126 Proceedinfjs of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



them. More recently the question had been taken up again. 

 He held in his band a very full summary of papers 

 published on the subject in Berlin, at the end of 1886, 

 by a well-known authority on this particular question. 

 His inquiry was as to the relation ])robably existing 

 between this disease and others. His general conclusion 

 was, that the swine sickness, probably also the rabbit and 

 fowl cholera, were only vaiious manifestations of a disease 

 which he would describe in a ge"ceral way by one name. 

 Therefore, tliough it might be said that M. Pasteur is a 

 great discoverer, anxious to gain further fame, yet there 

 was reason to suppose that some risk would attend the 

 introduction by him of the fowl cholera. A serious 

 responsibility would be incurred by the Government of 

 this or any other colony were they, without very careful 

 inquir}', to allow experiments to be made on this continent 

 in the rash way proposed. However, it was somewhat 

 doubtful, supposing the disease were introduced, whether 

 or not it would serve the purpose of destrojdug the rabbits. 

 Dr. Wigg had clearly pointed out that the experiment in 

 France was made under conditions different to those which 

 were to be met with here. The result of that experiment 

 was simply that a certain number of rabbits had been 

 poisoned and nothing more. It had been shown that the 

 disease would be spread over large areas by the ordinary 

 means of contagion. No satisfactory proof had been given 

 that it would serve the purpose intended, and in view of 

 that fact, and of the supposition that the disease might 

 spread to other animals and birds, the matter was one 

 which should be seriously considei'ed. He did not agree 

 with many who, in speaking and writing on the subject, 

 had stated that the disease would acquire here new features, 

 of special virulence for instance. It was very true, as 

 Dr. Wigg had stated, that a great many deaths from 

 measles occurred in Fiji, but apart from the fact that 

 measles were then introduced for the fii'st time, it was 

 known that the natives deliberately refused to be treated, 

 and exposed themselves to dangers such as would cause 

 disease to be fatal in any countiy. Still it nuist be borne 

 in mind that when scarlet fever came into this country 

 from Europe, and when its nature w-as first discussed liere 

 in 1854- and 1855 it was quite a mild disease. It did not 

 rage then at all. The same held good of measles, which 

 alwa^'S was an extraordinary mild disease in Australia. 



