THE LUNG PLAGUE. 71 



of an inch or two in length, inserting in the part a piece of Inng-, and 

 bandaging; swelling, inflamniation, slonghing of the tail, secondary 

 deposits in the lymphatic glands and other parts of the organs, have 

 freqnently resulted from this rude practice. 



Dr. Willems first described his mode of inoculation as follows : " I 

 take the liquid pressed from an animal recently slauglitered, or of one 

 that has died of the disease; I plunge into it a kind of large lancet; 

 then I make two or three punctures at the lower extremity of the tail of 

 the animal that I wish to preserve from the disease ; a single drop of the 

 liquid is sufficient to malce the inoculation.^^ 



At one time Dr. Willems adopted the plan of making two punctures, 

 one on the upper part and the other on the lower surface of the tip of tlie 

 tail, and both about the same distance from the extreme end of the 

 organ. He found that this frequently led to a fusion of the exudation 

 commencing around each puncture, and the result was the sloughing of 

 the tail. He therefore resorted to the punctures disposed vertically in a 

 line with the tail and about three inches from each other. By this 

 means the exudations commencing at the two spots had no tendency to 

 coalesce and lead to untoward results. 



Various instruments have been suggested for the operation. Dr. 

 Sticker devised a hollow stilet with a sharp diamond-shaped point. 

 The stilet is armed with a little india-rubber tube, and this passed into 

 a wooden handle, with a spring, whereby the flexible tube could be 

 squeezed for the expulsion of air, and by placing the point of the instru- 

 ment in the prepared li<piid, sufticient is sucked in for an inoculation. 

 L have used this instrument as follows : 



The end of the tail being firmly held in the left hand, the point of the 

 instrument is plunged with the right hand superficially into the skin of 

 the tip of the tail, and directed from before backwards, so that any 

 effort to withdraw the tail would only hasten the operation. I can testify 

 from practice to the simi)licity and efficacy of Dr. Sticker's instrument 

 as used by me. I have preferred the plan of operating to Dr. Sticker's 

 method, which consists in charging his instrument, holding the tail 

 flrnily, and then pushing the stilet about one inch forward into the tail, 

 and l)y a simultaneous pressure upon the key, and a slight winding 

 motion, the virus is dei)osited beneath the skin and in the substance of 

 the organ. Dr. Sticker proposed making a channel Avith the instru- 

 ment — a channel downwards from which exudation might flow ; but this 

 is of no avail if septic matter is used, and untoward symptoms result. 

 The result of Dr. Sticker's operation, according to his description, is a 

 local swelling occurring about the eightli or ninth day, and wliich 

 increases the tail from three to four lines in diameter and extends over 

 a length of one and a half to two inches; incisions have not been neces- 

 sary after the operation, and the tails have not mortified. The inoculated 

 cattle do not lose their appetites and the flow of milk is not diminished. 

 Dr. Sticker considers it important that the virus should be deposited in the 

 connective tissue beneath the skin and not deep in the muscles of the tail. 



