DISEASES OP THE BLOOD. 



49 



difficult one, for it comprises the constant excitement of ap- 

 prehension of the Legislature to secure adequate measures 

 of repression, and the simultaneous insistance on the con- 

 siderable chance of escape of individuals unhappily bitten. 

 Distemper is, of the numerous diseases to which canine 

 flesh is heir, that which annually exacts the largest tribute 

 of fatality. It is' a specific disorder ; very wide spread 

 in its prevalence, and supposed to have become domiciled 

 in Great Britain within the last century, but of this we 

 have no absolute proof. It resembles, to an extent, those 

 specific disorders of other animals which are known as 

 " influenza," but it seems to be a distinct and special 



Figs. 18 — 21. — Distemper organisms intermingled with various cells. 

 (After Kreijewski.) 



disease, and not the pathological equivalent of any known 

 disorder of man or other animals. An attempt has been 

 made to demonstrate that it is similar to human typhoid, 



4 



