540 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



In substantiation of the fact that it is possible that glan- 

 ders can be conveyed into the horse's system by means of 

 drinking water containing the glanders bacilli, it is only 

 necessary to refer to a brief report of some experiments car- 

 ried on by Mon'r Edward Nocard of Alfort, France, as 

 given in the " American Veterinary Review " for September, 

 by Dr. A. Liautard. For these experiments twelve cavalry 

 horses were furnished by the Secretary of War, and placed 

 at M. Nocard's disposal at Alfort. They were first tested 

 with mallein, to be sure that they were free from glanders, 

 and none reacted. Nov. 30, 1896, all of these horses were 

 given water from a pail, each one receiving a certain well- 

 measured quantity of culture of the glanders bacilli. A few 

 days after, varying from four to eight days, there was notice- 

 able a great oscillation in the temperature, indicating a 

 febrile condition. After the eighth day, in some of them 

 enlarged lymphatic glands were noticed, which later assumed 

 the character of the glands noticed in glandered horses. 

 Dec. 15, 1896, they were all tested with mallein, and all 

 reacted. Jan. 15, 1897, all were again tested, and all 

 reacted, although not all to the same extent as at the first 

 test. January 21, three showed so much evidence of disease 

 that they were destroyed. 



The others were kept for further experiment. Professor 

 Nocard wishing to see if glanders could be cured by mallein. 

 By May there were six horses that failed to react to mallein, 

 and in July four of these were killed ; and although lesions 

 of glanders were found, yet when these lesions were inocu- 

 lated into donkeys and guinea-pigs they failed to produce 

 disease ; in other words, these horses were cured by succes- 

 sive injections of mallein. 



These experiments are interesting, because they show that 

 slight, undeveloped cases of glanders can be cured by re- 

 peated injections of mallein ; but this does not have much to 

 do with the question of glanders as considered here, because 

 the wisdom of attempting to treat cases of glanders as they 

 are reported to this Board is very questionable, and the 

 better course seems to be to have such animals destroyed, as 

 is at present done. 



The chief interest lies in the feet that twelve horses, or 



