320 
Spirochaeta bovis caffris 
occurrence and the fallacies to which it might give rise and, on meeting 
Captain Hadow, I asked him if he remembered where the animal had 
been shot. To the best of his recollection the bullet had passed through 
the neck severing the gullet and it is quite possible that in the last throes 
stomach contents might have regurgitated through the wound of exit. 
The presence of very thin thread-like spirochaete forms in the film and 
of some bodies which suggested yeasts made me refrain from publishing 
any account of the case until I had more evidence regarding Dr Wenyon’s 
hypothesis. 
Quite recently I received from Captain Cummins, S.M.O. Kordofan, 
a blood smear from a goat which had died from infectious pleuro¬ 
pneumonia. He wrote to say that he had found spirochaete-like bodies 
in the film and solicited my opinion about them. To my surprise, on 
examining the specimen, I found my hartebeeste parasites or forms very 
closely resembling them. I wrote to Captain Cummins mentioning 
the case of the hartebeeste and the view expressed by Dr Wenyon and 
asking him if the blood sent could have been contaminated from the 
stomach or intestines. He replied that there was every possibility that 
this had occurred as, prior to making the film, he had been examining 
the goat’s intestines. Indeed he thought it very likely that such an 
accident had taken place and agreed with me in thinking that these 
parasites were of intestinal origin. 
I think with these facts before us we would do well to hesitate to 
accept Sp. bovis caffris as a true blood parasite of the buffalo. Perhaps 
Professor Nuttall would kindly state if there were any other peculiar 
forms, such as yeast cells, in his preparations or anything pointing to 
infection from internal organs, while it might be well to ascertain if 
there was any chance of the blood sample becoming contaminated before 
or at the time the blood was taken. 
I do not write in any critical spirit but because I know by sad 
experience that there are many pitfalls in blood work in the open in 
tropical countries and it would be well to make certain if Professor 
Nuttall’s interesting parasites are really, as he thinks, haematozoa, in 
which case it would appear that the Jackson hartebeeste of the Southern 
Sudan harbours a similar organism. I am inclined, however, to agree 
with Dr Wenyon, especially in the light of what was found in the case 
of the goat and to consider these curious bodies as representatives of 
the flora of the intestinal tract. 
Perhaps if this letter catches Dr Wenyon’s eye he will give us the 
benefit of his experience and aid us at arriving at the truth. 
