PROGRESS OF VETERINARY SCIENCE AND ART. 45 
birds, &c., did not live beyond from ten to twenty days, nor 
could the disease be provoked, hence it appeared that the 
itch of man was not transmissible to animals. A few years 
later, MM. Bourguignon and Delafond worked together at 
the subject, but could in no instance communicate scabies 
between animals of different species. Some hundred acari 
from the sheep and horse were placed on the skins of many of 
the students at Alfort, and nothing resulted beyond the pricks 
made by the insects in search of sustenance, and slight itch- 
ing. Other attempts were made with the scab-insect from the 
sheep, applying it on horses, oxen, goats, &c., but with the 
same result. 
It was discovered, however, that, contrary to what is seen in 
man, in animals it was essential to lower the system, to get 
them in ill health before the disease would spread even 
among individuals of the same species. A vigorous consti- 
tution is no obstacle to the spreading of itch in the human 
subject. 
The brief sketch here pourtrayed of this subject indicates 
the state of our knowledge in point and capable of appre- 
ciating now any new facts contributed, the cases which form 
the basis of M. Bourguignon’s memoir may now be cited. 
An exhibitor of wild animals, M. Borelli, bought five 
lions at Marseilles coming from Africa, all in middling 
health; they suffered from captivity, from want of air, of 
exercise, and of good food, but their skins appeared healthy. 
They were taken to Paris, one died in the Jardin des Plantes, 
the others were exhibited at the Cirque Franconi, in company 
with a hyaena and a bear. Their health went on deteriorating, 
a second lion died, which was conveyed to the Alfort School, 
where MM. Goubaux and Delafond found the skin covered 
with scabs due to mange, and the presence of a large number 
of acari. MM. Delafond and Bourguignon proceeded to the 
circus, and found a boy who attended on the animals affected 
with the itch. The lions were mangy ; and since the boy had 
been washing the lions with the same sponge used for the 
horses of the circus, six horses and three grooms became 
affected with the disease. M. Borelli and his daughter, who 
habitually entered the cage of these animals during the repre- 
sentations were also affected with scabies. The acari obtained 
from the lions, and those infesting the men and woman were 
identical. One of the lions, the youngest, in a miserable 
state of health, and suffering with cold, kept close to the 
hyaena for the sake of warmth. For a while, the hyaena 
seemed perfectly to withstand the contagion, but three 
months afterwards, psora, with all its symptoms affected both 
