VETERINARY SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. 891 



mouth or through some abrasion of the skin, or both. The disease 

 affects the subcutaneous tissue in the less vascular parts of the body. 

 Assuming that bursattee and leeches are similar, the disease attacks 

 both mules and cattle instead of mules alone, as in India. The Amer- 

 ican form of the disease is the more virulent. Compared with acti- 

 nomycosis, leeches exhibits a preference for the equine family where the 

 former prefers cattle. Finally the author assumes that the fungus may 

 exist on plants, in the air, and in water. He was not able to learn of 

 any cases of human infection. 



An outbreak of a nonspecific disease among swine, V. A. 

 Moore ( U. S. Dept. Ayr., Bureau of Animal Industry Rpts. 1 895 and 1896, 

 pp. 219-227). — Following a few general remarks it is noted that the 

 existence among swine of large numbers of destructive enzootic dis- 

 eases that are not contagious, and therefore are limited in their spread, 

 is very probable. Outbreaks of such diseases appear to be more fre- 

 quent in the West, where large herds of swine follow corn-fed cattle 

 and where little or no attention is given to food or shelter. A some- 

 what detailed description is given of an outbreak of a swine disease at 

 Brookeville, Maryland. A bacteriological examination revealed the 

 presence of Bacillus eoli-eommunis and others of the same group. The 

 author seems inclined to attribute the death of the animals to these 

 organisms. 



Effects of tuberculin on tuberculous cows, F. L. Kussell (Maine 

 Sta. Rpt. 1896 r pp. 56-63). — A record is given of experiments with tuber- 

 culin on tuberculous animals. Out of 11G tests made 33 reactions were 

 obtained, leaving 83 failures. Why such results should be obtained 

 does not appear. The amount of tuberculin used in making the injec- 

 tion was always uniform for the same stage of maturity. Animals 

 so slightly diseased as not to be detected by a physical examination 

 gave such widely different results that the author is forced to the con- 

 clusion that it is a matter of uncertainty whether a slightly diseased 

 animal will react or not. A reaction may be obtained at one time and 

 again a mouth later; or, a reaction may fail for as many as 3 years and 

 then a very decided reaction may be obtained. That there is some law 

 underlying the phenomena seems plain to the author, although he is not 

 able to state what it is. Some animals, it is found, react repeatedly, 

 while others do not, and the intervals between reactions vary from 2 

 days to more than a year. The author finds no grounds for supporting 

 the theory that failure of tuberculous animals to react is due to an 

 acquired tolerance of tuberculin. It is suggested "that the failure of 

 tuberculin to cause reaction in tuberculous cows at times may be due 

 to the fact that the disease is not making steady progress." 



Tuberculosis in the herd of dairy cattle at Aas Agricultural 

 College, Norway, H. Isaachsen (Ber. Hojere Landbrugsskole Aas, 

 1895-'96, pp. 84-86). — Tuberculin tests made in June, 1895, showed that 

 113 head of cattle reacted out of 115 head in the herd (calves included), 



