184 



AZOA. 



Series 1. Single feeding of azoa in oatmeal. Rats starved twenty- 

 four hours before feeding. Three out of eight animals died in four, 

 five, and seven days, respectively. Micro-organisms resembling the 

 predominant one of azoa could not be isolated from their hearts' 

 blood. The organs of these dead rats were fed to fresh rats with the 

 result that one of the three died. It must be mentioned that the 

 mortality among our fresh rats was nearly as high as that in the 

 experimental animals from a disease probably due to infection with 

 an animal parasite. 



Series 2. Daily feedings with azoa in oatmeal. Five white rats 

 fed with the mixture, a constant supply being kept in the cage. 

 These animals were picked rats freshly obtained from the dealer. 

 One rat died after seven days. It was heavily infested with lice. 

 The azoa organism could not be found in the blood. The rest re- 

 mained well after twenty-five days. 



Series 3. Black tame mice, daily feedings. One of the five died 

 after seven days. The rest remained well after fourteen days. 



These experiments indicate that azoa is not pathogenic for white 

 rats and black tame mice to a degree rendering it applicable for 

 vermin extermination on a practical scale, provided that its action 

 is no more pathogenic for the wild than for the tame species. 



RATITE. 



The manufacturers recommend a single feeding of this substance 

 rather than a continued exhibition of the virus. 



Series 1. Five white rats starved twenty-four hours and then fed 

 with a mixture of ratite and oatmeal. Subsequent daily feedings 

 with plain oatmeal. Picked animals fresh from the dealer. One 

 animal died after twelve days; too much putrefied for further exam- 

 ination; had been heavily infested with lice. The remaining rats 

 are well after twenty-five days. 



Series 2. Five black tame mice fed as above. Three were found 

 dead after eighteen days and the other two after nineteen days. 

 Further experiments were not made, as putrefaction was too far 

 advanced when they were found. The room in which they were 

 kept had been unusually cold just before their death owing to a 

 sudden and unexpected drop in the external temperature. 



Ratite does not appear to be very pathogenic for white rats. All 

 the five mice fed with ratite died in eighteen to nineteen days (much 

 longer than the advertised incubation period of the infection), but 

 their death could be reasonably attributed to unusual cold. This 

 part of the test is therefore invalidated except that the animals 

 lived considerably longer than would be expected from the literature 



