BY C. J. POUND. F.K.M.s;. XXlll 



ing colonies with pure pleuro-pneumonia virus, guaranteed to be 

 as free as modern bacteriological examination will allow, from 

 all traces of tubercular taint. Last year over 100,000 head of 

 cattle in Queensland and New South Wales were inoculated with 

 ^^rus supplied by this Institute. Just think for a moment what 

 this means. The mass of overwhelming evidence, experimental 

 and otherwise, has proved beyond all doubt that the prevalence 

 of tuberculosis among cattle in these colonies is mainly due to 

 the evil etiects of the indiscriminate method of inoculation for 

 pleuro-pneumonia with virus obtained from an animal also 

 affected with tuberculosis, although not necessarily showing 

 naked-eye lesions of this disease ; and further as an example, I 

 found tubercle bacilli in three out of five animals killed for 

 pleuro-pneumonia virus and supplied by one individual alone,, 

 and that if this virus had not been examined microscopicallv, it 

 would have been used for inoculating upwards of 3000 head of 

 cattle. Therefore, stockowners should cheerfully appreciate the 

 invaluable work that is being executed for their benefit by means 

 of the microscope in the crusade against tuberculosis. It does- 

 not follow that every animal inoculated with virus containing 

 tubercle bacilli will be affected with tuberculosis ; there is always 

 a percentage of animals in every herd that are practically 

 insusceptible to the disease even by inoculation ; on the other 

 hand, an exhaustive series of experiments conducted at the 

 Indooroopilly Experimental Station proved that the disease can 

 be induced in some animals quite readily. Therefore, as tuber- 

 culosis has been clearly shown to be a preventable disease, why 

 not prevent it in the direction of using pleuro lymph that has. 

 withstood the bacteriological test. There is no objection what- 

 ever to stockowners declining to use the departmental lymph. 

 although it is highly desirable that the virus collected by them- 

 selves should subsequently pass through the Stock Institute, 

 otherwise it cannot be recommended with safety for inoculation 

 purposes. In a report recently issued by the Sydney lioard of 

 Health, Dr. Ashburton Thompson ventures to remark that, " It 

 should be made illegal to inoculate for pleuro-pneumonia except 

 with virus taken from animals ascertained to be free from tuber- 

 culosis. 



