g6 Veterinary Medicine. 



no less destructive in fenced, cultivated fields and pens where 

 laurel was inaccessible. A dry, nutritious diet of corn, oats, and 

 hay made no improvement. Separation in small lots in separate 

 pens proved more helpful. In the Old World its introduction in 

 infected goats has been constantly noted and its prevalence in the 

 native home of the goat (Angora) bespeaks its primary source. 

 The first cases of Pusch and Schiitz were brought from Saanen, 

 its appearance in Cape Colony was traced to goats direct from 

 Angora, and the outbreaks in Penn., were in goats just arrived 

 from Texas. Out of their native habitat Angoras are found in 

 comparatively limited numbers, but their introduction is too 

 often followed by an appearance of this infection, which like any 

 other pestilence spreads in an infected locality in ratio with the 

 numbers of susceptible animals and their aggregation in a small 

 area. 



In the Old World and the New the microbian cause is held to 



be a globular or ovoid coccus (^Micrococcus CaprinusSp. nov. 



Mohler) found in the heart's blood, pericardial fluid, spleen, 

 kidneys, etc. Mohler failed to find it in the cerebro-spinal fluid, 

 and Nocard and I^eclainche elsewhere than in the lung and ex- 

 pectoration. The microbe is o. 8/* to i;«. in diameter and appears 

 in cultures singly or more commonly in chains of 2, 3 or 4. After 

 three days culture at 37° C. they are globular and may form 

 chains of six, or even clumps. The individual cocci vary in size 

 and shape. They stain slowly in methylene blue, but quickly in 

 carbol fuchsin. The coccus is serobic (facultative anserobic), 

 grows freely in slightly alkaline media (liquid or solid), and 

 much less actively in acid, 1.5 phenolphthalein. Growth is most 

 abundant at 37" C, and tardy at room temperature. In neutral 

 beef bouillon at 37° it causes a slight opacity in ten hours, and in 

 three days it clears by throwing down a pearl gray, ropy pre- 

 cipitate. The culture becomes acid in five days. The coccus 

 grows freely on blood serum, milk or agar : more slowly on 

 gelatine and potato. It survived freezing for four days, but was 

 killed in six minutes at 62° C. 



Pathogenesis. The cultures, subcutem, infected the goat 

 (Angora and common), calf, rabbit, Guineapig and white mouse. 

 Rats, swine, dogs and sheep proved immune. Steel claimed the 

 infection of two sheep, but, as the example stands alone, it may 

 have been a coincidence merely. 



