VETERINARY MEDICINE. 679 



an hour later, one of the investigators entered l)nt could detect nothing ix^culiar 

 until his head was about a foot above the silage, when pungent, warm, slightly 

 alcoholic gas was noticeable. The odor of the gas gave no suggestion of bitter 

 almonds, garlic, or rotten eggs. A second investigator discovered at about 10 

 in. above the general level of the silage, and from there to the silage the same 

 almost irrespirable gas, which had an immediately irritating effect upon the 

 mucous membrane of the nose, throat, and trachea. 



Analysis of a sample of the gas collected from the silo showed carbon dioxid 

 38.15, oxygen 38.75, and nitrogen 48.1 per cent, while that of a sample olilained 

 from a neighboring silo showed carbon dioxid 0.22, oxygen 20.0, and nitrogen 

 79.22 per cent. No test was obtained for carbon monoxid, ammonia, hydro- 

 cyanic acid, or methane. 



A crisis in the foot-and-mouth disease situation (Illinois Sta. Circ. 178 

 (1915), PI). Jf). — A discussion of the foot-and-mouth disease situation prepared 

 by a connnittee of the station which emphasizes the fact that it is " the plain 

 duty of all who have the welfare of the live stock interests at heart to unite 

 in supporting the efforts of the federal and state authorities to eradicate the 

 disease from this country." 



Immunity ag'ainst tuberculosis in cattle, A. Calmette and C. Gu^rin (Ann. 

 Inst. Pasteur, 28 (1914), ^o. 4, PP- 329-337; ahs. in Jour. Compar. Path, and 

 Ther., 27 (1914), ^^o. 3, pp. 263-265). — This is in continuation of work previously 

 reported (E. S. R., 30, p. 482) in regard to determining what part the sub- 

 stances which comprise the bacillus, i. e., the lij)oids, the tuberculins, and the 

 bacillary protoplasm, play in the production of immunity. 



The lipoids appear to play no part in immunity, and the injection of tuber- 

 culin, either crude or precipitated, sensibly retards the development of tubercu- 

 losis produced by the test inoculations. The effect of intact bacilli killed by 

 heat and washed was studied for the purpose of determining whether the 

 slight protective power attributed to dead bacilli depends upon the tuberculin ' 

 inclosed within the bodies of the bacilli. 



"An S-month-old calf was inoculated Intravenously with 20 mg. of bacilli 

 heated for 36 minutes at 65° C. and then washed with salt solution. Three 

 months later the animal was tested with tuberculin and gave a very i)ronounced 

 reaction. It was slaughtered on the same day. and at the post-mortem the 

 lesions of chronic, slowly progressive tuI)ereulosis were found." 



"The intact bacillary protoplasm obtained from dead bacilli which are devoid 

 of tuberculin possesses no immunizing action at all. Lasting tolerance pos- 

 sessed by bovines to infection with, tuberculosis is due to the presence in their 

 systems of living bacilli. The saprophytic existence of tubercle bacilli in the 

 system leads to the production of soluble imniuni-zing substances different from 

 those obtained in artificial culture media." 



The twenty-eight hour law and the animal quarantine laws annotated, 

 compiled by H. Coding (Washinyton: U. 8. Dcpt. Ar/r., Office ^oliritur, 1915, 

 pp. 52). — An annotation of the act of Congress approved June 29, 1906, com- 

 monly known as the " Twenty-eight Hour Law," and the Animal Quarantine 

 Acts of May 29, 1884, February 2, 1903, and March 3, 1905. All of the deci- 

 sions of the courts contained in the publication of October 2, 190S, entitled 

 " The Twenty-eight Hour Law Annotated," all decisions under the Twenty- 

 eight Hour Law reported since that publication was issued, and all decisions 

 reported under the animal quarantine laws ai*e included. 



Sterility in bovines and equines, J. J. Wester (Tijdsehr. Veeartsenijl:., 4I 

 (191.',), No. 1, pp. 13-16; ahs. in Vet. Rec, 27 (191 J,), No. 1362, pp. 109, 110; 

 Cornell Vet., 4 (1915), No. 4, pp. 212, 213).— Thin article deals with endemic 

 sterility which has been frequently encountered during certain years. 



