45 



V 



Therefore, the removal of animals to an elevation has 

 the advantage of removing those difficulties in com- 

 bating the disease, and bears out the observations of 

 other writers on the subject. Experiments carried out 

 in India proved that the source of infection may be in the 

 soil, e.g.^ mud from stable floors, some considerable time 

 after the patient had been removed from the stable. 



Treatment 



The great secret of success is an early diagnosis 

 and a thorough understanding of the disease. Destruc- 

 tion of the virus is the first object to be obtained, and 

 this having been accomphshed, the parts recently 

 affected will rapidly heal. 



External Treatment 



In slight cases, complete extirpation of the tissues 

 invaded, followed by the application of the actual 

 cautery and antiseptic dressing, is generally to be 

 recommended and considered practical, although in 

 some few cases very good results have been obtained 

 without these drastic surgical methods, which are, 

 however, more particularly recommended by French 

 veterinary surgeons. The risk of re-infection during 

 operating and the blemishes which remain are the great 

 drawbacks to this treatment, so that I am inclined to 

 recommend the simpler treatment of carefully lancing 

 each pustule when ripe, and using the hot iron, in the 

 form of small budding irons, together with internal 

 treatment, in preference to extensive surgical treatment. 

 Once cording of the lymphatics has developed, 

 the case is much more difficult to deal with. If, 

 however, the cording is localized and well defined, 



