Ai’iiir.  1,  1897.] 
SupplonoiL  to  the  “ Ti'opical  Agriculturist." 
727 
bered  tlint  the  Cnpe  Government  engaged  the  ser- 
vices of  Dr.  Koch,  the  eminent  Derlin  .scientist,  to 
study  the  plague  on  the  spot  with  a view  to  dis- 
covering a preventative  and  cure  for  the  disease. 
Dr.  Koch  established  his  laboratory  and  ex- 
perimental station  at  Kimberley,  and  his  tw'o 
preliminary  reports  have  already  been  published 
in  full.  With  us,  outbreaks  of  rinderpest  are  a 
common  experience,  and  every  year  sees  largo 
numbers  of  cattle  carr-ied  away,  so  I hat  the  })Osi- 
tion  of  the  native  cultivator  becomes  more  or  more 
difficult,  and  he  is  not  merely  left  })Oorer  by 
the  loss  of  his  stock,  but  also  by  the  crippling  of 
his  resources  in  the  cultivation  of  his  land  : for  how 
often  may  not  the  remark  of  the  Government 
Agent  of  the  North-Central  Province  in  the  Janu- 
ary Season  lleports  be  repeated  as  to  other  parts  of 
the  Island  : “ The  severe  murrain  of  last  year 
causes  great  scarcity  of  buffaloes  for  agricultural 
vt'ork”  f And  yet,  what  has  been  done  in  the  wuiy 
of  dealing  with  the  scourge  ? Where  is  the  acti- 
vity that  should  characterize  the  efforts  to  cope 
with  the  plague?  Any  enquiry  into  the  pos.sibi- 
lity  of  discovering  a preventative  and  cure  for 
rinderpest  is  of  such  importance  and  so  nearly 
concerns  us,  that  we  make  no  apology  for  sur- 
pressing  a good  deal  of  the  matter  that  should 
have  occupied  the  pages  of  the  present  number, 
and  devoting  a great  part  of  this  issue  of  the 
Magazine  to  the  reports  on  the  investigations 
referred  to  : and  we  have  no  doubt  that 
most  of  our  readers  will  be  thankful  for  the  infor- 
mation which  we  are  able  to  afford  them.  It  is  said 
that  the  Koyal  Society  has  also  taken  up  the  en- 
quiry, so  that  there  will  be  no  lack  of  talent 
among  the  scientific  workers  wdio  will  be  associ- 
ated in  the  search  tor  a remedy  for  the  plague. 
"We  must,  however,  not  forget  to  give  the  credit  that 
is  due  to  those  who  have  already  done  so  much 
good  work  wdthin  the  last  few  years  in  examining 
into  the  cause  of  rinderpest,  viz.,  Dr.  Edington, 
Veterinary  Surgeon  llutcheon,  and  Dr.  Simpson, 
the  Health  Officer  of  Calcutta.  We  should  men- 
tion that-weare  indebted  to  the  official  Agriculiural 
Journal  of  Cape  Town  for  the  text  of  Dr.  Koch’s 
reports. 
DR.  koch’s  first  report. 
Dr.  Koch's  first  report,  dated  Kimberley,  Decem- 
ber 9th, 1896,  is  of  a preliminary  character  and  does 
not  deal  with  his  own  investigations.  He  states 
thei’e  that  he  put  himself  in  communication  with 
Doctors  Turner  and  Edington  and  Veterinary  Sur- 
geon llutcheon,  and  refers  to  his  visit  to  the  re- 
search station  of  Dr.  Edington  situated  at  Taungs. 
The  following  is  his  description  of  his  experience 
in  his  own  words  : — 
“ Havins  arrived  there  on  the  morning  of  the 
6th  (December  1896),  I visited  the  laboratory  and 
saw  the  arrangements  made,  its  experimental 
animals,  prepared  siiecimens  and  cultivations.  Of 
the  animals,  one  had  died  during  the  night  of 
5th  to  6th,  according  to  Dr.  Edington’s  state- 
ment 23  days  after  having  contracted  rinder- 
pest, and  two  more  were  sick.  The  autopsy  which 
was  made  soon  afterwmrds  by  JMr.  Robert- 
son showed  that  it  had  succumbed  most  probably 
to  a secondary  infection,  starting  in  the  tonsils. 
A short  time  after  this  post-mortem  examina- 
tion was  finished,  at  12-30  p.m.,  one  of  the  two 
animals  that  were  sick  died.  This  one  was  also 
iuunediately  dissected  by  Mr,  Robertson.  This 
examination  revealed  the  characteristic  lesions  of 
rinderpest  in  a comparatively  early  stage.  Of 
both  these  animals  dissected  b'ood,  mucus,  and 
pieces  of  the  internal  organs  W’ere  collected  and 
preserved,  partly  moist  and  partly  dry.  In  the 
afternoon  we  inspected  five  head  of  cattle,  which 
in  the  meantime  were  brought  from  Kafir  kraals 
lying  westward  from  the  railw’ay-station  at 
Taungs.  One  of  these  appeai'ed  to  be  recently 
attacked.  After  having  purchased  the  same  we 
withdrew  from  its  left  jugular  vein  a fair 
amount  of  blood  for  experimental  purposes. 
On  the  7th  inst.  I drove  with  my  companions 
to  the  town  of  Taungs,  where  I was  told  I 
would  find  a large  number  of  diseased  cattle. 
Ilowev'er,  I did  not  see  one  beast  in  the  town,  as 
all  the  c.aftle  were  driven  by  the  inhabitants  into 
the  mountains.  Government  Veterinary  Sur- 
geon Soga  informed  me  that  the  people  living 
in  Taungs  had  lost  already  20,000  head  of  cattle 
from  the  pest,  and  thought  to  save  the  remainder 
best  by  driving  them  far  away.  I consequently 
returned  at  once  to  Dr.  Edington’s  experimental 
station.  The  animal  which  wo  had  brought  the 
day  before  was  then  killed  and  dissected.  The 
organs  sliowed  the  characteristic  appearances  of 
rinderpest.  From  this  animal  material  for  exami- 
nation and  infective  purposes  was  likewise 
taken.  After  having  seen  .some  more  cases  in  an 
advanced  state  of  rinderpest,  and  having  ob- 
tained mucus  from  a newly-diseased  animal,  I 
returned  during  the  night  from  the  7th  to  the  8th 
to  Kimberley,  accompanied  by  Drs.  Turner  and 
Kohlstock,  and  Mr.  Henning. 
Twenty  head  of  cattle,  twenty  sheep,  and  twenty 
goats  were  in  the  meantime  purchased.  Of  this 
number  eight  head  of  cattle  were  infected  with 
the  material  brought  from  Taungs  in  such  a 
manner  that  small  sponges  soaked  in  infected 
liquid  were  put  into  the  nostrils,  and  then  also 
the  muzzle  was  painted  over  with  the  same  sponge. 
To  watch  the  animals  and  to  superintend  the 
persons  employed  in  connection  with  the  ani« 
mals,  Mr.  Henning  remained  in  the  compound| 
and  will  continue  to  stay  there  for  the  time 
being. 
From  what  I have  seen  till  now  cf  the  cattle 
lilague  in  the  Cape  Colony,  I have  no  hesitation 
to  say  that  the  disease  is  the  genuine  rinder- 
pest. With  reference  to  the  micro-organisms 
found  and  cultivated  by  Dr.  Edington,  I could 
hitherto  not  arrive  at  any  definite  c nclusion. 
Tile  infection  trials  performed  with  these  culti- 
vations appear  to  me  not  demonstrative,  and 
1 must  consequently  reserve  my  opinion  concern- 
ing them  until  I have  personally  carried  out  e.x- 
periments  with  them.” 
DR.  koch’s  second  report. 
The  2nd  report,  dated  Kimberly,  January  3td, 
1897,  after  detailing  the  arrangements  made  for 
laboratory  work  and  microscopical  examination, 
proceeds : 
'•  Of  the  small  experimental  animals,  sheep  and 
goats  are  sheltered  underneath  the  verandah 
along  the  stables,  and  tw'o  dogs  are  tied  to  poles 
underneath  the  verandah  along  the  rear  wall  of 
the  house.  Birds,  rabbits,  mice,  guinea  pigs  and 
pigs  are  housed  in  cages  standing  partly  along- 
side the  stable  walls,  and  partly  in  open  sheds. 
In  the  latter  i.s  also  fastened  a donkey  and  a, 
fljttle,  of  which  the  former  is  only  use4  {op 
