56 _ CANINE DISTEMPER 
charges, and the spread of the disease is probably due 
more to these discharges than to the pus from the eyes 
and nose. If Ferry’s organism can be accepted as the 
causal one, it would follow that the clinical thermometer 
may well be condemned as a means of contamination. 
Konhauser, whose inoculation experiments had a nega- 
tive result, is of opinion that the contagium is also in 
the milk of bitches suffering from distemper ; but no 
other investigator has confirmed this, and its truth 
seems open to considerable doubt. 
Resistance of the Contagium to Cold and Heat, etc.— 
Experimental evidence shows that the contagium is not 
destroyed by desiccation, although its virulence is con- 
siderably attenuated after being kept in a dry condition 
for several months. Freezing, even to as low a tempera- 
ture as —4° F., does not kill it, but a temperature of 60° C. 
renders it sterile. Laosson found that nasal discharge 
exposed to the open air loses its virulence in from eight 
to twenty days. 
Disinfection.—It would appear highly desirable in a 
work of this nature to indicate the various types of disin- 
fectants, their mode of action, and suitable choice for the 
object in view, since the prevention and cure of distemper 
from beginning to end consists of nothing less than an 
organised fight against bacterial life. A detailed descrip- 
tion of the agents used and methods employed will be 
found in Appendix II. 
PERIOD OF INCUBATION 
The stage of incubation of distemper appears to be 
very variable, and is undoubtedly influenced by several 
considerations, such as the virulence of the causal 
organism, constitution of the animal, prevailing weather 
conditions, etc. A large number of views have been 
expressed based on observations following both experi- 
