FOUL-BROOD. 455 
797. This reminds our Senior of an incident that hap- 
pened in his younger days, while he lived with his father, 
who was a physician. A laborer had come to the old doc 
tor for an ointment to cure the -‘itch’’. He had caught 
this — now uncommon and ever disgraceful — contagious 
skin disease, while working as a harvest hand, in the coun- 
try. Directions were given him for using the ointment, 
and he was told that his wife should anoint with it also, as 
a preventive. But the woman, who did not have the dis- 
ease, refused to use it, and two weeks afterwards the man 
came back for more ointment. He was cured, but his wife 
had the itch in her turn. The doctor gave him some, and 
told him that he should use it too, or he might catch the 
disease again; but he did not mind the warning, and two 
weeks later, he had to call for more. ‘‘ Well,’ said the 
old doctor, ‘‘ I hope that these two experiments will con- 
vince you of the necessity of a thorough treatment for both, 
with a disease that is transmitted so readily, by contact.’’ 
The case is exactly the same with the bacillus. While 
we are treating one colony, a few spores may be transmit- 
ted to a neighboring hive, by the contact of a single bee, 
and the disease is spread, unknown to us, while we are con- 
gratulating ourselves, in the firm belief that we have eradi- 
cated it. 
798. The cure may be delayed, and may even fail alto- 
gether, if the queen is infected. Then the only resource is 
to kill her and give the colony another from a healthy hive. 
799. When an Apiarist finds out that foul-brood exists 
a his vicinity, his best plan is probably to feed his bees 
regularly on salicycated food. A lump of camphor, placed 
inside of the hive on the bottom-board, is advised by some. 
Salt (274), which improves the blood of all animals, by 
decreasing the number of white globules, shows its effects 
on the general health of all beings, and renders them more 
