VETERnTABY MEDICIl<rE. 281 



many of the stockmen of the West. It is not clear that bleeding produces any 

 good effects. 



" When the animal is very weak, subcutaneous injections of 20 cc. (6 drams) 

 of whisky will aid in bridging over the period of weakness and sometimes save 

 the animal. In all cases it was found in the station work that beneficial results 

 were obtained by using a subcutaneous injection of the following formula : 

 Physostigmin salicylate 1 grain, pilocarpin hydrochlorid 2 grains, and strychnin 

 sulphate i grain." This formula applies to animals weighing 500 or 600 lbs., 

 and double the amount should be given to a steer or cow of 1,000 lbs. or more. 



Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), H. T. Gtissow {Canada Expt. Farms 

 Rpts. 1912, pp. 210, 211). — Equisetum palustre has long been suspected of being 

 a fatal poisonous plant and the most recent investigations confirm this conclu- 

 sion. The author's experience with the common field horsetail (E. arvense), 

 concerning the poisonous effect of which there has been a divided opinion, has 

 been that cattle do not suffer any inconvenience at all from this weed, or only 

 very slight disturbance of their digestive organs, while horses are conspicu- 

 ously subject to fatal poisoning by it. An examination of the hay upon which 

 a considerable number of poisoned horses were fed revealed in every case the 

 presence of E. arvense. As soon as the feed was changed, the horses, if not too 

 seriously affected, made a rapid recovery. 



Treatment consists of a liberal allowance of clean, easily digestible food, and 

 the administration of a sharp purgative, followed by 2 teaspoonfuls of nux 

 vomica 3 times a day. 



A new procedure for diag'nosing' infections with the Preisz-Nocard bacillus, 

 P. FoEGEOT and E. Cesari {Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 26 {1912), No. 2, pp. 102-105; 

 ahs. in Ztschr. Immunitdtsf. u. Expt. Ther., II, Ref., 5 {1912), No. 9, p. 159; 

 Rev. G6n. M6d. Yet., 21 {WIS), No. 2J,2, pp. 78, 79).— The serum from 13 horses 

 which were chronically infected with the Preisz-Nocard bacillus was antitoxic 

 enough to prevent the death of animals which were treated with the homol- 

 ogous toxin. The local changes in the disease were almost entirely suppressed. 



Of the 13 horses examined 9 had latent lesions (kidney abscesses) which 

 could not be detected by other methods. 



Diagnosing anthrax with, bone marrow, F. Wulff {Ztschr. Infektions- 

 kranlc. u. Hyg. Haustiere, 12 {1912), No. 3, pp. 266-294) .—This is a more de- 

 tailed account of work previously noted (E. S. R., 27, p. 781). The metacarpus 

 or metatarsus having the phalanx prima digiti tertii attrched is deemed the 

 best pathologic specimen to send to the laboratory for diagnostic purposes. 



A contribution to the study of epizootic abortion in the mare, C. Dasson- 

 viLLE and C. 'kivi^RE {Rev. G^n. MM. V6t., 21 {1913), Nos. 2^5, pp. 237-252; 

 246, pp. 301-322, figs. 8; abs. in Jour. Compar. Path, and Ther., 26 {1913), No. 

 1, pp. 82-87). — While the observations of a number of authors indicate that 

 joint-ill in foals is due to contamination of the umbilical cord, the present 

 authors point out that it is not uncommon to find suppuration of the cord and 

 joints in spite of the precautions taken. 



In 3 cases studied they have been able to find a particular bacillus in a state 

 of purity in the membranes, in the blood, and in all the tissues of each of the 

 fetuses. The bacillus found in pure culture in a foal aftecied with joint-ill and 

 in the 3 fetuses was very pathogenic for all the laboratory animals, and also 

 caused abortion on every occasion when it was used for the inoculation of 

 pregnant rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice. 



The authors have also been able to produce abortion with filtered cultures, 

 and further have been able to isolate by chemical means from the filtrates 

 substances capable of producing abortion. The organism is very different from 

 Bang's bacillus and from that reported by Smith and Kilborne to be the cause 



