CANINE DISTEMPER. 
637 
in the dog. By various others it has been spoken of as typhoid 
fever, typhus fever, scarlatina. While there are points of re¬ 
semblance to all these diseases, it has been found after a careful 
study and comparison to be the most closely allied to measles. 
Both, diseases affect young animals ; each is ushered in by 
malaise, anorexia and chills. In each we have catarrh of the 
nasal and conjunctival mucous membranes, respiratory troubles, 
cutaneous eruptions and lesions of the nervous system. While 
the resemblance is remarkably close, however, we find in dis¬ 
temper lesions of the digestive tract which differentiate it from 
measles and assimilate it to typhoid fever, so that, taken as a 
whole, it must be regarded as a disease suigeneris. As to the 
specific agent in the causation of distemper much has been done 
m the line of original investigation and research. Semmer in 
1 875 found in the blood and lungs of a dog, which had died of 
distemper, a micrococcus, and in the blood, lungs, liver, spleen 
and kidneys a short, small bacillus. He considered the bacillus 
to be the specific agent. Taosson continued the researches of 
Semmer and cultivated the micrococcus and bacillus in bouillon 
from the dog and with these mixed cultures was successful in 
reproducing the disease. In 1891 Schantyr arrived at the con¬ 
clusion that the micrococcus heretofore described was only a 
pyrogenic micrococcus. From his opinion he distinguished, (1) 
a disease of young dogs determined by a small bacillus 1 to 2 m. 
m length, grouped, found in the spleen, blood, the liquid ex¬ 
udates and liquefying gelatine ; their cultures upon serum trans¬ 
mitted the disease ; (2) an abdominal typhus caused by a bacil¬ 
lus 7 to 2.0 m. long, which did not stain with Cram’s method ; 
(3) a typhoid affection due to a bacillus shorter than the pre¬ 
ceding, which does not stain with the above method. From 
1892 to 1894 Zelinski, Nancki and Karpinski made a series of 
observations and discovered in the discharges from the nose and 
eyes of dogs affected with distemper a micrococcus which was 
capable of producing in man an inflammation of the capsule of 
Tenon, and in some cases a diffuse bronchitis and pneumonia. 
This micrococcus is immobile and measures 8 m. It can be 
