DOURINE OR MALADIE DU COIT 9 



autopsy lesions in this case were those usually found in advanced cases of dourine. 

 Full data concerning these individual mares will be found later in this report. 



In September, 1906, for the second time I visited the Lethbridge quarantine 

 station. While there, a large number of small animals were inoculated by Dr. Hadwen 

 and myself with fluids and emulsions from living and recently killed horses that had 

 naturally contracted the disease. The period of observation with all of the inoculated 

 animals was sufficient to determine the presence or absence of infection, and they were 

 continually under the close observation of Dr. Hadwen, then in charge of the quaran- 

 tine station, and later of Dr. Watson, who was transferred to this station in November 

 of that year. In no instance has there been any evidence that any of these inoculations 

 carried with it an infective agent, a feature determined by rei)eated examinations of 

 the blood from the general and peripheral circulation, by examination of other body 

 fluids and tissues, and by general clinical appearances. 



Thus, although we had conscientiously and systematically endeavoured to demon- 

 strate the Trypanosoma equiperdum by various devices and methods, we were unable 

 to do so, nor had it been observed by any individual working with this disease in 

 Canada, or in fact with naturally infected cases of dourine or maladie du coit on the 

 North American continent, prior to the finding of trypanosomata by Drs. E. A. 

 Watson and M, V. Gallivan, on February 11, 1907. The subject furnishing the 

 trypanosomata was a mare found to be clinically affected with dourine on the premises 

 of her owner, Mr. R. Tiffin, near Lethbridge, Alberta. The material was taken from 

 a well defined vesicle on the inner border of the right labium, the base of which was 

 about one centimeter in diameter, slightly raised, firmer and more oedematous than 

 the surrounding tissues. Three smear preparations were made after the scarification 

 of the vesicle in question and its base. In two of these smears trypanosomata were 

 found; the organisms, however, were rare, sixteen only being observed after examin- 

 ing the entire area of three smears. 



Subsequently, I was favoured with an opportunity of observing the parasites at 

 the Lethbridge quarantine station, in fresh and stained preparations which I took 

 from the Tiffin mare on the 21st, 23rd and 25th of March. Still later (June 12), on 

 another visit to the Lethbridge quarantine station, I was able to again demonstrate 

 the parasite in material taken from the vagina of this mare. 



Since the demonstration of the parasite in material taken from the Tiffin mare, 

 the disease has been transmitted to two fillies, from one of which it has been recovered. 



Parasites have also been observed by Dr. Hargrave of Medicine Hat, in smears 

 taken by him from the vagina of a naturally affected mare near Olds, Alberta. In 

 this instance the smears were made by Dr. Hargrave on July 9, and examined on the 

 13th of that same month, and I was able to verify his finding of the parasite in the 

 smears on the 16th. 



The diagnosis made some three years ago, based entirely upon cliriical evidence 

 is, therefore, fully substantiated and confirms the statement made in my annual 

 report of 1905 that the disease, undoubtedly identical with the dourine of other 

 countries, is caused by the same parasite (Trypanosoma equiperdum), and that the 

 demonstration of this parasite is largely a matter of obtaining suitable cases, coupled 

 with careful, systematic experiments and close observation. 



Further, the possibility of diagnosing this affection by purely clinical means is 

 fully established, a fact, strange to say, still questioned by some well known a\ithori- 

 ties, who appear to have forgotten that dourine and many other diseases caused by 

 specific organisms were regularly diagnosed by practical men, many years before the 

 discovery of their causal agents. 



The details connected with the first demonstration of the parasite, together with 

 an explanation of the improved technique which he has devised can be studied in the 

 article of Dr. Watson which constitutes a portion of this report. 



While the causative parasite has been demonstrated in a number of naturally 

 affected animals, and also, in two artificially infected cases, it is impossible to give a 



