822 
VERANUS A. MOORE, R.S., M.D. 
out pleiiritis. There may be slight morbid changes in the ab¬ 
dominal organs. In the atypical cases, which the reports show 
are very numerous, there may be marked variations in the 
nature of the lesions. In fact, the course of either disease may 
become so changed that its nature cannot be determined at the 
post-mortem. In these, and in very acute cases where either 
disease may become a septicaemia, the macroscopic examination 
must be supplemented by the results of a bacteriological inves¬ 
tigation before a positive diagnosis is warranted. The only final 
test of the nature of the disease is the character of the bacteria 
responsible for it. 
THE BACTERIA OF HOG CHOLERA AND SWINE PLAGUE. 
The various accounts of the specific bacteria of hog cholera 
and swine plague have led to more confusion than those relating 
to their morbid anatomy. These bacteria have been fully and 
clearly described in the reports of the Bureau of Animal Indus¬ 
try and in certain other publications. In addition to the orig- 
nal descriptions, the differences between these two species have 
jeen pointed out repeatedly by pathologists in other countries, 
especially in Germany. Notwithstanding, errors have appeared 
either through accident or misinterpretation. Thus, Schoug * 
decided from his bacteriological investigations that hog cholera, 
swine plague and Schweineseuche were identical. Selander f 
and Metschnikoff I published some startling results from inves¬ 
tigations with the bacillus of hog cholera and which they stated 
was identical with the bacillus of American hog cholera (Sal¬ 
mon). Their experiments were carefully repeated in the Bureau 
of Animal Industry with conflicting results. Those of Selander 
were also repeated by Prof. Welch with a similar outcome. 
Upon examination of the organism with which they worked, a 
* Ref. Jahresbericht der Veterinar-Medicin, 1889. 
I Annales de ITnstitut Pasteur, IV. (1890), p. 543. 
A report of the experiments made to verify Selander’s statements in this article are 
given in Bulletin No. 6, Bureau of Animal Industry, 1894, p. 97. 
t Loc. cit. 
