No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 5fi7 



theoretical demand cannot be successfully met, because of the 

 many difficulties surrounding such work. Of the four cultures 

 used, sputum II. and bovine II. are of nearly the same age, while 

 sputum III. is but half as old as they, and swine I. more than 

 twice as old. In making the injection, the space between the 

 sixth and the seventh rib was chosen. The needle was inserted 

 about three inches above the level of the elbow (olecranon proc- 

 ess). It was found subsequently at the autopsy that the point 

 chosen was too low, and that in all of the animals the needle, 

 leaving the lungs intact, pierced the diaphragm. Some of the 

 bacilli were thus discharged into the abdominal cavity. 



Bearing this unforeseen accident in mind, we may now go to a 

 description of the further history of the inoculated cattle. They 

 were all housed in a spacious, well-ventilated barn, in large, com- 

 modious horse stalls. A piece of ground adjoining the barn was 

 enclosed, and in this the animals spent six to seven hours a day 

 for about four weeks. Thereafter the animals were separated 

 into two lots, one lot being out several hours in the morning, the 

 other several hours in the afternoon. The two which received 

 the bovine and the swine culture were allowed to run together, 

 similarly the two which received the sputum cultures. It might 

 be claimed that there was in this arrangement a possible danger 

 of transmitting the bacilli from one animal to another, and of 

 infecting the ground. There was no evidence of this at the post- 

 mortem examination ; and the arrangement was considered safe 

 at the start, because it takes some time for the tuberculous tissue 

 to become disintegrated. Only when this has set in can we con- 

 sider the passage of bacilli from one animal to another possible. 

 It was, however, deemed prudent not to keep the animals longer 

 than two months, on account of the imperfect isolation. 



In apportioning the cultures to the animals, the sputum cultures 

 were injected into the youngest animals, in order that these cult- 

 ures might have any advantage likely to accrue from differences 

 in age. Two yearlings (without any permanent incisor teeth) 

 received the two sputum cultures, the bovine culture was injected 

 into a heifer about two and one-half years old, the swine culture 

 into a heifer about two years old. 



They were killed and examined at the Brighton abattoirs, with 

 the co-operation of the Board, just two months after the day of 

 the injection. Before inoculation these animals had been tested 

 with tuberculin b}' the Board, and found free from tuberculosis. 

 Still, since this agent occasionally allows an animal to escape 

 which contains foci of the disease, attention was directed to this 

 point at the autopsies. No lesion, however, was found, which 



