338 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



weather, the temperature per rectum is raised from *2° to '4° F. 

 (Quoted by Friedberger and Frohner.) 



All these observations were made on housed dairy cattle. I 

 hope at some future date to be able to record the results of 

 observations made on store cattle kept outside. 



The Temperature of Tuberculous Dairy Cattle not 

 Clinically affected. 



It has long been an accepted fact that the temperature is of little 

 assistance to the clinical observer in making his diagnosis in cases 

 of tuberculosis in cattle by ordinary means ; and one is not in- 

 frequently astonished on examining the viscera of cattle in prime 

 condition slaughtered for food, to find tuberculous lesions when 

 least expected. Friedberger and Frohner 1 say, " The temperature 

 of the body in tuberculosis may be normal, although we far more 

 frequently find an irregular remittent or even intermittent fever 

 up to 41° C. (105*8° F.) . . . Clinical diagnosis is very uncertain. 

 No diagnostic sign may be present, especially during the first few 

 months of the disease." 



Since the introduction of tuberculin as a diagnostic agent, 

 however, tuberculosis may be detected in the very earliest stages, 

 and where there has been no reason to suspect the presence of 

 the disease. Tuberculin has now been in use for nearly fifteen 

 years, and during that period has had a very extensive trial and 

 proved itself to be almost infallible. 



The observations here recorded were made on dairy cows that 

 were not suspected of tuberculosis, which disease was only revealed 

 by submitting the animals to the tuberculin test. 



My observations number 505, and were made on 74 reacting 

 dairy cows out of 137 tested. The temperature of each of the 

 cows was taken on several consecutive days, and at various 

 times of the day, and they were tested immediately afterwards. 

 Obviously the temperature of these animals during the test period 

 must not be included, since the reaction consists of a rise of 

 temperature. The average temperature shown by the 505 obser- 

 vations is 101-7° F. (38-7° C.j, which is -3° F. higher than the 



1 "Veterinary Pathology " : translated by Hayes. 



