1920] VETERINARY MEDICINE. 81 



Parasitic mange (Vet. Rev.. 4 (1920), No. 1, pp. 36-40). — Abstracts are given 

 of seven papers on the subject published during 1919. 



The action of etlier on rabic virus, P. Remlinger (Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 33 

 (1919), No. 9, pp. 616-633; ahs. in Vet. Rev., 4 (1920), No. 1, pp. 30, Si).— This 

 is a more detailed report, with additional evidence, of the immunizing proper- 

 ties of rabic virus attenuated by ether, previously noted from another source 

 (E. S. R., 39, p. 588). 



Can the tuberculosis transmission rate be reduced? J. G. Gumming (Jour. 

 Amer. Med. Assoc, 74 (1920), No. 16, pp. 1072-1074). ^he possibility of trans- 

 mitting tuberculosis by hand-to-mouth, object-to-mouth, and air-borne infection 

 was studied by determining the presence of tubercle bacilli on eating utensils 

 after being used by tuberculosis patients, on the same utensils after being 

 washed with liot water, on the hands of patients, and in the air of tuberculosis 

 wards. The procedure employed was in general to centrifuge washings from 

 the respective sources and inject the sediment into guinea pigs. 



Of the 31 guinea pigs injected witli the wash water from spoons used by 

 tuberculosis patients 11, or 3.5 per cent, died from tuberculosis. Of 36 animals 

 injected with the rinse water from tlie same spoons 22, or 25 per cent, died from 

 tuberculosis. Injections of hand-scrapings caused 4 deaths out of 7 animals, 

 while none of the 11 animals injected with air washings died from tuberculosis. 



These results are considered by the author to afford conclusive evidence that 

 the eating utensil is the major avenue of tuberculosis transmission, and that 

 in the control of the disease the universal application of the principle of 

 thorough sterilization of eating utensils will accomplish more than any other 

 single measure of practical application. 



Further observations of tuberculin testing and retesting, H. W. Turner 

 (Jour. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc., 57 (1920), No. 1, pp. 28-32). — This paper, pre- 

 sented at the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association 

 at New Orleans in November, 1919, gives fiither data regarding the value of 

 tuberculin tests and retests as described by Marshall and Turner (E. S. R., 38, 

 p. 380). 



Data obtained in testing animals from four different herds are reported. Of 

 222 animals tested subcutaneously 40 per cent reacted to the original test. In 

 the 7-day retest conducted on 128 negative and 3 suspicious animals 20 per 

 cent reacted. All of the generalized cases of tuberculosis reacted to the original 

 as well as to tlie 7-day retest, a fact which appears to refute the accepted 

 theory that advanced cases of tuberculosis do not always react to the tuber- 

 culin test. Many of tlie animals which were negative to the original test and 

 positive to the retest showed sliglit but definite lesions on autopsy. 



A 60-day i-etest on two herds composed of 214 animals is also reported. Of 

 the 124 negative or suspicious cases in the original test, 46 reacted to the 

 retest and showed lesions on autopsy. These results are thought to favor 

 the early retest as shortening the time of exposure to infection. 



The 7-day test is indicated " when animals have given unsatisfactory tem- 

 perature measurements to the subcutaneous test, in herds where a large per- 

 centage of reactors to the subcutaneous test have been found, and in herds 

 where, on postmortem examination, the reactors to the Initial test show only 

 slight lesions, indicating that the spreader has not been detected." 



The problem of tuberculosis in cattle, V. A. Moore (Cornell Reading Course 

 for the Farm, No. 146 (1919), pp. 311-330). — "The purpose of this publication 

 is to present anew certain essential facts regarding the nature of bovine tuber- 

 culosis, its economic and sanitary significance, the means by which it is dis- 

 seminated, and the factors that must be considered if it is to be minimized 

 and eventually eradicated." 



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