ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PATHOLOGIST. 

 BY HARLOW BROOKS, M.D. 



THE period of time covered by this report extends from July, 

 1 90 1, the time of my appointment by the Executive Com- 

 mittee on the recommendation of Professor Osborn, to Jan- 

 uary I, 1902. 



It has been impossible to make observations on all the cases 

 of death among the animals because of insufficient facilities and 

 lack of time. For these reasons, examinations have to a great 

 extent been limited to those diseases of greatest frequency, or 

 those occurring in animals of the greatest value. 



The character of the studies made has often been unsatis- 

 factory from a purely scientific stand-point, inasmuch as fre- 

 quently they have, of necessity, been superficial and incomplete ; 

 for the primary object in each case has been to attain, by as 

 direct a method as possible, the practical points which might 

 serve us in the immediate identification, prevention, and treat- 

 ment of the disease. Notwithstanding this general statement, 

 several minor contributions have been presented by the writer 

 before various scientific societies, and other observations and 

 material have been so preserved as to form the basis for future 

 studies of this character. 



In this report it will be possible to consider only those diseases 

 which we believe to be of the greatest importance. 



The most frequent and the most serious disorders with which 

 we have had to contend have been those of the digestive tract. 

 This is to be expected, since such diseases are always among those 

 most frequent, especially when large numbers, either of men or 

 animals, are under more or less artificial conditions. For in- 

 stance, note the frequence of this class of diseases as reported 

 by the army surgeons. In the army, conditions are much less 



