ACTINOMYCOSIS. 
171 
cate with the State Medical Society, and the State Board of 
Health, inviting thair presence and assistance in discussing in¬ 
telligently the best method of Controlling and checking the 
spread of Bovine Tuberculosis.” 
ACTINOMYCOSIS. 
By Dr. G. F. Starkey, Boon, Iowa. 
A Paper Read before the Iowa State Veterinary Association. 
A careful study of the literature on this subject shows that 
until the latter half ot the present century the true cause had 
not been discovered; and not until 1877 was the germ dis¬ 
covered by Rivolta, in 1863, recognized as constantly present, 
when Bollinger pointed out this fact which was further suple- 
mented by the discovery of Israel, in 1878, of a germ which 
proved to be the same in similar diseased growths in man. 
These facts were not at once accepted by the Veterinary 
profession as will be seen by referring to William's Prin. and 
Prac. of Vet. Stir., edition 1879, page 199; J. W. Hill's Bovine 
Med. and Sur., 1882, page 138 ; Clatter s Cattle Doctor , page 62; 
and Steel's Diseases of the Ox, page 483. 
These authors describe the disease under the name of Os¬ 
teosarcoma,Spina Ventosa, Fibro-plastic degeneration ofthe bone 
or a disease due to injury or a tubercular diathesis of the system. 
Very little original investigation into the cause and nature 
of this disease had been made until within the last twenty-five 
years, and much of this has been prosecuted in vain, owing to a 
misconception of the cause by many of the earlier investigators. 
Thirty years ago Rivolta discovered Actinomyces, and four¬ 
teen years later Bollinger recognized the fact that they were 
constantly present in, and the cause of the disease now known 
as Actinomycosis. 
This disease affects cattle, horses and many other smaller 
animals including man. From the year 1878, when it was 
shown by Ponfic that Actinomycosis in man and the lower ani- 
