EPITOME OF EVIDEXCE ON PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 245 



pneumonia. I have invariably found when I have got a tem- 

 perature of 103°, and the breathing a little hurried, especially 

 on being moved about or excited, these animals that had been 

 slaughtered have been found to be cases of pleuro-pneumonia. 

 If an animal shows a temperature of 103", it should be 

 destroyed as a matter of policy. Successful inoculation confers 

 immunity. I mean by successful inoculation, that the operation 

 shall be carried out in a proper manner. I have reason to know 

 that it is very frequently improperly performed. If animals 

 are inoculated, and still take the disease, it is the fault of the 

 operator. I had information at the time that in the Cum- 

 berland outbreak it was improperly done, and the same thing 

 occun-ed in Perthshire. I have never known an animal suc- 

 cessfully inoculated succumb or even contract the disease, 

 although it has been subjected to subsequent outbreaks. I have 

 never known an animal take pleuro-pneumonia after passing 

 through a successful inoculation ; it never produces pleuro- 

 pneumonia. If the animal has pleuro-pneumonia already, 

 inoculation aggravates it. Pleuro-pueumonia cannot always be 

 detected. The incubative stage cannot be detected. At the 

 present time I know of no means of being absolutely certain. 

 If you have an animal subjected to examination whose tem- 

 perature is natural, and whose appearance in regard to health 

 is normal, it would be rash for any one to say that it was 

 affected with pleuro-pneumonia, and yet that animal might 

 have it in an incubative form. Inoculation arrests it at that 

 stage, for at that time there is no lung lesion. I think an 

 inspector should have absolute power to put down anything he 

 suspects. He is acting in the public interest. If a cow has 

 pleuro-])neumonia and recovers, she remains capable of dis- 

 seminating the disease for a long time — I should say at 

 least twelve months I have not lost an animal from inocula- 

 tion out of some hundreds lately inoculated — that is, from 

 inoculation itself Calves should not be inoculated under 

 three months. It produces an inflammatory condition of the 

 joints before that time. Autumn, spring, and early summer, 

 before the flies become numerous, is the best time for inocula- 

 tion. I would not inoculate cows in calf, if within two months 

 of calving. I did so in the case of one for Professor M'Call, within 

 a month or six weeks from calving, but that is not quite long 

 enough. I think the disease can be eradicated by means of 

 inoculation. In the first place, it is absolutely necessary that 

 your operators are thoroughly up in their work, but there would 

 be difficulty in finding such gentlemen at present ; I would 

 appoint them only by examination. The general demand would 

 soon force the veterinary surgeons to attend to it. I do not 

 think there is any danger of infection being carried by inspectors 



