VETERINARY MEDICINE. 677 



the heated virus, 60 of the pigs died of acute hog cholera, while of 2::5 pen 

 exposure checks, 21 died of hog cholera. 



Inoculation by the intravenous method was found to yield a less potent 

 antiserum than that given when the inoculation of virus is made intramus- 

 cularly. Ten hog cholera cures (nine proprietary and sodium cacodylate) were 

 tried, but no preventive or curative properties were found. 



" Samples of the different antihog-cholera sera sold by the commercial firms 

 have been bought and tested for both potency and purity. The bacterial counts 

 of the different makes of serum have varied from 30,000 to 125,000,000 bacteria 

 to the cubic centimeter. Forty tests for potency have been made. Thirteen 

 of these tests proved unsatisfactory, one or all of the pigs in the different 

 tests that were vaccinated by the simultaueous method dying of hog cholera." 

 From a large number of post-mortem examinations of birds from different 

 poultry farms in the State and the reported losses, it is concluded that mixed 

 septicemia causes more loss to poultrymeu than any other one disease. An 

 attempt to control this Infection on one poultry fai'm by the use of a bacteriu 

 failed. 



Report of the bacteriologist, W. Giltneb {Micliigan 8ta. Rpt. 191.'t, pp. 210- 

 225). — In a study of the milk of animals infected with contagious abortion 

 organisms having a close resemblance to the BaciUus ajjortus were isolated 

 from the stomach of an aborted calf and from the milk of a cow after abortion. 



As to the comparative virulence of avian, human, and bovine types of B. tuber- 

 culosis, the results of a rabbit experiment " would lead one to believe a close 

 relationship exists between the avian and bovine types as regards the degree of 

 virulence. Furthermore, if the type of disease produced in rabbits is indicative 

 of tlie type that might be produced by the application of the same methods in 

 calves, the use of living cultures of avian tubercle bacteria in bovine vaccina- 

 tion is unsafe and unwarranted." 



In studying contagious epithelioma or " sore head " in chickens, a vaccine was 

 prepared " from the diphtheritic membrane which developed in the mouth of 

 the diseased birds. This material was ground in a sterile mortar, susijended in 

 salt .solution, and heated at 60° C. for two hours. Injections of 1 cc. were made 

 into the muscles of the leg in some cases and the breast in others. Twelve birds 

 were treated and one not treated was placed in a pen with those treated. This 

 untreated bird died later and an autopsy showed a diphtheritic condition of 

 mouth, larynx, and pharynx. Those birds which were sick when treated all 

 recovered with but one exception. One of the sick treated birds was kept in 

 the pen and later the disease redeveloped, about two months after apparent re- 

 covery. This would indicate an immunity of short duration." • 



In work on contagious abortion, an additional experiment was made to study 

 the effects of dead and living cultures of the abortus bacterium upon the mor- 

 phological blood elements " and blood reactions, both in open females and dur- 

 ing pregnancy, a study of the pathologic anatomical changes as a result of these 

 culture injections." It was found from a comparative study of the agglutina- 

 tion and complement fixation test that little can be determined from these tests 

 about the probability of an individual aborting, nor can anything be predicted 

 as to the probability of the reacting animal becoming a source of danger to sus- 

 ceptible animals. " The complement fixation test will pick out more reactors 

 than will the agglutination test but on the other hand animals may react to the 

 agglutination test and not to the complement fixation test. . . . The use of living 

 cultures of the abortus bacillus on open females and dead cultures on pregnant 

 females has been applied to a few herds with the object of observing their 

 immunizing effects. The results of this work can not be fully appreciated as 



