No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 127 



LABOKATOKY AND RESEARCH WOJiK 

 Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report: 



I took charge of this work on the first of February in 1911. The 

 report is divided into three sections: A. Research Experiments; 

 B. Routine Work; C. Milk Hygiene. 



There are so many problems of importance to be investigated that 

 it was, at the beginning, difficult to select for an understaffed, poorly 

 equipped laboratory the most urgent of them, and avoid splitting 

 the routine work into unj)ractical sub-groups. During the year the 

 laboratory has been thoroughly equipped and ample and efficient 

 help provided in the laboratory and at the farm so that first-class 

 work is now possible in every respect. 



A. RESEARCH EXPERIMENTS 

 1. GLANDERS 



Experience gathered in other laboratories concerning the 

 diaguois of glanders has been applied to research work in 

 the laboratory. It was first emphasized by German investigators 

 that the complement fixation test is most valuable for the diagnosis 

 of glanders. The necessary sera were at once prepared, and the 

 test which has been used for over eight months has proved to be a 

 great success. The veterinarians were asked to forward to the 

 laboratory blood samples which were examined according to this 

 method usually in combination with the Agglutination test. x4n early 

 glander's infection can be more readily diagnosed by means of this 

 test than with the Complement Fixation test. In one instance the 

 results demonstrated the unreliability of the mallein test. The 

 Complement Deviation and the Agglutination tests are very delicate 

 and undoubtedly the varying results which have been obtained by 

 investigators may be ascribed to faulty technique. The results of 

 our work will soon be ready for publication. 



In many instances glanders cultures were isolated from the speci- 

 mens forwarded to the laboratory. The biological reactions were 

 tested by modern methods but many contradictory results obtained. 

 and were, therefore, held for a more complete study. As soon as 

 results are available they will be published. 



2. "EPIZOOTIC LYMPHANGITIS" 



Page, Frothingham, and Paige published in the year 1910 

 an article uuder the title of "Sporothrix and Epizootic 

 Lymphangitis in Pennsylvania. Through connection with an 

 institute for tropical diseases, in which many cases of true 

 Epizootic Lymphangitis were observed, I was familiar with 

 this form of skin disease in equines and knew its real 

 cause to be a sporothrix. An opportunity was offered during the year 

 to study a case in n hoise which suffered a relapse of "Epizootic 

 Lymphangitis." From this nnimal two small subcutaneous abscesses 

 were aseptically extirpated. The pus was smeared on malose agar 



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