vol. XIII. No. 325. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



329 



VETERINARY NOTES. 



RECENT VIEWS ON BOVINE 

 TUBERCULOSIS. 



It was proiiiiscd in the last issue but one of the Afjri- 

 cultural iVeius that an article on thejiaperspiepareil for 

 the recent International Veterinar}' Congress, London, 

 would be published in this issue. The' following suui- 

 niaries have been taken from different papers dealing 

 with the important subject <if tul)ercidosis. At the end 

 of a Report on the Tuberculosis Bureau of the Koyal 

 Agricultural Board. Stockholm. Mr. (iustav Reguer 

 ^vrites: — 



It lias been my desire in the turegoing lo point out the 

 necessity of noticing, and, as far as possible, making use of 

 the favourable factor in the struggle agaiiist tuberculosis. 

 Tliis factor is indi.sputably to lie found in tla^ fact that there 

 are numerous herds which are free from tuberculosis. 



It must not be expected, however, that farmers will 

 take the initiative by themselves in this respect. The 

 defensive side of the fuherculosix sfiu'j(/le also requires lupport 

 and (luidance jroni Itiijher quarters, this so much the more 

 a.s the lierds here in question often belong to the less 

 intelligent and, financially le.ss favoured farmers. 



1:1 my opinion the Oovernmeut must therefore render 

 assistance in this part, as otherwise in the struggle against 

 tuberculosis, by letting the farmers have tuberculiu-tests free 

 of charge and by veterinary surgeons giving them all 

 necessary advice and information. j 



()n account of what I have .said, and on condition that 

 a resolution on the tuberculosis (juestion be submitted to the 

 Congress for adoption, I therefore sulmiit that same may 

 contain the following thesis:-- 



Tho^e herds irhich (ire natnra'Ji/ non-tiibercalvus must 

 he searehed out and in ei'ery iwinner protected f'roin infection 

 At least the expense in connexion irilh this t>earchin;/ should 

 he defrayed tii/ the Government. 



As regards the relation of the types of tubercle 

 bacilli, Professor Eber, Director of the Veterinary Insti- 

 tute of the ITniversity of Leipzig, came to the following 

 conclusions: — 



Pure cultures derived directly from human oi- liovine 

 sources possess certain biological characters , which, in the 

 majority of cases permit of a distinction into a human and 

 a bovine type. 



The occurrence in nature of transitional forms between 

 the said types (atypical strains), and the possibility of chang- 

 ing the human tyjie by passage throtigh animals in such a 

 way that, with the means at present at our dispo.sal, it cannot 

 be distinguishetl from the bovine type, indicate that the 

 characters mentioned depend upon adaptation to the host for 

 the time lieing, and that under certain conditions they can 

 again be altered liy a change of host. The two tyjies of 

 mammalian tuliercle bacilli described by Ko,ssel, Weber and 

 Heuse, the human type and the bovine type, are not in real- 

 ity types or subspecies with constant characters, but rather 

 varieties of one and the same bacillus with relative variable 

 characters. 



Meat inspection in regard to transuii.ssion is an 

 extremely important branch of the subject of tubercu- 

 losis. On the general principles governing the exam- 

 ination and inspection of the organs and meat of 



tubercul(.)us animals. Dr. Nieberle, of Hamburg, holds 

 the following views: — 



(1) The most important problem in meat inspection is 

 the certain recognition and the propei- removal of tuVierculous 

 organs and their associated parts. 



An organ is to be con.sidered tuberculous when its 

 lymphatic glands are tuberculous. 



(2) In cases of localized and regressive generalized 

 tuberculosis, and in cases of extensive disease of the inter- 

 nmscular glands, the meat may be exposed for sale in the 

 raw condition after the removal of the diseased portions. 

 AVliere the disease is very extensive a declaration to that 

 effect must be given. 



(3) A whole carcase is to be considered unfit for food 

 when there is (a) tuberculosis with marked emaciation ; 

 (b) acute miliary tuberculosis or evidence of a recent 

 generalization. 



In the case of (b) the sterilized fat may be .sold for 

 human consumption under declaration. 



(4) In ca.ses in which the suspicion arises that the 

 meat may be dangerous (the presence of lesions in the 

 organs, with recent widespread caseous miliary tuberculosis 

 of the lymphatic glands, or of the so-called softened 

 tuberculous lesions) the inspector must examine the carcase 

 th<'>roughly for the existence of evi<lence of a recent infection 

 by way of the blood stream. 



(5) In the examination of every case of tuberculosis the 

 inspector must examine and cut into all the glands or organs 

 at the seat of primary infection. In all cases in which the 

 localized nature of the disease is not Ijeyond doubt all the 

 intermuscular glands must be examined. 



FATTENING PIGS IN CASSAVA. 



Although it is unlikely that under present condi- 

 tions pr(jfit will accrue from the employment of this 

 starch as food for pigs in the West Indies and possibly 

 n(.it even in Eui-<.)pe, the following note, taken from the 

 Montldy Bulletin of Agricultural Intelligence and 

 Plant Diseases for July 1014, contains results on the 

 subje^ct of sufficient interest and importance tii deserve 

 their being placed on record in the Agricultural Neius. 

 The im-estigations ;ire descrilx'd by Mcins. A. Gouin 

 and P. Andouard from Paris. 



The writers, continuing Professor Frateur's experiments 

 in feeding pigs on cassava, made some trials, and found that 

 the method recommended by Professor Frateur might be 

 profitable in Belgium, where cassava is obtainable for twelve 

 or thirteen francs for 100 kg. (4s. lOd, to os. 3d. pev cwt.), 

 but that it could not be followed in France, where cassava 

 costs 18 francs the 100 kg. (7s. 3d. [ler cwt.). 



With a view to finding a more economic use for cassava, 

 the writers made some experiments of their own, with the 

 following results: — 



1. In the case of pigs fed witli milk as well, it only 

 took 3 It), of ca.ssava to produce a gain in live weight of 

 1 Yb. instead of 4-18 It), of cassava required at Louvain. 



2. By substituting for the milk ration 1"1 8). of rice 

 i/luten and 2.1 oz. bone meal, which costs Id. and is cquiva- 

 fent to 1 gallon of separated milk, there is recjuired, to 

 j)i-oduce a gain of 1 lb. live weight, only 2-9 lb. of cassava. 



In practice, the profit exceeded 40 per cent. 



Professor Frateur fed the cassava to the pigs in slices, 

 cooked and then crushed. The writers fed it raw. It had 

 been previously chopped fine in the colony itself. 



