Annual Report for 1914 of' jiof/al Veterhiari/ Collef/e. 267 



steadily lost condition^ as 'vill be seen I'rom the following 

 figures : — 



July 18, 1914 50 St. 3 lb. 



August 14, 1914 45 ,, 7 „ 



September 11, 1914 41 „ „ 



September 25, 1914 35 „ 2 „ 



The cow was killed on September 28, and the post-mortem 

 showed no other disease except Johne's disease. The naked-eye 

 evidence of the latter disease in the bowel wall was not well 

 marked, and only a moderate number of bacilli were found on 

 microscopic examination of material taken from different parts 

 of the intestine. 



Case IV. — This is given as an instance in which the treat- 

 ment appeared to have no beneficial effect whatever. 



The animal in question was a shorthorn cow, aged three 

 years. At the time of admission she was in a very poor 

 condition, but the fseces were nearly normal and the appetite 

 was good. Her weight on January 23, 1914, was 62 st. 2 lb. 

 An attempt to confirm the diagnosis of Johne's disease by 

 rectal examination failed. 



Treatment with the iron and acid mixture was begun on 

 January 31 and continued up to the time of the animal's death. 

 In spite of this treatment the cow steadily lost condition ; thus, 

 on February 14 her weight was 50 st. 2 lb., and a fortnight 

 later it was 39 st. 7 lbs. By this time there was continual 

 diarrhoea, and an attempt to check this by the administration 

 of nux vomica, catechu, and chalk failed. Eventually the 

 appetite became very poor, and, as her condition appeared to 

 be hopeless, the cow was killed on March 17. 



The post mortem examination showed extensive evidence of 

 Johne's disease in both the large and small intestine, and on 

 microscopic examination the bacilli of Johne's disease were 

 found to be very numerously present in the mucous membrane. 



As partly explaining the rapid course of the disease in this 

 animal, it ought to be noted that she calved while under treat- 

 ment, namely, on February 14, and that the calf was allowed 

 to suck its dam for a fortnight, after which it was put on a 

 foster-mother. The calf appeared to be quite healthy and it is 

 still alive. 



In order to appreciate the effect produced by the treatment 

 adopted in the first three of the cases just described it must be 

 i-emembered that the disease had reached an advanced stage 

 before the treatment was begun, and that on the basis of a 

 large experience one would have been justified in predicting 

 a fatal ending within a few weeks or months if the disease had 

 been allowed to run its natural course. It may indeed be said 

 that, without any exception, all untreated cases rapidly proceed 



