358 Annual JReport for 1913 of the Consulting Chemist. 
existing in their internal organs. It is therefore well that when 
an owner observes that any one of his cows is becoming 
decidedly thin the possibility that the animal is tuberculous 
should be considered, and if the animal has a cough the case 
should undoubtedly be notified. 
By no means all the so-called “wasters” and “piners” 
which used to be seen in some of the markets are cases of 
tuberculosis with emaciation. In a considerable proportion of 
such cases the disease affecting the animal is Johne’s disease. 
It is not always easy even for an expert to distinguish between 
Johne’s disease and tuberculosis, but there are many cases in 
which the former can be distinguished with tolerable certainty 
simply by having regard to the symptoms. When a cow’s loss 
of condition has been manifestly the result of continued severe 
diarrhoea and the animal has presented no other symptom of 
illness, and in particular has never had any cough, there is no 
occasion to suspect tuberculosis. It is true that animals affected 
with tuberculosis sometimes suffer from diarrhoea, but that is 
nearly always a late symptom setting in after the animal has 
already seriously fallen off in condition, and the diarrhoea is 
then usually accompanied by quite unmistakable evidence that 
there is some disease of the animal’s lungs. 
However, it would not be wise to endeavour to instruct 
owners with regard to what may be termed the refinements of 
diagnosis in cases in which the symptoms raise a suspicion of 
tuberculous disease. The proper course for the owner when 
he entertains the least doubt is to notify the case and leave 
the responsibility for accurate diagnosis to the local authority. 
Boyal Veterinary College, 
London, N.W. 
John McFadyean. 
ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1913 OF THE 
CONSULTING CHEMIST. 
In 1913 there were about the same number of samples analysed 
on behalf of Members, in the Society’s Laboratory, as in the 
previous year. The number of ordinary samples was 410 as 
compared with 437 in 1912. In addition there were 191 
samples of milk and 40 samples of cider analysed in connection 
with the Society’s Country Show at Bristol. 
The list of samples given at the close of this Report shows a 
notable increase in the number of soil analyses, there having 
been 31 of these, and most of them complete analyses. 
