Live Stock- 



m 



[July, 1911. 



if no pathological lesions are found, the 

 carcass is stamped and passed for food. 

 If any abnormalities are revealed, the 

 carcass is run into a separate room 

 for a final examination and the viscera 

 are carried into another room where 

 they are placed upon a table and given 

 a thorough examination in order to 

 ascertain whether or not the carcass or 

 any of its parts are fit for human con- 

 sumption, A room adjacent to the main 

 killing floor is devoted entirely to the 

 cleaning of viscera. Hogs are slaugh- 

 tered on the opposite side of this build- 

 ing and go through the same system of 

 inspection as the cattle. Horses and 

 other animals are occasionally slaugh- 

 tered, but cattle and hogs form the 

 principal means of supply. Condemned 

 carcasses are taken from the slaughter- 

 house to the crematory, while condemn- 

 ed parts, such as lungs, livers, etc., are 

 rendered sterile by boiling at the 

 slaughter-house and then used for ferti- 

 lizer. 



The Government slaughter-houses are 

 under the supervision of the Police de- 

 partment, and the stamps With which 

 the quarters are marked bear the words 

 " Inspected by the chief of the Police 

 Court." The bureau of agriculture in- 

 spects the meat and decides whether or 

 not it is fit for human consumption. 

 The remainder of the work at the 

 abattoir is under the supervision of the 

 Police department. 



The inspection of meat is very 

 thorough, and all meat imported into 

 the Philippine Islands bearing the stamp 

 of the Japanese Government may be 

 considered fit for human food unless 

 affected by decomposition or other 

 changes which have taken place after 

 the inspection. At the Government 

 abattoirs in Japan, a great many parts 

 are condemned on account of the pre- 

 sence of animal parasites. Among those 

 more frequently found are the Echino- 

 coccus, the Strongylus Paradoxus, and 

 the Distoma hepaticum. The first of these 

 often produces in the lungs a marbled 

 appearance, which on microscopical ex- 

 amination somewhat resembles a lung 

 affected by contagious pleuro-pneumo- 

 nia. The last of the three mentioned is 

 very common, and when this parasite is 

 found the entire liver is condemned. 

 Aside f rom'the parasitic affections, tuber- 

 culosis is one of the diseases most 

 frequently discovered. This disease is 

 quite widespread in Japan, and the 

 Government has taken important steps 

 toward its control. 



Institute for the Infectious 

 Diseases of Animals. 

 In connection with the con trol and era- 

 dication of animal diseases, the bureau 

 of agriculture maintains at Tokyo, 

 under the direction of Dr. H. Tokishige, 

 a laboratory well equipped for experi- 

 mental work and the production of 

 serums and vaccines. The scope of its 

 work is indicated by the following table 

 showing the quantities of various pre- 

 parations there during the year 1909 : — 



Anti-rinderpest serum ... liters 400 



Anthrax serum ... do 151 



Anthrax vaccine ... do 5 



Tuberculin ... do 33 



Mallein ... cubic centimeters 725 



Chicken cholera vaccine ... liters 40 



Swine erysipelas serum ... do 2*5 



Anti-strepticocci serum... do 29 



The preparation of serum for hog 

 cholera and backleg is being commenced, 

 but up to the present time very little 

 has been produced. 



All the animals at the institute are 

 inclosed in the same yard, so that great 

 precautions are necessary to prevent 

 the spread of the different diseases from 

 one stable to another. For this reason 

 animals are kept in fly-proof sheds 

 which are so constructed as to readily 

 permit a thorough disinfection. The un- 

 necessary passage of attendants from 

 one building to another is prohibited, 

 and all persons entering any part of the 

 grounds, except the laboratory proper, 

 are required to wear rubber boots which 

 are immersed in antiseptic baths upon 

 leaving any of the buildings. The in- 

 stitute covers about one hectare of 

 ground, and is inclosed by a high fence. 

 About thirty-five animals are used in the 

 production of anti-rinderpest serum, 

 besides a few others which were being 

 held as virus carriers. 



The general method of the prcduction 

 of anti-rinderpest serum is very similar 

 to that* which is being practised in the 

 Philippine Islands, but the process of 

 immunization is a trifle slower. The 

 animals are bled twice during a period 

 of three days about two weeks after the 

 iuoculation of 700 or 800 cubic centi- 

 meters of virulent blood. No rules are 

 laid down as to the number of bleedings 

 which each animal is to undergo, but 

 the treatment of individuals depends 

 greatly upon the need for serum, the 

 amount of virus available and other 

 factors. As a rule animals are dis- 

 charged after the second bleeding follow- 

 ing inoculation of 3,000 cubic centime- 

 ters of virulent blood. The men in 

 charge of this work claim that larger 



