890 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Infectious leukaemia in fowls— a bacterial disease frequently 

 mistaken for fowl cholera, V. A. Moore ( U. S. Bept. Agr., Bureau 

 of Animal Industry Bpts. 1895 and 1896, pp. 185-305, pis. 6). — A descrip- 

 tion is given of several cases of leukaemia and of the specific micro- 

 organism, Bacterium sanguinarium n. sp., that causes it. The cultural 

 characteristics, pathogenesis, constancy of virulence, symptomatology, 

 morbid anatomy, etiology, and differential diagnosis, prevention, and 

 treatment are discussed. The disease differs from fowl cholera in 

 the intestines being pale, intestinal contents normal, lungs normal, 

 and in the specific organisms being comparatively few in the blood. 

 The specific organism differs from the bacterium of fowl cholera by 

 usually appearing in pairs united end to end or in clumps, by rarely 

 staining at the poles and saponifying milk, by its resistance to drying 

 from 8 to 12 days, by killing rabbits inoculated subcutaneously in from 

 6 to 10 days instead of from 18 to 24 hours, and in not killing fowls 

 when injected subcutaneously in small quantities. The best remedy 

 noted is cleanliness. A mixture of equal parts of carbolic acid and 

 sulphuric acid, among other things, is recommended as a disinfectant. 



In conclusion it is stated that some cases popularly called fowl 

 cholera are not fowl cholera, but a disease resembling it in certain 

 symptoms and in its fatality, and differing from it in its morbid anatomy 

 and specific organism. This specific organism in its physiological 

 properties resembles somewhat closely Bacillus typhosis. The disease 

 seems to be more prevalent than fowl cholera and old fowls seem more 

 susceptible to it than chicks. 



Leeches, P. A. Fish ( U. 8. Bept. Agr., Bureau of Animal Industry 

 Bpts. 1895 and 1896, pp. 229-259, pis. 7). — This is an historical investiga- 

 tion of two cases of equine mycosis, with an historical account of a 

 supposed similar disease called bursattee, occurring in India. The 

 geographical distribution, histology, pathology, and anatomy are 

 discussed. 



Under the head of "Some other diseases of mycotic origin" are 

 described actinomycosis, Madura disease (mycetoma), pathogenic blas- 

 tomycetes, and oedema mycosis (South African horse sickness). In his 

 general summary of the paper the author notes that he reports for the 

 first time the presence of a fungus in "leech" tissue. The fungus is 

 found in the inflammatory growth and may, though rarely, be seen 

 ramifying into adjacent tissue. The fungus appears in various forms, 

 evacuolated and shrunken, branching irregularly, and sometimes with 

 a transparent gelatinous sheath around the mycelial axis. Two kinds 

 of wandering cells were observed — one containing numerous spore-like 

 bodies, the other large numbers of vacuoles. The latter kind were the 

 most numerous. Bacilli staphylococci and streptococci were found, 

 but the author thinks they have no etiological relation to the disease. 



Although they were not found, spores are thought to exist. The 

 fungus or its spores, it is thought, enter the body either through the 



