EEPOET OF THE BUKEAU OF AOTMAL rSTDUSTRY. 163 



with, the Swedish, germ, and placed in the thermostat at 95 F. On the 

 following day both flasks were clouded; the Swedish culture was cov- 

 ered by an iridescent, very thin membrane. A comparative micro- 

 scopic examination showed the Swedish bacteria to be nearly twice as 

 large as the American ; their movement was far less active than that 

 of the latter. 



On the same day two pigs, starved for about twenty-four hours, 

 were fed with these cultures by drenching, i. e. , the liquid was poured 

 into the mouth so that none was lost. The pig fed with the Swedish 

 culture showed no signs of disease at any time after. The other pig, 

 on the fourth day, had a very liquid diarrhea, and was found dead 

 the next morning. On examination, the spleen was found gorged 

 with blood, but only slightly enlarged. Mesenteric glands enlarged 

 and reddened. Stomach and ileum intensely inflamed (enteritis); 

 grayish masses (diphtheritic) attached in patches. The ileum was 

 invaginated and projected for 2J inches into the caecum; mucosa of 

 this portion necrosed; walls infiltrated, thickened, and ecchymosed. 

 In the caecum the mucosa was covered by a very thin slough. In the 

 colon the membrane was deeply reddened, covered by a catarrhal exu- 

 date and dotted with numerous very minute ulcers. Heart and lungs 

 normal. Roll cultures in gelatine, as well as liquid cultures from the 

 spleen, contained only hog cholera bacteria. The invagination was 

 very likely the result of the violent inflammation. 



These comparative experiments show that the two germs, though 

 very much alike in appearance, were quite different with reference 

 to their pathogenic effect. Professor Lundgren was inclined to the 

 opinion that he had taken the wrong culture on leaving his native 

 country. It may also not be improbable that this was the true germ 

 attenuated on the way hither. As no communication has been re- 

 ceived from him since his visit here, the question must remain an 

 open one. 



FRANCE. 



During the summer of 1887 a disease was introduced into the vicin- 

 ity of Marseilles by swine from. Africa, which developed into an 

 epizootic of a very fatal character. It caused great losses in the 

 south of France, and at the time scientific men were sent from Paris 

 by the Government to investigate the cause and suggest a remedy 

 if possible. According to Rietsch, Jobert, and Martinand * the dis- 

 ease is chiefly restricted to the intestinal tract, lasting from ten to 

 twelve days after the first symptoms have appeared. Occasionally 

 it may last but three or four days, or be prolonged to several weeks, 

 but it is quite invariably fatal. Sometimes there is diarrhea, some- 

 times constipation ; the fever is not constant, the cough very rarely 

 heard. The hind limbs are weak, the walk tottering. Appetite often 

 persists to the end. The skin may become reddened in spots, es- 

 pecially on the limbs and ears. Pigs over a year old are much less 

 susceptible. 



At the autopsy the lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen are usually 

 found unchanged, and the disease limited to the digestive tract. The 

 stomach and the small intestine near the valve are ulcerated. Ulcers 

 are present in the large intestine on the valve, in the caecum and 

 colon. They may measure 3 to 4 inches in diameter. In animals 

 affected with a chronic form of disease there may be ulcers on the 

 inferior surface of the tongue and on the inner, aspect of the lips. 



* Compt. Rend. Acad. Sciences, January 28, 1888. 



