Address of the President. 17 



the grasses. Farmers very well know that in some years 

 " casting of calves" is more frequent than in others, that it 

 runs almost like an epidemic. It is nearly certain that this 

 is caused by a preponderance of the fungus in those seasons. 

 I do not wish all at once to give to animal disease a fungoid 

 origin, but the same conditions of atmosphere (such as we 

 have had this year) which stagnates the sap of plants and 

 renders them more suitable for the development of parasitic 

 fungi, also has an effect on the blood or sap of animals. You 

 have heard of the vine disease. It is caused by a minute 

 fungus Oidium. It has been found in France that wounds 

 accidentally made on the fingers of the vinedressers when 

 pruning the vines have proved fatal in from 20 to 25 days. 

 The medical men are disposed to establish a coincidence be- 

 tween the circumstances necessary for the development of 

 the fungus and a greater frequency of certain forms of in- 

 flammation of the mucous membranes ; or, in other words, 

 an atmx)sphere productive of fungus encourages also certain 

 kinds of inflammation. The Rinderpest in Holland has been 

 attributed by some scientific persons to the presence of fungi, 

 and intermittent fevers, ague, &c., are traced by Dr Salisbury, 

 of the United States, to certain species of Palmellae. These 

 facts should lead our members to give some attention to 

 atmospheric influences, and to examine the effects which 

 minute fungi may produce uj^on the animal functions and 

 stnactures when from any cause they are brought near or 

 introduced to them.* 



The lowness of the water in lochs and rivers has also been 

 productive of great profusion of low vegetable matter (plants 

 that we term of lower life), which interfered with the higher 

 forms. The running streams got crammed up with confervse 

 and like plants, to the interference even of animal life. 

 Some of the smaller streams were dried up entirely, except 

 pools of some greater depth. These were foul extremely, 



* For very interesting information on these points see a paper on the 

 Rinderpest in Holland by M. Ammersfoord, — the Lancet,— Mr Tilbury Fox,. 

 M.D.,— in Dr. Lancaster's Journal of Social Scitnce, &c. 



