ANNIVEKSARY ADDRESS. 15 



PREVALENCE OF HYDATIDS AND THE REMEDY. 



In 1888, I drew attention in the press to the prevalence of the 

 dire disease hydatids, and urged that steps should be at once taken 

 to lessen the number of ownerless dogs which infest the city and 

 suburbs. Something was clone at the time, and occasionally and 

 spasmodically since, but for a long time these dogs have apparently 

 been as numerous as ever. The disease arises from the egg of a 

 tape- worm of the dog being swallowed in drinking water, or in food, 

 or perhaps ingested as dust. The egg gives rise to an organism 

 which may find its way into the blood, and so may be carried by the 

 circulation into any part of the body producing the insidious and 

 dangerous disease. The only way to entirely rid ourselves of the 

 disease would be to get rid of all dogs. That is not possible, but it 

 is possible to keep down the disease by adopting the suggestions 

 which I made, and to which I still adhere viz., to make the regis- 

 tration of every dog absolutely compulsory, to issue annually a 

 distinguishing badge to be attached to the collar, and then to 

 impound every collarless dog or dog without the badge of the 

 year, and dispose of it unless claimed within a reasonable time. 

 And these regulations should be really enforced, not left as dead 

 letters. To this end their execution should not be imposed upon 

 the police, with whose essential duties this dog catching is quite 

 incompatible. A few dog catchers with veritable dog carts per- 

 ambulating the streets would do all that is needed, and the extra 

 revenue derived from the better collection of the dog tax would, I 

 am sure, meet all the extra expenditure entailed. To reinforce 

 what I have already said, I might add that from the aesthetic point 

 of view the removal of the wretched creatures, which meet us at 

 every turn, would be a boon to us and a blessing in disguise to the 

 animals themselves, for it is not the dogs with homes that would 

 be removed, but only those that having no owner remain uncared 

 for, pick up a living anyhow, and drag out a miserable existence 

 to a miserable end. What I propose is less than is carried on 

 successfully in some places, but I think it would suffice for us here, 

 and I have gone a little out of my way to speak of it, because it 



