VETERTNARV MEDTCTNE. . 181 



sive losst^s ainoiit; f^raziiii; herds in Mast I*i;ussia, Hanover, Sweden, and Kas(. 

 and West Havellaiid. 



During the process of sucUinj; blood Ihe gnals iiijecl into tlu; punctured 

 wound a minute quantity of poison wliicli, like snake jioison, is derived from 

 the salivaxy glands and is probably albuminous in character. The symptoms 

 of gnat poisoning are peculiar and the condition can scarcely be confused with 

 any other disease. The two most marked symptoms, which never coexist in the 

 same way lu any other disease, are the disturljance of circulation and the fall- 

 ing of body temperature. Oxen which were overcome by great clouds of gnats 

 died with signs of rapid loss of strength within 24 to oO hours, but death may 

 occur withiu half an hour. Some observers believe a fatal termination in such 

 cases to be due to the swelling of the air passages, but in the writer's opinion 

 death results from heart failure. 



No fatal case was ever seen among cattle grazing more than 3 miles from the 

 bank of a river. In Germany the swarms usually appear between the end of 

 April and the beginning of May; in rare cases between the end of July and the 

 beginning of August. Animals when attacked should be removed to the stable 

 as soon as possible. According to their condition they should receive from 1 to 

 3 pts. of brandy in double that quantity of water. When the condition is very 

 serious * to 1 pt. of brandy should be given every hour or every 2 hours until 

 improvement is noticeable. 



Notes on the presence of two stomach worms in calves hitherto unre- 

 corded in Australia, S. Dodd {Queensland Agr. Jour., 21 {1908), No. .'/, pp. 

 197, 198). — In a post-mortem examination made by the author on a calf, follow- 

 ing typical symptoms of stomach worm infestation, Strongijlus cervicornis and 

 S. gracilis were fovmd in the fourth stomach in large numbers, together with 

 the twisted stomach worm {Hwmonvhus contortus). 



Stomach worm disease of sheep and young- cattle, M. R. Powers {South 

 Carolina Sta. Bui. H2, pp. 3-19). — The stomach or twisted wireworm {Hwmon- 

 chus contortus), which has long been recognized as a grave menace to the 

 sheep-raising industry, now seems to be also a serious obstacle to cattle raising 

 in some parts of the South. During the fall of 1904 a considerable loss of 

 young cattle was i-eported from 11 counties in South Carolina (E. S. R., 17, p. 

 913), and its presence has been reported each succeeding fall. 



The disease is not confined to the southern portion of the State where the 

 land is low, but it occurs also in the hilly pastures of the upcountry. These 

 pastures, however, usually have small streams flowing through them, the low 

 marshy banks of which furnish ideal conditions for the development of stomach 

 worms. 



Lambs are very susceptible to stomach worm disease and as the result sheep 

 raising in some localities is almost impossible. Quite frequently young cattle 

 are also affected. That calves on a milk diet appeared less susceptible to this 

 disease is deemed probably due to the additional nourishment received from the 

 milk, as well as to the fact that these calves do not graze as much as other 

 animals and therefore take fewer worms into the stomach. 



The disease is caused by large numbers of the worms occupying- the fourth 

 stomach. These worms are supposed to be blood-sucking parasites, but the 

 author has never found them attached to the walls of the stomach. It is sug- 

 gested that the worms may eliminate some poison, or by their injurious action 

 on the mucous membrane of the stomach allow the passage of bacteria into 

 the circulation and thus produce the sym[)toms. 



Feces were gathered January 28, 1908, in an inclosure which had been free 

 from stock since November 13, 1907. As there had been several heavy frosts 

 and no snowstorm during this period, the worms had been exposed to severe 



