TRANSMISSION OF BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS. 211 



CHAUYEAU'S EXPERIMENTS. 



Further and more convincing proof of the transmission of bovine 

 tuberculosis has been furnished by Prof. Chauveau, of the Lyons 

 Veterinar}' School, who for years has been experimentally studying 

 the intimate pathology of the various coutagia. The success of his 

 researches has afforded some startling results pertaining to the use 

 of diseased meat. The discovery, also, that certain rich virulent 

 matter can infect as readily through the digestive organs as by any 

 other channel has given him a world-wide reputation ; and his well- 

 designed experiments on cattle, which he instituted in 1868, have 

 settled forever among comparative pathologists the question of the 

 virulency of tuberculosis. 



He purchased four calves the 18th of September, from a locality 

 where this disease was unknown, which, upon rigid examination, 

 were found to be in fine, healthy condition. The next day he admin- 

 istered an ounce of tubercular matter from an old cow's lung, includ- 

 ing the hard and soft varieties, prepared in the form of a drench and 

 given in divided doses. The first one, a year old, began to lose con- 

 dition in about a fortnight, the respirations were quickened, though 

 the appetite remained unimpaired. On the 5th of October he gave 

 this calf another dose, but of different and more recent matter, and 

 within a week the symptoms of tuberculosis were apparent. Ema- 

 ciation proceeded rapidly, the coat became rough and staring, and 

 the animal had occasional fits of coughing, especiall}^ after drinking. 



The second calf, six months old, had on the fourth day a profuse 

 and fetid diarrhoea, but of short duration, and the animal remained 

 apparently healthy for three weeks. But the characteristic symp- 

 toms, as in the other case, soon appeared, with enlargement of the 

 glands about the throat. The third one of the same age, having 

 shown no signs of disease, was drenched again October 9th with 

 another kind of matter, but this calf longest resisted the action of 

 the virus, and not until the 25th was there any appreciable derange- 

 ment of health ; but from that time, however, the phenomena of 

 tubercular infection ensued with amazing rapidit\', and in a week the 

 calf could scarcely be recognized. 



At the close of the experiments, November 10th, the miserable 

 aspect of the three infected creatures, when contrasted with the 

 thriving condition of the fourth, left no doubt in the mind of even 

 the casual observer as to the changes that had taken place. The 



