418 
F. 6. BILLJNGS. 
organisms or their excrement, complicated by the disease in 
question. The tenacity of this contagium outside of the compli¬ 
cated organism, is very unimportant; within the diseased organism 
it is so much the greater. Cattle are the only ones among our 
diseased animals which have any receptivity for this contagium. 
While the non-transportable contagiums lind access to a new 
organism, as a rule, only by means of actual contact with the 
dermis, or mucosae of the nose or digestive tract, the transport¬ 
able find the atrium, in general, by means of a respiratory surface. 
So far as we are enabled to form an opinion on the primary 
action of the infectious elements in question, it appears as if a 
nulification of the same first took place at the seat of primary 
location or in its vicinity, followed by inflammatory processes with 
great inclination to gangrene. When the elements of infection 
find their entrance to the organism by the lungs, the processes 
in question seem to remain limited to the same, while by inoc¬ 
ulation, they appear to confine the action to the insulted locality 
and its circumferences, so that the lungs appear to be entirely 
exempted from complication, or only disturbed to a very insignifi¬ 
cant degree. It is self-evident that it is a question of great 
importance whether the lungs, or suitable portion of the cutis 
becomes the disease—atrium. It is as questionable if the infec¬ 
tious elements in question, as well as those of variolse, find an 
immediate absorption on inoculation of the same, or if an antici¬ 
patory multiplication of the same takes place at the point of 
inoculation. 
Experience can alone determine rohether the inoculated disease 
has a milder course than the natural. 
Since the broschure of Dr. Willems, 1852, appeared in Bel¬ 
gium, the inoculation in favor of this disease has acquired a not 
inconsiderable degree of support and extension. The practice, at 
first, fell into great discredit with cattle owners from the number 
of lethal cases which followed, as well as the frequency with 
which loss of the tail followed from gangrenous processes. Inoc¬ 
ulations on the dew-lap proved extremely disadvantageous, so that 
the extremity of the tail soon became the universally accepted 
point for inoculation, although not entirely without danger. If 
