INOCULATION FOR PLEURO-PNEUMONIA IN CATTLE. 157 
on the subject ; by the publication of papers in the pages of 
its Journal ; and by the delivery of lectures before its mem- 
bers at their annual meetings. Great benefit no doubt has 
accrued from these several means, but still the pest remains 
among us, and at times seems uncontrolled in its virulence. 
The last supposed beneficial method of combating the disease 
which has engaged the attention of the Council is that of 
inoculation, a prophylactic to which their attention was 
originally directed by the Continental publications. It was 
not, however, deemed advisable at once to take any steps 
upon these reports, except to request the Professors of the 
Veterinary College to watch the progress and results of the 
system, and to give them their opinion of its value. 
In June last a letter was received by the Council from 
His Royal Highness Prince Albert, enclosing a communi- 
cation which had been forwarded to him on the subject. 
From this communication, as well as from repeated notices 
in the Belgian papers particularly, and the statements of 
different members of the Society, it appeared that a safe, 
ready, and effective preventive was found in inoculation. 
Under these circumstances the Council lost no time in adopt- 
ing means for a perfect investigation of the subject ; and at 
their meeting in July I was directed to take such further steps 
as might appear best calculated to effect the purpose. Acting 
on these instructions, and with the concurrence of the Chair- 
man of the Veterinary Committee, I was led to visit Belgium, 
the plan having had its origin there. At the Veterinary 
School of Brussels I found eight cows under experiment, they 
having been inoculated fifteen days prior to my visit with some 
serous fluid taken from the lung of an animal which had died of 
joleuro-pneumonia. The operation, which had been performed 
by Dr. Willems, of Hasselt, was undertaken by direction of 
the Government, who had sent the animals to the School 
that the effects of the inoculation might be daily w atched by 
the Professors. The punctures made in their tails (the usual 
place of inoculation) presented a very healthy condition, and 
it was evident that a few more days w T ould suffice to complete 
the healing process. The animals w 7 ere feeding well ; and, 
w r ith one exception, a cow 7 having a sloughing ulcer of about 
three inches diameter on the ischium, they appeared to be in 
health. This ulcer was ^described to be an effect of the ino- 
culation in the tail, th^' system of the animal being thereby 
impregnated with morbific matter, and which in numerous 
instances, I may here remark, produces far more serious 
results than were observed in this particular case. The 
animals, when reported to be in a fit state, were to be sent to 
