258 



NOTES ON ACTINOMYCOSIS, ETC. 



in Queensland are attributable to the ray-fungus, or in other 

 words are Actinomycosis. 



In Queensland, since December of last year, the owners of 

 diseased cattle have been compelled, by regulation of the 

 Public Health Act, to destroy all animals affected with these 

 cancerous diseases ; and all animals exposed for sale as food 

 in the market, proved to bo diseased, can be seized and 

 destroyed. 



On some of the cattle runs it is said that this disease 

 prevails to the extent of about 10 per cent.; and as we obtain 

 some of our meat food from this region, a rigid inspection of 

 all animals arriving by sea is highly necessary. 



At Kiama, in N. S. Wales, Mr. Stanley, the Government 

 Veterinarian, at the instance of the Board, of Health there, 

 made enquiries into the causes of diseases, tuberculosis and 

 cancer, affecting dairy cattle in that district. In the 

 milking cows he found tuberculosis and Actinomycosis ; and 

 tuberculosis in the pigs that were being fed on the milk from 

 those cows which supplied the local butter factory, and 

 which likewise were fed on offal from the slaughteryards. 



These facts have been confirmed by Mr. Park, in an. 

 examination of portions of the diseased structures taken from 

 these animals given to him by Mr. Stanley. Microscopic 

 slides of these specimens are on the table and can be 

 examined t>y the microscope, when the actinomyces will be 

 plainly visible. 



The presence of actinomyces in these specimens, as well as 

 of the tubercle bacilli, is confirmed by the diagnosis of three 

 medical experts in Sydney, who were called upon to make a 

 microscopic examination of the diseases in question, and who 

 have published their opinions on the subject in the report of 

 the Board of Health of N.S. Wales, dated 9th October, 1890. 



The few facts that I have been enabled to bring before the 

 Society this evening show that there is a large field for 

 investigation which has scarcely as yet been entered upon. 

 If the diseases I have been discussing were thoroughly 

 investigated in this colony, and experiments made with a view 

 of testing the extent of the prevalence not only of these, but 

 of other diseases, valuable results would no doubt be shown. 

 And I cannot too strongly urge that this investigation should 

 be made, for, as in the case of tuberculosis and Actinomycosis, 

 other diseases will be found to prevail more extensively than 

 has hitherto been suspected. 



A Central Hygienic Institute was recommended by the last 

 Intercolonial Stock Conference, to which all cases of disease 

 amongst animals should be referred from all the colonies. 

 Without some such institution it is not easv to see how 



