340 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



quently for testing all the horses in an infected stable. 

 Those that do not react are considered free from disease, 

 and separated from those that do give a reaction. Reacting 

 animals are retested every month or six weeks until they 

 cease to react, or show physical evidence of disease and are 

 killed. Mallein is supposed to have an imnmnizing and 

 therapeutic value, as well as a diagnostic one. In stables 

 where this method has been carried out it has been found 

 possil)le to eradicate glanders in a number of instances, 

 greatly to the benefit of owners as well as to the public at 

 large. In several stables where this method has been pur- 

 sued the horses have remained healthy, and no new cases 

 have occurred for periods of over two years. 



In this connection an experiment conducted by the British 

 Board of Aijriculture is interestinof as concurrino' with work 

 carried on in this State. Their experiment indicates " that 

 a horse that has ceased to react to mallein is incapable of 

 spreading the infection of glanders. This conclusion, how- 

 ever, is sulvject to the qualification that there has been an 

 interval of not less than two months between the last two 

 mallein tests. In the horses that were used in this experi- 

 ment the shortest period between the last two tests to which 

 the animal had been subjected before it was purchased by the 

 committee was ten weeks, but in most of the cases it was 

 considerably longer than that. We consider that in practice 

 the mallein tests should not be repeated oftener tlian every 

 tlu'ee months, when the object is to ascertain whether the 

 animal has actually recovered from glanders." The report 

 from which the above extract is quoted is signed by the fol- 

 lowing well-known veterinarians : Alexr. C. Cope, Wm. 

 Hunting, J. McFadyean, James McI. McCall. 



Again the sad necessity of recording deaths in the human 

 family from glanders occurs, in order to make this report 

 complete. The State Board of Health reports 3 deaths from 

 this cause during the past 3'ear, — 1 each in Lawrence, Chel- 

 sea and Northborough. 



In the Northborouo-h case the horse from which the owner 

 contracted the disease was examined and ordered killed by 

 an agent of the (^attle Bureau prior to the death of the man 

 owninii' it, but after he was taken ill. The Lawrence horse 



