Goats and the Malta FeVer.297 



where pasturage is of the scantiest, and consists chiefly of 

 shrubs and weeds. When, however, the goat reaches those 

 temperate climes and abundant pasturage which are so 

 pre-eminently suitable to the cultivation of the cow that 

 its lactiferous capabilities fail to rival those of the last- 

 named animal, and selective inbreeding is in consequence 

 neglected, the micrococcus no longer finds a suitable 

 habitat in the caprine mammary glands, and rapidly dis- 

 appears." 



In this connection it may be well to observe that one 

 writer, in discussing the geographical distribution of the 

 fever, remarked upon the fact that " north of latitude 

 46 degrees N., which corresponds roughly with isotherm 

 55 degrees F., this fever does not exist except as imported 

 cases." Within this limit, however, cases are recorded 

 in various localities far distant from the Mediterranean, 

 the chief seat of the disease. Thus it has been proved 

 to exist as an endemic not only in parts of Europe, such 

 as Trieste, Athens, and the whole of Southern Italy, but 

 in Arabia, Asia Minor, Hong Kong, and many places 

 in India, besides Algeria, Tunis, Egypt, Cape Colony, and 

 South America. The disease disappeared from Gibraltar 

 only a few years ago. 



Another member of the Commission is reported to have 

 stated that Melitensis septicaemia only occurred in locali- 

 ties in direct sea communication with Malta, implying 

 thereby that the disease was the consequence of the 

 importation of Maltese goats. As an instance of this, a 

 case is recorded of " a herd of sixty-one milch goats (all 

 healthy in appearance and good milkers, many being 

 prize animals) and four male goats which were shipped 

 to the United States in September, 1905, having been 

 purchased by the late Mr. Thompson, of the United States 

 Bureau of Animal Industry. Subsequent bacteriological 

 examination resulted in the recovery of M. melitensis 



