Royal Veterinary College. 
115 
larged in the ferrets also, and in all three animals the spleen pulp 
was found to be swarming v/ith anthrax bacilli. In reply to inquiry 
the owner subsequently communicated the following history. Part 
of the flesh of a sheep that had died from what the shepherd called 
“ cold in the chest ” was given to five dogs and thirteen ferrets. Of 
the five dogs, one died in two days and another in three days, two 
others showed symptoms of illness but recovered, while the fifth dog 
never developed any symptoms. Of the thirteen ferrets, ten died 
within four days, but the other three remained well. 
Protective Inoculation against Anthrax . — In only three instances 
during the year has advice been sought regarding the means of pre- 
venting anthrax, and in each case the owner was recommended to 
have all the animals on the farm inoculated according to the method 
devised by M. Pasteur. In two of the cases the advice has been 
adopted, and the result will be communicated in a future report. 
There can at this date be no discussion regarding the value of 
protective inoculation in reducing the losses from anthrax on infected 
farms. The method has already been practised on the most colossal 
scale in France, Austria-Hungary, and elsewhere abroad, and with 
the most beneficial results. The operation is attended with little 
risk, and the entire animals on a farm can be thus protected at a 
cost which is a mere trifle compared to the loss of even a single 
valuable ox or cow. The subjoined table gives the statistics regarding 
anthrax vaccination in France from 1882 tol892 : — 
Year 
Animals vaccinated 
Deaths 
per cent, 
during ! 
following 
year 
Year 
Animals vaccinated 
Deaths 
per cent, 
during 
following 
year 
/ 1882 
243,199 
1-08 
('1882 
22,916 
0-35 
1883 
193,119 
077 
1883 
20,501 
0 31 
1884 
231,693 
097 
1884 
22,616 
0-37 
1885 
280,107 
0-90 
1885 
21,073 
0-50 
Ch 
1886 
202,064 
075 
a 
1886 
22,113 
0-28 
1887 
187,811 
1-29 
1887 
28,083 
039 
1888 
101,834 
061 
! < 
O 
1888 
10,920 
0-43 
1889 
88,483 
1-16 
1889 
11,610 
0 45 
1890 
69,865 
1-20 
1890 
11,057 
021 
1891 
63,640 
0-67 
1891 
10,476 
0 13 
'1892 
63,125 
0-99 
'1892 
9,757 
027 
The success of these vaccinations in reducing the mortality from 
anthrax in France may be estimated when it is stated that before 
the introduction of vaccination the losses amounted to from 8 to 10 
per cent, per annum for sheep, and about 5 per cent, for cattle. 
Tuberculosis. 
During the past year some very important evidence has been 
obtained of the value of tuberculin in the diagnosis of tuberculosis 
in cattle. By far the most interesting trial was the one made on 
a herd of Jerseys belonging to Earl Spencer, regarding which # 
i 2 
