INVESTIGATION AS TO ORIGIN OF CATTLE DISEASES. 179 



Series I. — Examinations of blood and secretions from cattle 



AFFECTED WITH CONTAGIOUS PLEUROPNEUMONIA. 



A COW four years old died with the usual symptoms of pleuro-pneu- 

 monia, near Washingtou, on the 10th day of February, 1869. Examin- 

 ation made twenty minutes after death. The lungs were stuffed with 

 exudation, and the pleural cavity contained a quantity of turbid, very 

 fetid liquid, which, under the microscope, appeared full of actively mov- 

 ing- monads and bacteria. ' No communication was found between the 

 lung and tlie pleural cavity, but it is not positive that such did not exist. 

 The blood, under a magnifying power of twelve hundred diameters, i)re- 

 sented no abnormal appearance. Vacuum tubes were filled with the 

 blood, and specimens of the pleural fluid anil, of the bile were also pre- 

 served. The latter presented no unusual appearance under the micro- 

 scope. 



Experiment 1, February 10, 1869. — Three six-ounce isolation-flasks 

 were prepared ; an ounce of Tourtelot's extract of beef placed in each, 

 boiled five minutes, and allowed to cool to 90° Fahrenheit. To the 

 first were added the contents of one of the vacuum tubes from the 

 cow above referred to ; to the second that of a tube of blood from a 

 healthy cow ; to the third, nothing. The flasks were then placed in a 

 water bath, and kept at a temperature of 85° Fahrenheit. On the 11th 

 of February ther flasks were opened. No. 1 contained large numbers of 

 motionless bacteria, single and in pairs. No. 2 contained a very few of 

 the same. No. 3 contained none. The flasks were kept one week longer, 

 at the end of which time there was no change from the appearances 

 above mentioned. 



Experiment 2, February 10, 1869. — Six watch-glasses were arranged 

 as follows: -No. 1 contained pulp of fresh lemon and pleuro-pneumonic 

 blood. No. 2 contained pulp of fresh potato and pleuro-pneumonic 

 blood. No. 3 contained pulp of fresh lemon and healthy blood. No. 4 

 contained pulp of fresh potato and healthy blood. No. 5 contained 

 pulp of fresh lemon alone. No. 6 contained pulp of fresh potato alone. 

 All the watch-glasses were placed in a culture apparatus, which was 

 kept at 80° Fahrenheit in a water bath. February 14th a beautiful 

 growth of aspergillus glaucus (Lk.) and peuicillium glaucum (Fr.) appeared 

 on watch-glass Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 ; most profusely on Nos. 1 and 3. Watch- 

 glass No. 4 contained nothing. 



Experiment 3, February 10, 1869. — Six watch-glasses were arranged : 

 three witli pulp of lemon, and three with potato. To four of them a 

 few drops of the pleural li(piid were added. They were placed in the 

 culture apparatus, and in four days aspergillus and penicillium were 

 in fruit in all. 



Experiment 4, February 10, 1869. — This was a duplicate of experiment 

 1, with the exception that bile was used instead of blood. At the end 



