17 



the intestines of tlie human subject, as the statistics available 

 had so far failed to prove it. \Ve wanted to know how the 

 disease was contracted, and under what circumstances ; how 

 long the eggs would endure submergence in water, and whether 

 they would float or sink ; and what temperatures they would 

 stand without losing their vitality ? It was also desirable 

 to ascertain if eggs deposited in a swamp, and subsequently 

 blown about with the dust, when the swamp had dried up, 

 would retain their vitality. These important inquiries 

 into the secondary causes of hydatids could not be carried 

 out effectually by private persons. It was a work that 

 should be undertaken by Grovernment, and it would not be out 

 of place for the Society to suggest to the Government the 

 advisableness of having such investigations undertaken, as 

 these statistics showed that the disease was a growing one. 

 Another question was — Could we deal with this difficulty 

 from the dog point of view ? Could we cure the dogs ? If 

 not, then all the dogs should be killed and cremated. The 

 disease should be stamped out at all events, for it in a measure 

 involved the life of the nation. Under these circumstances the 

 Grovernment would fail in their duty if they did not do some- 

 thing to deal effectively with this disease in its infancy. 



Dr. Peel Xesbitt thought there was no doubt that the ova 

 were iugested with uncooked vegetables, and this was probably 

 the reason why the disease was so common in the neighbour- 

 hood of Mount Grambier, because it did not exist in the Xorth, 

 where the people drank water obtained from dams, and did not 

 often get fresh vegetables to eat. He did not believe, however, 

 that many patients suffering from hydatids came to Mount 

 Grambier Hospital from Victoria, for although Dr. Jackson had 

 a high reputation every effort was made to exclude Victorian 

 patients He agreed that something should be done with the 

 doc^s if the disease was to be stamped out. 



Mr. Smeatox suggested that it might be well to go further 

 back — to the sheeps' livers with which the dogs were fed. 



Mr. S:myth was of opinion that some comparison should be 

 instituted between the livers of the sheep in Adelaide and 

 those of the sheep in the South-East, with the view of ascer- 

 taining why the latter contained more hydatids than the 

 former. If the disease was communicated by means of un- 

 cooked vegetables it should be very prevalent in and around 

 Adelaide. 



Professor Tate asked Dr. Thomas if the water of the South- 

 East had been examined, with a view of detecting any eggs of 

 the Taenia, as this was one link in the chain of research which 

 should be carried out. 



Dr. Thomas was of opinion that this had not been done. 



B 



