248 



Inoculation for Pleuro-Pneumonia in Cattle. 



the result of his investigations. AYe are unable to give the full 

 particulars of the experiments had recourse to bj M. Ulrich on 

 his return, or the conclusions to which he arrived, but that he 

 reported upon the whole in favour of inoculation may be gathered 

 from the following letter sent to the Earl of Clarendon by Mr. 

 J. R. Curtis, Her Majesty's Consul at Cologne.* 



''British Consulate, Cologne, March 11, 1853. 

 " My Lord, — Since I had the honour last year of bringing under the attention 

 of Her Majesty's Government the great importance of the recent discovery 

 made by Dr. Willems, of inoculatinf^ cattle as a preservative against the Pleuro- 

 pneumonia, or commonly known in England under the name of the " new 

 disease," by the virulence of which thousands of cattle are carried off annually, 

 and against which all medical aid has up to this period proved insufficient to 

 check its infectious ravages, I have not lost sight of this important question, 

 and the various improvements which longer experience has introduced into 

 this new system ; and I consider that I should be failing in my duty if I did 

 not call your Lordship's attention to a report which has been forwarded to 

 me upon this subject by Dr. Sticker, Royal Veterinary Surgeon for the district 

 of Cologne, a translation of which I now beg leave most respectfully to enclose. 



" As a Committee has been appointed in London for the investigation of this 

 most important question, by the Royal Veterinary College, I think your Lord- 

 ship will find that the valuable information afforded by Dr. Sticker's report is 

 calculated to throvr additional light upon the subject which will be brought 

 under the consideration of the said Committee, and may consequently be of 

 great assistance in solving the question at issue, and thus render considerable 

 benefit to the agricultural interests of Great Britain. 



" I further beg leave to inform your Lordship that Dr. Sticker has at the 

 same time invented a new instrument for effecting the inoculations according 

 to his system, and has expressed a desire that a specimen of the same should 

 respectfully be presented to His Royal Highness Prince Albert, who takes so 

 lively an interest in the solution of the important question to which Dr. Sticker 

 has devoted his constant attention ; and I beg leave to forward the same to 

 your Lordship under a separate cover, respectfully leaving it for your Lord- 

 ship to decide whether with propriety it can be presented to His Royal 

 Highness. 



"In conclusion, I may be allowed to state that this question has attracted 

 the serious attention of the Prussian Government, these provinces having 

 unfortunately been most severely visited by the disease ; and, convinced of the 

 efficccy of the system, the Government do all in their power to promote the 

 inoculation as much as possible, and at present, when the disease breaks out 

 amongst the cattle in a certain locality, the authorities of that district imme- 

 diately cause all the cattle to be inoculated, as the only means of preventing 

 the infection from spreading. 



" I have, t&c. 

 (Signed) " J. R. Curtis." 



In addition to this communication to the Government, we are 

 enabled to give an extract from a letter which we have just 

 received from Mr. Curtis, dated Cologne, June 1, 1853, and 

 which confirms the conclusions we had previously arrived at. 



* See * Papers respecting Pleuro-pneumonia in Cattle, presented to the House 

 of Lords by command of Her Majesty, April 4, 1853.' 



