68 DISEASES OF SWINE AND OTHER ANIMALS. 



the luirmloss nature of tlioroiiglily putrid products may be explained on 

 the known principle that in preserved or cultivated i)roducts the prop- 

 ajf^ation of the septic bacteria leads to the disappearance of the infecting 

 ones. 



Virulence of ihe hlood. — A solitary experiment of Dr. Klein's having 

 appeared to su])port the idea that the blood was non-virulent, I tested 

 the matter by inoculating two pigs with the blood of one that had been 

 sick for nine days. They sickened on the seventh and eighth days re- 

 spectively, and from one of these the disease was still further proi)a- 

 gated by inoculating the blood on three other animals as recorded below. 

 It may, however, still be questioned whether the blood is virulent at 

 all stages, as in the animals infected in the above experiments it was 

 found to contain numerous actively moving bacteria, which had not 

 been found in certain of the milder cases. This subject demands further 

 inquiry. 



Infection throuf/h the air. — Only one experiment was instituted on this 

 subject. A healthy pig placed in a i^en between two infected ones, and 

 with the ventilating orifices within a foot of each other front and back, 

 had an elevated temperature on the ninth, tenth, and eleventh days, 

 with lameness in the right shoulder, evidently rheumatic. On the 

 twenty-fourth day the temperature rose 2°, and remained 104° F. and 

 upward for six days, when it slowly declined to the natural standard. 



Infection of slieej), rabbit, and dog. — A merino wether, a tame rabbit, 

 and a Newfoundland pux)py were inoculated with blood and pleural 

 fluid, containing numerous actively moving bacteria, taken from the 

 right ventricle an<l pleura of a pig that had died the same morning. 

 Next day the temperature of all three was elevated. In the puppy it 

 became normal on the third day, but on the eighth day a large abscess 

 formed in the seat of inoculation and burst. The rabbit had elevated 

 temperature for eight days, lost appetite, became weak, and i)urged, 

 and its blood contained myriads of the characteristic moving bacteria. 

 The wether had his temperature raised for an ecpial length of time, and 

 had bacteria in his blood, though not so abundantly. He did not seem 

 to suffer materially in appetite or general health. The sheep and rab- 

 bit had been each unsuccessfully inoculated on two former occasions, 

 with the blood of sick pigs, in which no moving bacteria had been de- 

 tected. It remains' to be seen whether the virus can be conveyed back 

 to the pig and with what effect. Should further expeiiment show that 

 other domestic animals than swine are subject to a mild form of the dis- 

 ease, and callable of thus conveying it and transmitting it with fatal 

 effect to pigs at a distance, it will be a matter for the gra^'est consider- 

 ation in all attempts to limit the spread of the malady or to secure its 

 extinction. (Since the above was written, I have notic^ed that Dr. 

 Klein has succeeded in transmitting the disease to rabbits, guinea-pigs, 

 and mice.) 



Results of disinfection and inoculation of diseased products. — Under 

 this head eight experiuients were conducted v.'ith as many different dis- 

 infectants, the morbid products being in every case such as had pro^•cd 

 successful by direct inoculation on other swine. The object being to 

 test first the most available and least expensive of the disinfe(;tauts, 

 the virulent matters were treated with ] i)er cent, solution of each of 

 the following agents : Bisulphite of soda, carbolic acid, sulphate of iron, 

 chloride of zinc, and chloride of lime. The materials to be inoculated 

 were in th(^ thiiniest layers, in four cases upon <]uills and in tv,o in tliin 

 sections to be inserted under the skin. They were kept in contact Avith 

 the disinfectants for five minutes, so that the virulent material was 



