202 /. A. Gilrvth: 



reports he also considered the disease due to impaction of the omasum 

 and termed it " Dry Bible," but in his last report he claimed to 

 have found the specific bacterium. A description of this organism, 

 and details of his experiments, however, have never been published, 

 hence they cannot be dealt with here. 



Dr. Wilmot, in Tasmania, recently in a special report claimed 

 that the disease is really the same as " Louping 111 " of sheep in 

 Great Britain, but his evidence is, to say the least, very unsatis- 

 factory. 



Prior to joining the Melbourne University in 1909, I had 

 naturally been aware of the existence of this disease, and hoped to 

 have an early opportunity of observing definite cases, if not of 

 making a thorough investigation of the whole condition. It was 

 only, howevei', in the late summer montlis of 1911 tViat I was able to 

 examine for myself definite cases in cattle, oases that everyone was 

 agreed were typical, and this tlirough the courtesy of Mr. Humm. 

 G.M.V.C, Warrnambool. 



During April, 1909. three cows were sent to ine by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture's officials, but none were typical. Indeed, some 

 of those who had had considerable experience of this form of para- 

 lysis in cows considered they were not cases at all. One certainly 

 suffered from acute broncho-pneumonia, and died within 36 hours 

 after admission to the hospital, but the other two I now consider 

 were affected with a mild form of the disease. 



That the symptoms are frequently very indefinite is pruvotl by 

 the fact that many cases have been reported to me, by laymen 

 chiefly, which proved on examination to be of quite a different 

 nature to the disease imder review. For example, one outbreak of 

 pleuro-pneumonia was originally reported both to the Department 

 of Agriculture and to myself, as a severe outbreak of this disease. 



The paralysis of the horse, althougli due to the same cause as that 

 of the cow, is of an entirely different character so far as the muscles 

 affected are concerned. 



The disease has been little o1)served in Victoria, judging b\ 

 available literature, but in Soiitli Australia it appears to be fairly 

 common, and often assumes the character of a severe endemic. It 

 has been carefully studied by Mr. J. V. McEachran, M.R.C.V.S.. 

 who, both in correspondence and in consultation, has afforded me 

 valuable information regarding the disease. 



Until recently, and indeed until the experiments recorded latei- 

 were being condTicted, the e(>iinecti«)n betweeji the disease in the cow 

 and that in the horse was not suspected. This is not surprising 

 when the syni])ti)ms are compared, esjiecially in view of the fact 



