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death-rate from hydatids. Queensland in stock came close be- 

 hind jS'ew South Wales, and there hydatids were practically 

 unknown, as only six cases of death from that cause had been 

 reported. Prom these facts he was disposed to think that there 

 was something wrong about Dr. Thomas's figures — there seemed 

 to be a hidden factor somewhere, which had not yet been dis- 

 covered, but he hoped that Dr. Thomas, during his forthcoming 

 visit to the South-East, would be able to ascertain what it was. 

 With regard to the number of cases of hydatids at Mount 

 Grambier, he was inclined to think that the comparison had not 

 been drawn correctly — that Dr. Thomas had overlooked one 

 fact which vitiated a great part of the conclusion he had come 

 to, that the South-East was, next to Iceland, the country most 

 affected by hydatids. He had taken the experience of the 

 Adelaide Hospital during the past thirty years, and the experi- 

 ence of the Mount Gambler Hospital for seven years, and this 

 was hardly fair. The first death from hydatids in the Adelaide 

 Hospital was reported in 1876, and it was only right to assume 

 that the disease had not been known or made its appearance in 

 Australia much before that time. A more equitable comparison 

 would have been to take the results of seven years' experience 

 at both hospitals, and if this were done he did not think that 

 there would be so great a difference in the proportion of per- 

 sons suffering from hydatid disease as Dr. Thomas's figures 

 indicated. The practical question we had to deal with was how 

 to arrest the ravages of this enemy, which was rapidly extend- 

 ing in all directions, and although it might be necessary to call 

 on the Government to assist in the making the prolonged in- 

 quiries that were necessary, a great deal might be done by the 

 agencies already available. Professar Tate had asked a ques- 

 tion with regard to the vitality of the Taenia. He did not 

 know that any evidence existed with regard to that, but 

 Davaine had demonstrated the extreme vitality of the pig tape- 

 worm. After the ova had been kept in water for over twelve 

 months, they were found to be living and able to create disease 

 in animals to whom it was administered. Other observers had 

 ascertained that even after the worms had become rotten and 

 mildewed, the eggs, when taken away and administered to 

 animals, produced cystic disease. There was one satisfactory 

 fact about the matter, however, and it was this — that all ob- 

 servers were agreed that after the eggs became dry they lost 

 their vitality ; and bearing this in mind it was easy to realise 

 the vast amount of good done by our hot weather and winds. 

 If there were the requisite determination, he was convinced 

 that the disease could bo stamped out in three or four months, 

 because Taenia were not very long-lived parasites, and came to 

 maturity and fulfilled all their functions in ten or thirteen 



