SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
119 
disease has appeared in Pennsylvania, and the State Live Stock Sanitary Board will have 
prepared and ready for use some vaccine to be employed in preventing this disease when¬ 
ever it is necessary to use it. 
Rabies .—The investigations of rabies made under the direction of the State Live Stock 
Sanitary Board have included visits to and inspections in the districts in which the disease 
has appeared, the tracing of animals reported as rabid and animals bitten by them, the in¬ 
oculation of rabbits from the brains of dogs and other animals reported as rabid and the 
quarantining and destruction of dogs and cattle in the acute stage of rabies, and when they 
have been bitten by a dog that was undoubtedly afflicted with this disease. These investi¬ 
gations have demonstrated conclusively that rabies actually exists, and during the past sea¬ 
son to quite an alarming extent among the domestic animals of this State. It has been re¬ 
marked that some outbreaks of the disease are of an excessively virulent and others of a 
comparatively mild nature ; that is, some dogs produce rabies in nearly every animal bit¬ 
ten by them, while others produce rabies in a comparatively small proportion of the ani¬ 
mals bitten, and sometimes the disease appears in the paralytic or dumb form. Variations 
in the strength of the virus of this disease have been studied for a long time and have been 
produced artificially in laboratories, and it has been observed that under certain conditions 
the disease becomes progressively milder until finally the virus loses its virulence to such a 
degree that it will not produce the characteristic symptoms of this disease, but by passing 
this attenuated virus through an animal of a different species its virulence can be restored, 
and it has been suggested that rabies of dogs always has a tendency to become milder 
with each succeeding generation, and unless another animal, a cat, for instance, is bitten 
and in turn bites a dog, thus propagating the disease, it will in time become practically 
harmless. There are some places in this State where rabies is stationary and cases among 
dogs are of frequent occurrence, but ot such a mild type as to cause but little apprehension. 
But occasionally a dog in the furious stages of the disease will appear and bite animals or 
people and cause much alarm in a large territory, and a number of cases of rabies often 
follow a raid of this sort. While all undue excitement should be avoided, it appears that 
there is no good purpose to be accomplished by hiding the facts connected with this dis¬ 
ease, but it should be explained fully and freely that the existence of rabies constitutes a 
serious menace to communities in which it exists, but that all dogs that have fits, become 
excited, or bite, are not mad, and that rabies is a comparatively rare disease, the diagnosis 
of which is attended by some difficulty. 
Tuberculosis. —The greatest attention has been devoted during the past year to the 
subject of tuberculosis of cattle. The question as to how to deal with this disease in the 
most profitable and satisfactory manner has been a difficult one to solve, and it has re¬ 
ceived the earnest consideration of the State live Stock Sanitary Board. A great number 
of possible methods have presented themselves and have been suggested, but most of them 
have been rejected on account of obstacles that are not surmountable at this time. The 
plan that is pursued at present is to examine herds wherever and whenever examinations 
are applied for, but only upon receipt of a formal application which contains an agreement 
upon the part of the owner to do all in his power to prevent the reintroduction or develop¬ 
ment of tuberculosis in his herd and to observe the precautions and measures recommended 
by the State Live Stock Sanitary Board for this purpose. Upon the receipt of an applica¬ 
tion of this kind a tuberculin test of the entire herd is ordered and the animals that prove 
to be tuberculous are appraised and destroyed, although an alternative has been provided 
in accordance with the following rule : 
“When herds are examined and tested at the request of the owner : (Aj Cattle that 
present physical symptoms of tuberculosis must be destroyed, after an arrangement as to 
their value has been made that is satisfactory to an authorized representative of the State 
Live Stock Sanitary Board and to the owner or his agent ; or after the cattle have been 
regularly appraised. 
“(B) Cattle that respond to the tuberculin test but do not present physical symptoms 
of tuberculosis and, in particular, have healthy udders may be kept by their owners, sub¬ 
ject to the following conditions : I. The tuberculous cattle shall be marked with a suit¬ 
able tag in the ear, or otherwise, and quarantined on certain defined premises. 2. These 
cattle shall be kept apart from other cattle and in buildings and enclosures in which other 
cattle are not kept and are never allowed to go. Or, if it is impracticable to provide a 
separate building for the tuberculous cattle, they may be kept in a building in which other 
