Inoculation for Pleuro- Pneumonia in Cattle. 



379 



tion of this description. It would appear that the malady was 

 likely this year also to increase towards the autumn, as three or 

 four cases occurred just as I was about to leave Hasselt ; and it is 

 therefore probable that inoculation may have a severe test even in 

 that place. These cases happened to ?Z(9?z-inoculated animals, and 

 in sheds where some had been inoculated. Thus M. Vanstraelen 

 keeps twenty-four, of which eight only were inoculated ; a non- 

 inoculated cow was taken ill on September 2nd and died on 

 the 10th, being allowed to remain with all the others three or 

 four days before removal. M. Rousseau keeps twenty-seven, 

 and has not had any inoculated, notwithstanding which his 

 cattle were exempt from the disease for seven months, and up to 

 the last week in August, when one was taken ill and sold; 

 another was attacked within a few days, and was evidently fast 

 sinking when I saw her. These animals also had free com- 

 munication with the others. Such instances as these are suffi- 

 cient to establish the points just referred to ; and it becomes 

 therefore unnecessary to multiply cases of the same description. 



The statements given by different persons are very contra- 

 dictor}^, as will appear from the sequel of this report. Even on 

 the subject of protection by inoculation Dr. Willems does not 

 allow a single failure, while others assert that several such cases 

 have occurred. With regard to the local indications of a success- 

 ful inoculation, although I witnessed many operations performed 

 by Dr. Willems, and inspected the parts at different intervals 

 afterwards, I saw none which, to me, were satisfactory. Un- 

 healthy inflammation, ulceration, sloughing, and gangrene, were 

 far too frequently the results of the operation. The punctures 

 are made very deep, with a double-edged scalpel, which is 

 thrust through the skin, and moved from side to side to allow 

 the two or three drops of fluid used for the inoculation to 

 penetrate to the bottom of the wound. Surgical and scientific 

 principles certainly did not rule in these operations. What the 

 effects may be of a different mode of procedure I am unable 

 to say, but to establish the value of inoculation further experi- 

 ments should be adopted. Another point of the first con- 

 sequence is susceptibility to a re-inoculation. It is said, by 

 the advocates of the system, that susceptibility is entirely de- 

 stroyed by the first inoculation: and among other animals which 

 I was shown by Dr. Willems were two cows belonging to his 

 father that had been operated upon fifteen months, and v/hich, he 

 assured me, he had ?'e-inoculated three or four times, and in each 

 instance without success. Capability of transmitting " the virus" 

 from animal to animal, by what is technically called removes 

 from the original source of the inoculating material, is also 

 another very important question. The lymph of the vaccine 



