Incest igations in 1889 of the Royal Agricultural Society. 187 
having been forwarded that a cow was ill. She died the same day. The 
symptoms, as narrated by the veterinary surgeon in attendance, were as 
follows : Partial loss of appetite, increased frequency of pulse and respira- 
tion, without any marked alteration of character ; diarrhoea was a pro- 
minent symptom. Post-mortem. — A careful examination was made by Mr. 
Dugxud, "who found the whole of the viscera presenting perfectly normal 
appearances. The stomach and bowels were free from any kind of con- 
gestion, and their contents of normal consistency. After spending about 
two hours in examining the carcass, he was unable to had any lesions to 
account for the animal's death. 
In one case of the disease in a cow which was sent to the College, 
recovery followed the administration of small doses of dilute sulphuric acid 
with tincture of gentian. In a second case death occurred from septic 
poisoning, from retention of foetal membranes; and in a third fatal case 
poisoning by some corrosive substance was indicated. But analysis did not 
confirm this suspicion. An analysis of the water from a pond on the farm, 
and also from the main, did not lead to the detection of any organic im- 
purities. Nor was anything discovered in the various food stuffs to account 
for the disease. In fact, up to the present, no conditions have been found 
which apply specially to the diseased cows, and it must be admitted that 
the problem has yet to be solved. 
An outbreak of disease among deer in Suffolk and Dorset last 
year was made a subject of inquiry. The first cases were reported 
from Dorset by the veterinary surgeons in attendance, who con- 
sidered the disease to be anthrax — an opinion which the post-mortem 
appearances seemed at first to justify. A portion of the spleen of 
one of the diseased animals was sent to the College, and subsequently 
the carcass of a deer was forwarded. Microscopic examination or 
the blood led to the discovery of numerous bacilli, which exactly 
resembled the organisms found in the blood of swine which had died 
after eating the offal of cattle or sheep dead of anthrax. Inoculation 
of guinea-pigs with the blood of the dead deer did not produce 
anthrax, nor did the bacilli, when cultivated in nutrient gelatine, 
grow in the characteristic form of the organisms of anthrax. 
During the inquiry a suspicion arose that the deer were suffering 
from rabies ; but the history that was given of the symptoms and 
progress of the disease did not support this view, and the test 
of inoculation of guinea-pigs with the spinal cord of one of the dead 
deer was followed by the death of the inoculated animals from septic 
poisoning, without any indications of rabies. It may, however, be 
remarked that recently a report has been received in which the 
symptoms described are decidedly suggestive of rabies. The inquiry 
was not completed on account of the difficulty of obtaining the 
necessary specimens. The illustrations figs. 1 and 2 (page 188) exhibit 
the bacilli found in the blood of the deer, and similar microbes in 
the blood of swine dead of anthrax. 
The second case was reported to the College at the beginning of 
August. In this instance the fawns were chiefly affected. Specimens 
from some of the dead animals were sent to the College, and it was 
found on examination that the blood contained numerous bacilli 
identical in form with those which were discovered in the diseased 
deer in Dorset. Inoculation of sheep and guinea-pigs with the 
