418 
DR. WILLEMS. 
This terrible scourge carries on its disasters as well amongst 
the magnificent herds of the Netherlands and Australia, in the 
handsome stables of London and Paris, as in the infected barns 
of the distilleries, where cattle are so closely packed together and 
often exposed to many privations. Never in any of the most 
opposite conditions has a single case of spontaneous pleuro-pneu- 
monia ever been recognized. 
Numerous experiments have been made with the effect of 
making the disease appear spontaneously. 
Here are those made by the official commission of Prussia, 
published in Der landwirth , of JDec. 6th, 1871, and reported 
by Dr. Ulrich, Royal and Departmental Veterinarian at Breslau. 
He says : “ Pleuro-pneumonia ought to be considered as con¬ 
tagious. The experiments of the Agricol Society of Ober Bar- 
nim and many others, and the official commission of Prussia, have 
proved evidently that the disease is communicated very easily by 
contagion. Doctor Krauss, reporter of the committee of the 
Agriculturists’ meeting in 1873, to decide the question, warmly 
opposed the fact that pleuro-pueumonia was contagious, and the 
next day, from observations made at Moeglin, was obliged to 
acknowledge his error. In the same way, Doctor Wagenfeld, 
Veterinarian of Dantzig, published an article, generally considered 
as the best of its kind, in which lie opposed the idea of con¬ 
tagion, and still, in his Veterinary Encyclopedia, published later, 
changes his views and declares it to be very contagious. 
The Royal Agricultural Academy of Moeglin proposed to 
resolve the problem whether pleuro-pneumonia was only con¬ 
tagious or spontaneous, and made experiments which lasted 10 
years * * * and, says Mr. Ulrich, “ have proved that the dis¬ 
ease never appeared with us spontaneously, but always by in¬ 
troduction of a sick animal and spreading of the disease by con¬ 
tagion.” Bouley writes the same opinion (*). Prof. Gamgee 
says, in his report to the United States Government, “ pleuro¬ 
pneumonia rises only by the influence of contagion.” The 
commission of the Netherlands is of the same opinion. In 
* Eecueil de Medecine Veterinaire, Sept. 15, 1870. 
