XVII.— EXTERNAL TUBERCULOSIS IN THE DOG 



AND CAT. 



You know that tuberculous dogs may eject material containing 

 bacilli by the nose, anus, and urethra. To-day I purpose showing you 

 that some also distribute the virus by external lesions, the specific 

 character of which has been overlooked, lesions which may persist for 

 a long time, and discharge pus rich in bacilli. I shall take as my 

 subject tuberculous wounds and sinuses. The region of the neck is 

 that most commonly affected. I have seen wounds of this kind in 

 fourteen patients ; in twelve they were situated at varying points on 

 the anterior margin of the neck ; in one the thoracic wall showed a 

 sinus, and in the last the wound was close to a joint. 



To show you the danger of such lesions conveying the disease, I 

 shall briefly describe three cases from among those which I have 

 investigated. 



On the 2ist May, 1895, a two-year-old poodle, belonging to M. 

 V — , Avenue du Maine, Paris, was brought for examination. At the 

 beginning of March, in the same }ear, this dog had had an abscess at 

 the upper part of the neck. The wound, produced by puncture, instead 

 of healing had become ulcerous, and the animal had lost flesh to a 

 marked degree. 



When I examined the patient the front of the neck displayed a 

 large ulcer with thin margins, separated from the skin to a consider- 

 able extent, bathed in greyish pus, and with a granular base, pene- 

 trated by a number of sinuses running toward the larynx and origin of 

 the trachea. The animal's thin condition and the appearance of the 

 wound immediately suggested tuberculosis. Bacteriological examina- 

 tion of the pus revealed numerous bacilli. This poodle lived in the 

 suite of rooms occupied by its owners. The lesion in the neck having 

 been regarded as a simple wound had been unsuccessfully treated for 

 two months with all kinds of applications, and had even been sutured. 



