163 



Dixon (W. R.). East Coast Fever : its Prevention and Eradication. — 



Agric. Jl. Union S. Africa, Pretoria, vii, no. G, June 1914, 

 pp. 811-852, 1 fig. 



The author refers to the possibiUty of East Coast fever invading the 

 coastal districts in the east of Cape Province from the Transkei 

 Territories, and before enumerating protective measures and methods 

 of eradication, he briefly describes the symptoms and post mortem 

 lesions. The transmission of the disease [see this Review, Ser. B, i, 

 p. 205, and ii, pp. 111-115] is then discussed, and when referring to 

 dipping [see this Review, Ser. B, i, pp. 82-85, and ii, pp. 17, 59-60 

 and 157] the author says that operations should commence before the 

 appearance of East Coast fever in the district. It will be found 

 advantageous to hand-dress the ears, under the tails, etc., of cattle 

 with the following mixture, dipping alone not being quite efTective 

 against the ticks that congregate there : — Stockholm tar, ^ gallon ; 

 resin (cheapest quahty), 2^ pounds ; caustic soda, | pound ; water, 

 2| gallons. Boil the caustic soda in one gallon of water and then stir 

 in the powdered resin ; boil for ten minutes until thoroughly dissolved 

 and add the tar and water to make three gallons. Apply with a swab 

 after dipping or between dippings. A dipping tank having a roof of 

 corrugated iron is described and figured. 



Short interval dippings are necessary because the brown tick, 

 Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, usually remains on its host for from 

 three to five days only, or even less, in the larval and nymphal stages. 

 The quantity of arsenite of soda required for " three-day " dipping 

 is considerably less than that used at longer intervals and consists of 

 four pound? of arsenite of soda (80 per cent, arsenious oxide) to every 

 400 gallons of a mixture of soft soap (5| lb.), paraffin (2 gallons), 

 and water ; for " five-day " dips, 8 lb. of arsenite of soda is used. 

 The results of experiments tend to show that it is possible under 

 ordinary conditions to dip cattle at intervals of three days for a long 

 period with safety, and thus to stop the spread of the disease promptly, 

 even where dipping has not been previously practised. 



WiLLCOCKs (F. C). The Predaceous Mite, Pediculoides ventricosus, 

 Newp. — Agric. Jl. of Egypt, Cairo, iv, no. 1, June 1914, pp. 17-51. 



A full account is given of Pediculoides ventricosus, Newp., together 

 with records of its attacks on man, with special reference to its 

 recent ocurrence in the London Docks and in a Colchester oil mill, 

 where the mite caused a supposed skin disease amongst labourers 

 who were unshipping cargoes of Egyptian cotton seed in January, 

 1914. These cargoes came from Alexandria and since they were not 

 complained of there, could not have been seriously infested when 

 shipped. A rapid increase of P. ventricosus appears to have taken 

 place in the cotton seed while it was in the holds of the ships, where 

 the temperature may well have been between 70° and 80° F., which is 

 the optimum temperature for the rapid increase of this mite. The 

 trouble caused by P. ventricosus is not likely to persist, because with 

 the extinction of Gelechia gossypiella, P. ventricosus will also disappear, 

 owing to the scarcity of its hosts. 



