Distemper in Dogs mid Cats. 207 



An exclusively bread diet has been recognized as a predisposing 

 cause, by reason of its lowering the stamina of the carnivoroits 

 animal. 



Atiy condition which induces debility whether severe or con- 

 tinued disease, parasitisms, impure air, under feeding, improper 

 food, rachitis, or scurvy, etc., must be admitted to operate in the 

 same way. Any catarrhal disease of the nose or bronchia is 

 especially conducive to the affection by weakening the mucosa 

 and making an easy entrance channel for the germs. 



Change of climate \s, ^ s\.xovi^y predisposing condition, which 

 not only hastens an attack, but even, at times, arouses anew the 

 susceptibility in dogs that have passed through a first attack. 

 Dogs that suffered in England have had a second attack in India, 

 and some have even had a third attack when brought back to 

 Europe. Four attacks within a year, in the same dog, and with- 

 out change of climate, are recorded by Friedberger and Frohner. 



Youth is much more susceptible than age, even apart from the 

 immunity which comes to the mature dog from a first attack. 

 Yet some puppies are insusceptible from birth. 



Microbiology. No one pathogenic organism has been proved 

 to be the constant infecting agent, yet two classes of investigators 

 have contended in favor of micrococci and bacilli respectively. 



Micrococci, i to 3 /«. in diameter, singly or in chains of 6 or 8 

 have been found in the blood, lungs, liver, kidneys and spleen 

 (Semmer, Friedberger, Krajewski, Rabe, Mathis, Marcone, 

 Meloni, Kitt). 



Bacilli vf^x^ found associated with micrococci by Semmer, Le- 

 grain and Jacquot, I^aosson, Millais, Schantyr, and Galli-Valerio. 

 As observed by the latter they were 1.25, to 2.5/* long, by 0.31/". 

 broad and took the Gram stain. Cultivated on gelatine the 

 colonies were waxy, lustrous points, which indented the gelatine 

 without liquefying it. 



Cultures of the mixed bacteria (cocci and bacilli) and their 

 inoculation on young dogs produced the symptoms of distemper 

 with subsequent immunity (I^aosson, Millais). I^egrain and 

 Jacquot claimed immunity, as resulting from inoculations with 

 the cocci in pure cultures. Galli-Valerio, using the mixed cul- 

 tures produced all the symptoms (pulmonary and cerebro-spinal) 

 of distemper. 



