VETERINARY MEDICINE. 579 



The disease is believed to be dissomiuated in the bovine by way of the alimen- 

 tary tract, but it is also theoretically possible that the cow may be infected when 

 served. It seems very doubtful if the pregnant uterus of a noninfected cow can 

 become infected by the bacillus of bovine abortion traveling up the genital 

 organs from without as the bacillus of Bang is uonmotile. With the ovine 

 disease the genital avenue of infection seems more probable. 



For the diagnosis of the disease the complement fixation and agglutination 

 tests give satisfactory results. See also previous notes (E. S. R., 29, p. 481; 30, 

 p. GS4). " In the application of serological methods to a herd or flock with the 

 object of picking out the infected animals, weight must be given to the same 

 considerations as in the case of the tuberculin test for a similar purpose." 



As regards prevention, it is thought that state measures based on effective 

 restrictions on the movements of infected animals would be ruinous to the 

 business of farmers. By the serological methods it would be possible to estab- 

 lish infected cows in a herd, and where trained men are not available for this 

 work or where there are no provisions for isolating infected animals before 

 they abort or calve, an effort should be made to prevent gross infection by the 

 immediate removal of infective material and by thorough disinfection of 

 barns, etc. 



Immunization, however, in addition to the above-mentioned general meas- 

 ures of prevention, is deemed the best method for solving the difficulty. Since 

 trouble was experienced in regard to the transjiort and injection of large 

 quantities of liquid culture and abscess formations were liable to follow its use, 

 massive cultures are now prepared by growing on potato meat extract peptone 

 bouillon agar containing salt, glucose, and glycerin. To wash the bacilli from 

 the agar contained in ordinary medicine bottles, about 30 cc. of saline solution 

 is added with a sterile hypodermic syringe. The bottle is shaken violently in 

 order to rub all the bacilli from the agar, which breaks up into small portions, 

 and the bacillary emulsion obtained in this way is passed through a strainer. 

 Some thousands of animals have been inoculated without abscess formation 

 due to extraneous contaminations during the operations. 



" Two kinds of vaccine have been tried : Antiabortion A, consisting of living 

 bacilli, and antiabortion B, consisting of bacilli killed by exposure to a tempera- 

 ture of 65° C. for half an hour. Only nonpregnant animals have received A. 

 Only one dose of A was given, and the animals were not put to the bull, ex- 

 cept in certain cases by error, for at least two months after inoculation. Anti- 

 abortion B was given to cows already pregnant, and a dose (half the growth 

 on a culture bottle) was injected each month up to the sixth month of preg- 

 nancy. In both cases only badly infected herds were chosen for the observa- 

 tions. The herds were taken in groups in different parts of the country, and a 

 local organization was set up in each case consisting of members of farmers' 

 societies and veterinarians. . . . 



" Over 3,000 inoculations have been carried out, but it has so far been possible 

 to collect and tabulate the completed results in only one or two groups. The 

 trials with vaccines A and B were in most cases carried out on the same farms, 

 and the controls acted as such for both methods." The best results were ob- 

 tained with vaccine A, although the animals inoculated with vaccine B showed 

 a greater percentage of noiinal calving than did the controls or nonimmunized 

 animals. 



The biology of pseudoanthrax bacilli. — Contribution to the differential 

 diagnosis of anthrax and pseudoanthrax bacilli, N. Pokschischewsky 

 {Berlin. Tierarztl. Wchnschr., 31 {1915), No. 2, pp. 16, i7).— Two types of 

 pseudoanthrax bacilli are described, (1) typus pseudoanthracis which gives a 

 luxuriant growth in agar and gelatin stab cultures in the shape of thick 



