CONTAGIOUS DISEASES. 73 



matter on Active Service. Our policy is to test all animals on 

 admission to Veterinary Hospitals and Eemount Depots, and in 

 the event of reactions to refer back to the unit to which the 

 reactor belonged for test to the unit. Reactors, though showing 

 no outward signs of disease, are destroyed. 



In the autumn of 191-5 the frequent reactions encountered in 

 animals evacuated from the front in France indicated a certain 

 menace, and it was decided to test the whole Force. This was 

 done during the winter, about 300,000 animals being subjected 

 to the test. The disease was cleared out, and even though we 

 were again threatened on the arrival of the Portuguese Ex- 

 peditionary Force in the spring of 1917, and by a few cases 

 on the return of a Division from Italy, we had no more trouble. 

 The total numbers of animals affected were 85 in 1917 and 36 in 

 1918. Thus has an old enemy been defeated. 



Epizootic Lymphangitis. (A name as long as its period of 

 incubation, but may be lovingly referred to as "Epizoo.") 



Considerable loss and inefficiency have been caused in cer- 

 tain Countries and Expeditionary Forces through this serious 

 affection. Its seriousness lies not in its mortality, but in its 

 infectivity and its long incubation of 2^ to over 4 months. It 

 was introduced into the French Army during the late war by 

 their Algerian Troops, and they had many cases. Their policy 

 was to treat those with a commercial value. Our policy was 

 eradication by destruction — a cheap policy in the long run, and 

 moreover we had to consider the very important matter of its 

 exclusion from the British Islands on the return of our Force. 

 It is satisfactory to record that not a single case has been 

 introduced into the United Kingdom 



Though beset by it in France we escaped until 14th Septem- 

 ber 1917, when our first case occurred. Altogether we had 202 

 cases ; they were mostly sporadic, and only in one instance did 

 it assume anything like grave proportions — in a Regiment of 

 Household Cavalry in which 80 cases occurred. The Regiment 

 was drawn out of the line for isolation until it was successfully 

 eradicated. Its eradication was due not only to destruction of 

 the affected, but to the use of a special pro forma report which 

 covered enquiry as to source and action taken. 



