VETERINARY SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. 1131 



epithelioid cells. Frequently a typical tubercle may arise without the occurrence of 

 mitotic division in the fixed cells of the affected tissue. 



After a certain period the tubercles acquire a peculiar friability, so that they are 

 easily broken up and burst into by the blood vessels and their constituents pass into 

 the blood stream. The endothelial cells of the liver are found to be destroyers of 

 the polynuclear leucocytes when these occur in large numbers. 



The extent of transmission of tuberculosis to man by means of the meat 

 of tuberculous cattle, M. Westenhoeffer (Ueber die Grenzen der Uebertragbarkeit 

 der Tuberculosa durch Fleisch iuberculbser Rinder auf den Menschen. Berlin: August 

 Hirschivald, 1904, pp- 48). — The literature relating to this subject is critically 

 reviewed. The purpose of the author's investigations was to determine by means 

 of experiments the extent to which the meat of tuberculous cattle contains tuber- 

 cle bacilli which arc of sufficient virulence to transmit the disease. 



A brief account is presented of the negative and positive results obtained In- 

 different investigators during their experiments alqng this line. The author came 

 to the conclusion after a study of this subject that the only satisfactory method of 

 determining the virulence of tubercle bacilli in meat was that of hypodermic or 

 intraperitoneal inoculation. During the author's experiments the meat of six cattle 

 was used and the experimental animals were guinea pigs and rabbits. The results 

 obtained by the author are not in harmony with the assertion of Koch that the 

 meat as well as the milk of tuberculous cattle contains numerous virulent tubercle 

 bacilli. 



it was found by the author that the meat, even of cattle affected with general 

 tuberculosis to such an extent that they must be entirely excluded from the market, 

 contained either no tubercle bacilli at all or not enough to produce tuberculosis 

 when inoculated subcutaneously into animals which are most susceptible to the 

 disease. On the other hand, the meat of one animal which was affected with acute 

 miliary tuberculosis contained so many tubercle bacilli that 59 per cent of the 

 experimental animals inoculated with this material became tuberculous. 



Notes arc given on the methods of procedure which have been adopted in various 

 localities with regard to the treatment of the meat of tuberculous cattle from the 

 standpoint of a scientific system of meat inspection. 



The meat inspection law with reference to tuberculosis, M. Westenhoeffer 

 1 Berlin. Klin. Wchnschr., 41 {1904), Nos. 45, pp. 1165-1169; 46, pp. 1196-1202).— As 

 a result of the critical study of the workings and effect of the German imperial meat 

 inspection law with especial reference to tuberculosis, the author comes to the con- 

 clusion that all meat brought into cities which are furnished with public abattoirs 

 should be subjected to a second inspection. It is also recommended that the head, 

 thoracic viscera, spleen, and kidneys be submitted with the rest of the body in their 

 natural connection. 



In cities with public abattoirs it is urged that slaughtering for private purposes 

 outside of these abattoirs should not be permitted. Only graduated veterinarians 

 should be appointed as directors of abattoirs. 



New data ^n the control of bovine tuberculosis, P. H. Romer (Beitr. Expt. 

 Ther., 1904, A'"- 7, pp. 73-109, pis. 33). — An account is presented of the fate of vari- 

 ous animals treated by the immunization method used by von Behring and the 

 author. Notes are also given on the new experiments along the same line which 

 have been completed or are still in progress at the University of Marburg. 



The results obtained by other authors in testing the same method of immunization 

 are also briefly reported. A detailed scheme is presented covering all points to be 

 observed in making protective inoculations for the purpose of immunizing cattle 

 against tuberculosis in agricultural practice. In general, only animals which are 

 apparently healthy and from 3 weeks to 4 months of age should be selected for the 

 first vaccination. Exceptionally, older cattle may be vaccinated provided they are 



