THE DISCOVEKY OF CHICKEN CHOLEEA IN 

 QUEENSLAND. 



By C. J. POUND, F.R.M.S., 



Director of the Stock Institute. 



[Read before the Royal Society of Queensland, Atiyust 10, 1895.' 



The subject I wish to draw your attention to this evening is one 

 of special interest, namely, the existence in Brisbane of an 

 historical disease technically spoken of as Septiccemia Hemorrha- 

 gica, but more commonly known in European countries as chicken 

 cholera. I say historical, because it was this disease that 

 M. Pasteur proposed to introduce into Australia for the pur- 

 pose of exterminating the rabbits in order to claim the reward 

 of £25,000 offered by the Government of New South Wales. 



Some two months ago I received information that a number 

 of fowls and ducks were dying from apparently some form of 

 poisoning at a place in this city. I requested that some 

 of the dead birds should be forwarded to the laboratory for 

 examination. Next day a muscovy duck was received which 

 had just died. Post-mortem examination showed that the 

 intestines were in a state of hemorrhagic inflammation and 

 infiltration ; the blood-vessels on the outer muscular coat of the 

 small intestine had the appearance of being injected ; on the 

 mucous membrane several small ulcers were seen, while the 

 contents of the intestines were streaked with blood ; numerous 

 hemorrhagic patches were found in both lungs. The outer sur- 

 face of the heart was covered with several hemorrhagic patches, 

 due to extravasation of blood. The pericardium, or membrane 

 covering the heart, contained an excessive amount of serous 



