HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION 9 



diarrhoea in cattle, but some considerable differences 

 occur in the answers we have received. Generall}^ 

 speaking, the Midland Counties seem to be the worst 

 affected. We have evidence of cases occurring in 

 Devon and Cornwall, in Westmorland, and in Kent. 

 Somerset appears to be badly affected, especially in 

 the low-lying district round Bridgewater. 



Edwards of Mold (Flintshire) states that on an 

 average he meets with twenty cases a year. He 

 writes : '* I have not seen more than two cases on the 

 same premises at the same time, but have had seven 

 in the same place in one year. 1 think that a large 

 number of cases are never attended by a veterinar}^ 

 surgeon ; the farmers regard them as * wasters,' and 

 either attempt no treatment or use home remedies. . . ." 

 In the North of Scotland cases are probably less 

 common, though we have received specimens from 

 Ross-shire and from the county of Lanark. 



Sampson of Sheffield considers that the disease is 

 on the increase in his district. Leicestershire in some 

 parts is badly affected; so, too, is Northants, in which 

 county one breeder has lost sixty beasts from this 

 disease in the last seven 3^ears. 



Perhaps the most accurate information can be 

 gathered from a private communication from De Vine, 

 who has taken a great interest in this condition. In 

 the municipal abattoir at Birmingham about 25,000 

 head of cattle are slaughtered each year, or roughly 

 500 a week. Out of these 500 animals, about three 

 cases of Johne's disease are noticed by De Vine in the 

 ordinary course of meat inspection — that is to say, 

 the animals are sufficiently affected to present macro- 

 scopic lesions. On making post-mortem examinations 

 of animals killed from six to twelve months after 

 inoculation with pure cultures, the present authors 



