TUBERCULIN TEST 219 



temperature to occur twice in the same day and occasionally- 

 several times within the twenty-four hours. There are marked 

 individual variations in the efifect of ordinary conditions upon 

 the temperature, such as food, excitement or temperature of 

 the air. A hot spell causes a rise of two and in some cases 

 four degrees. The average temperature of the animals in 

 three herds tested by Howe and Ryder were 102.5°, 102.6°, 

 and 101° F. respectively. 



In a well kept Government herd that was tested with 

 tuberculin, the temperature of part of the animals was taken 

 hourly for 24 and part of them for 16 hours preceding the 

 injection. An examination of the records* shows the average 

 daily variation of 20 animals in which the temperature was 

 taken for 24 hours to be 2.31° F. The maximum individual 

 variation in a single day was 4.3" F. , the minimum 0.5° F. 

 In 25 other animals where the temperature was taken for 16 

 hours, the average variation was 1.79° F. In these the maxi- 

 mum variation was 3.2" F. , the minimum 0.6° F. Ten 

 healthy animals (did not react to tuberculin) in the same herd 

 gave an average variation of 2.08° F. In these the maximum 

 daily variation was 4.1° F., the minimum 1° F. The lowest 

 temperature was usually, but not invariably, in the morning 

 and the highest in the afternoon or evening. I have appended 

 the records of the temperature of two of these animals. 



*Bulletiii No. 7, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, Washington, D. C. The tests were made by Drs. F. L,. 

 Kilborne and E. C. Schroeder, under the direction of Dr. Theobald 

 Smith. 



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