12 
,T. SCOTT. 
parts of the external surface, will be seen numberless minute 
tubercules or nodules, about the size of a millet seed or 
larger, and in the centers of these nodules will be seen minute 
yellowish bodies, being the actinomyces. 
They generally project a little above the cut surface, so 
that by passing the finger over the cut surface, or taking a 
thin piece of the tissue between the fingers and pressing on 
it, the minute actinomycotic bodies may be distinctly felt, 
being of a denser and harder consistency than the surrounding 
tissue. 
Were it not for the presence of the actinomycotic fungus, 
with its peculiar characteristic features, these nodules would 
seem very little different externally, especially to the unaided 
eye, from the ordinary gray tubercle,which becomes developed 
into the yellow tubercle. In other cases the disease may pro¬ 
duce much more serious changes in the lung tissue than those 
I have just mentioned, one case in particular at which I had 
an opportunity to assist in conducting a post mortem examina¬ 
tion, showing that almost the entire mass of lung tissue was in¬ 
volved in the disease, the normal tissues being almost entirely 
obliterated by masses of actinomycotic tumors and abscesses, 
some of the abscesses containing several ounces of a thick yel¬ 
lowish white creamy pus. The parts invaded by the tumified 
masses were of a whitish color both on the external and cut 
surfaces, and much firmer and denser than healthy tissue, and 
on section the characteristic f ungis were present in great num¬ 
bers, and plainly visible even to the naked eye. 
This, gentlemen, concludes my remarks on the disease, ex¬ 
cept in regard to its sanitary importance, and the question as 
to the fitness or unfitness of the flesh of animals affected with 
the disease for public consumption. 
Though there is almost universal unanimity of opinion re¬ 
garding the unfitness of such meat for human consumption, 
yet there are always a few people outside of the individual 
cattle owners, who claim that it is not unfit for food, and that 
the disease is not contagious. If it is not contagious, I would 
like to know how they account for the fact that during the 
last six months, in the Peoria cattle barns, there have been over 
two hundred cases of this one disease, while the losses from 
