682 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



in the brain tissue which may have something to do with the etiology of this 

 condition, but he was not able to cultivate them. 



The cause of puerperal septicemia, Ohler {MUnchen, Tierdrstl. Wchnschr., 

 53 {1909), No. 50; ahs. in Berlin Tierdrztl. Wchnschr., 26 (1910), No. 

 52, p. 1052). — Puerperal septicemia is caused by the Streptococcus pyogenes. 

 If other bacteria are taken up by the blood stream, such as those which cause 

 putrefaction, they eventually overwhelm the streptococci and either destroy 

 them or weaken their virulence. 



Prevention of intestinal rupture during birth, Becker (Berlin. Tierdrstl. 

 Wchnschr., 26 (1910), No. Jfl, pp. 79-'i, 795). — The author describes a method 

 of treating breech cases to prevent intestinal ru]Jture in the mother, which he 

 has employed with good success. 



An examination of the feces of forty cattle for tubercle bacilli and con- 

 clusions, J. Reichel and E. S. Deubler (Jour. Med. Research, 2.'f (1911), No. 

 1, pp. 5-1.'/). — This is a preliminary report of investigations conducted under 

 the auspices of the Pennsylvania State Live Stock Sanitary Board. 



The conclusions were that " the microscopic examination of the feces or 

 rectal scrapings of cattle for tubercle bacilli is of no value, in that many bac- 

 teria make their appearance in the feces or rectal scrapings with the morphol- 

 ogy and staining characteristics of tubercle bacilli, which, however, fail to 

 prove themselves as such. ' The animal inoculation test,' 1. e., the injection of 

 guinea pigs with feces and rectal scrapings of cattle is a valuable although 

 not an infallible test. It can be relied upon when the guinea pigs injected 

 develop tuberculosis as a result of the injection. 



" Feeding material suspected of containing tubercle bacilli to guinea pigs 

 has shown itself of little value, in that only 3 (20 per cent) of the guinea pigs 

 fed feces with tubercle bacilli developed tuberculosis. Of the 40 cattle in- 

 cluded in the examination, 9 (22.5 per cent) were found to be throwing off 

 virulent tubercle bacilli in the feces or rectal scrapings. Of these 9 cattle, the 

 tubercle bacilli were found virulent for guinea pigs, and in 8 of the 9 the 

 tubercle bacilli were virulent for rabbits. 



" The successful demonstration of tubercle bacilli in the feces or rectal 

 scrapings of cattle is either proof that extensive or ' open ' lesions of tubercu- 

 losis exist, or an indication that tubercle bacilli ingested are passing through 

 the length of the alimentary canal of the animal under examination. Cattle 

 with ' open ' lesions of tuberculosis and throwing off tubercle bacilli in the feces 

 or rectal scrapings as a rule show physical symptoms of the disease. The 

 demonstration of tubercle bacilli in the feces or rectal scrapings of cattle 

 apparently free of tuberculosis, but stabled with highly infected cattle, may be 

 accepted as an indication that tubercle bacilli are passing through such 

 cattle — the tubercle bacilli being ingested and thrown off in numbers large 

 enough to be demonstrable in the feces or rectal scrapings. 



" Cattle showing physical symptoms of tuberculosis are the most active dis- 

 seminators of the disease, because of the probable existence of ' open ' lesions, 

 and the likelihood that tubercle bacilli are thrown off in the excreta. Since 

 they show physical symptoms they may be detected in a herd by a consideration 

 of the hi.story, careful observation and a thorough examination of each animal. 

 Tuberculin-reacting cattle do not necessarily throw off tubercle bacilli in the 

 feces until the development of ' open ' lesions of tuberculosis, in which event 

 the condition may be detected by a consideration of the history, careful obser- 

 vation, and a complete physical examination." 



See also previous notes (E. S. R.. 18, p. 378; 19, pp. 181, 986). 



Keport on the findings of the Illinois Tuberculin Commission (Amer. Food 

 Jour., 6 (1911), No. 1, pp. 28, 29).— This is a report of the commission ap- 



