133 
©fficial IReports. 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ROYAL 
VETERINARY COLLEGE 
On Investigations conducted for the Royal Agricultural Society 
during the year 1892. 
A large body of work has been done in the Pathological Laboratory 
of the College during the past year, and results have been obtained 
that are likely to be of much practical value in dealing with some 
of the most important diseases of farm stock. A considerable part 
of the work undertaken has had for its object to bring into use more 
precise methods of diagnosis in dealing with tuberculosis and glanders, 
and another part has been directed towards elucidating the cause of 
certain obscure outbreaks of disease. From examinations conducted 
in the laboratory, a positive diagnosis was made in the following 
instances : — 
Anthrax . . . .10 
Septicaemia . . . 1 
Actinomycosis . . .1 
Swine-fever . . .2 
Discomycosis . . . 1 
Parasitic Lung disease . 8 
Parasitic Bowel disease . 2 
Swine Erysipelas . . 1 
Investigations have also been made regarding outbreaks of three 
hitherto undescribed diseases, viz. suppurative udder disease in cows, 
dysenteric diarrhoea in cattle, and pneumo-pericarditis in turkeys. 
Although in each of these cases it is believed that the cause of the 
disease has been discovered, further experiments and observations 
are deemed necessary before publishing the results. 
Actinomycosis. 
Actinomycosis is a disease caused by a vegetable parasite termed 
the Actinomyces, or ray fungus. In certain districts of England 
and Scotland it is a comparatively common disease of cattle. It 
generally attacks the tongue or the bones of the upper or lower 
jaw. In either of these situations its effects are serious, for the 
structural alterations which it causes in the tongue or jaw render 
the act of mastication very painful, and ultimately impossible. 
Hitherto only a small measure of success has attended the treatment 
of actinomycosis, but ip a certain proportion of tongue casps a cupp 
