586 
R. W. BtTRKE. 
not entirely subscribe to Dr. Ranking’s opinion that its fatal¬ 
ity allies it to ague, yet he has so well supported our own 
views with regard to the nature of surra* and has so thor¬ 
oughly studied the question of the micro-organisms present 
in that disease and argued it with such ability as to compel 
attention to his views, and indeed the whole question of its 
parasitology in any inquiry that may be made. The observa¬ 
tion of parasites in intermittent fever of the horse ( Equine 
Diseases of India, by R. W. Burke, July, 1887, p. 4), resem¬ 
bling those described by Laveran in the blood of man during 
the ague paroxysms, receives confirmatory evidence also from 
the pen of Dr. Carter ( Lancet , June 16, 1888) who found that 
in ninety-three instances of malarious disease in man (intermit¬ 
tent fever, simple remittent fever, and splenic cachexia) these 
organisms were present in nine. I have recently shown 
(Veterinary Journal , March, 1890), that similar organisms are 
present in intermittent and remittent fever of the horse. 
Among the parasites found in the blood of the horse the 
most remarkable is the monad, which is known in India as the 
surra parasite, the disease with which the creature is asso¬ 
ciated being termed surra , or pernicious anaemia ( Tropical 
Diseases of the Horse , 2nd Ed., by R. W. Burke, 1885). Much 
valuable proof of the influence of the surra parasite in the 
production of the disease has been lately advanced. It is 
quite certain, however, that the same parasite—or, at least, an 
identical organism so far as form is concerned—is found in 
the blood of a large proportion of the common sewer rats 
(Lewis, Crookshank, Carter) and camels (Evans), etc., appar¬ 
ently in perfect health. Very little doubt exists as to the 
occasional presence in the blood of wandering larval nema¬ 
tode worms. The fluid is not generally considered to be the 
home of parasites, and the helminthologist rarely thinks of 
searching for them in the interior of blood vessels. 
Other animals, besides the horse, have been known to 
suffer from the disease. Megnin {Ref. Thierartz , 1882,) de- 
— 
* See article on Malarial Fever Among Horses in India, by R. W. Burke, in 
the Veterinary Journal , July, 1890. 
