annual statistical and general report of the army veterinary department, for the year ending 31st...

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REVIEWS. profuse diarrhcea, and wasting in spite of the fact that the animal consumes a fair amount of food. But no one is entitled to say that he has frequently seen tuberculosis among young cattle unless he can support the statement by a large series of post-mortem examina- tions in which he discovered unmistakable tuberculous lesions. We have no right to say that no one possesses information of this kind, but certainly no one has made it public, and as the matter is obviously one of great interest we invite communications on the subject. But meanwhile we venture to predict that when in any herd of young cattle a number of the animals exhibit the before-mentioned symptoms-diarrhcea, and emaciation, the post-mortem ex- amination will show that something other than tuberculosis was the cause. Annual Statistical and General Report of the Army Veterinary Department, for the year ending 31st March 1894. THE latest Annual Report by the Director-General of the Army Veterinary Department is always an interesting document, even to Civil veterinary surgeons. The latest report shows that in respect of medical ailments a high standard of health continues to be maintained among army horses. The amount of inefficiency from both medical and surgical affections during the year 1893-94 was 61 '99 )Jer cent. of the average strength, this being 1"45 per cent. less than in the preceding twelve months. The deaths from all Gauses also show a slight decline, heing 2'09 per cent. as against 2'13 per cent. during the previous year. The mortality was in the months of September, August, March, and July, and lowest in January, February, and November. The total number of admissions to treatment was 61"99 per cent. of the average strength. The largest number of admissions was, as in former years, in the Army Service Corps, zmd this is explained by the circumstance that the Remount Establishment IS attached to the Army Service Corps, and that young horses pass through the Remount Depots before being posted to their regiments. The admissions to hospital were fewest in January, February, and November, and most numerous in the months of September and August. The higher sick-rate and death-rate at a period of the year not specially unhealthy for horses in general is ascribed to the extra work imposed on the army horses by the summer drills. As usual, the largest number of admissions were on account of surgical diseases and injuries, and under this heading there is an increase of 412 over the preceding year. There was a large decrease in the number of admiSSIOns for diseases of the chest and air-passages, and there 'were also fewer cases returned under the head of SpeCific Diseases. It may be noted that under the latter head the only diseases reported as having occurred during the year were influenza, epizootic fever, and strangles, the numbers of each being respectively 45, 19, and 276. The first two of these were confined to five stations, viz., Sheffield, thirty-four cases; Hyde Park Barracks, thirteen; Athlone, ten; Windsor, five; and Hounslow, two. The fact is very interesting, but It would be more so if some of the army veterinary who had charge of the regiments in which these diseases occurred would, for the enlightenment of the CiVil members of the profession, explain what is meant· by epizootic fever. It can

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REVIEWS.

profuse diarrhcea, an~mia, and wasting in spite of the fact that the animal consumes a fair amount of food. But no one is entitled to say that he has frequently seen tuberculosis among young cattle unless he can support the statement by a large series of post-mortem examina­tions in which he discovered unmistakable tuberculous lesions. We have no right to say that no one possesses information of this kind, but certainly no one has made it public, and as the matter is obviously one of great interest we invite communications on the subject. But meanwhile we venture to predict that when in any herd of young cattle a number of the animals exhibit the before-mentioned symptoms-diarrhcea, an~mia, and emaciation, the post-mortem ex­amination will show that something other than tuberculosis was the cause.

Annual Statistical and General Report of the Army Veterinary Department, for the year ending 31st March 1894.

THE latest Annual Report by the Director-General of the Army Veterinary Department is always an interesting document, even to Civil veterinary surgeons. The latest report shows that in respect of medical ailments a high standard of health continues to be maintained among army horses.

The amount of inefficiency from both medical and surgical affections during the year 1893-94 was 61 '99 )Jer cent. of the average strength, this being 1"45 per cent. less than in the preceding twelve months. The deaths from all Gauses also show a slight decline, heing 2'09 per cent. as against 2'13 per cent. during the previous year. The mortality was highe~t in the months of September, August, March, and July, and lowest in January, February, and November. The total number of admissions to treatment was 61"99 per cent. of the average strength. The largest number of admissions was, as in former years, in the Army Service Corps, zmd this is explained by the circumstance that the Remount Establishment IS attached to the Army Service Corps, and that young horses pass through the Remount Depots before being posted to their regiments. The admissions to hospital were fewest in January, February, and November, and most numerous in the months of September and August. The higher sick-rate and death-rate at a period of the year not specially unhealthy for horses in general is ascribed to the extra work imposed on the army horses by the summer drills. As usual, the largest number of admissions were on account of surgical diseases and injuries, and under this heading there is an increase of 412 over the preceding year.

There was a large decrease in the number of admiSSIOns for diseases of the chest and air-passages, and there 'were also fewer cases returned under the head of SpeCific Diseases. It may be noted that under the latter head the only diseases reported as having occurred during the year were influenza, epizootic fever, and strangles, the numbers of each being respectively 45, 19, and 276. The first two of these were confined to five stations, viz., Sheffield, thirty-four cases; Hyde Park Barracks, thirteen; Athlone, ten; Windsor, five; and Hounslow, two. The fact is very interesting, but It would be more so if some of the army veterinary ~urgeons who had charge of the regiments in which these diseases occurred would, for the enlightenment of the CiVil members of the profession, explain what is meant· by epizootic fever. It can

REVIEWS.

hardly be what is generally called influenza by the Civil practitioner, and it is quite certainly not epizootic. We thought at first that it might refer to that form of equine pneumonia which many now regard as infectious, but that can hardly be the case, since we find, on referente to the statistical table, that only one out of the nineteen cases of so-called epizootic fever proved fatal.

This is not the only instance in which the nomenclature employed in the Annual Report leaves one in doubt as to what disease is really referred to, and we can only re-echo the hope expressed on a former occasion, that a more rational system of nosology will before long take the place of the one hitherto employed.

The report shows that the Army Veterinary School and the Army Vaccine Institute continue to do most useful work. The total working expenses of the latter for the year were £ 7 2, lOS. 5d., for which sum I) mph sufficien.t for the vaccination of 42, I 28 persons was cultivated during the year. The per­centage of successful primary vaccinations at home stations was 96, and of re­vaccinations 89·55.

Report on Horse Surra. By Alfred Lingard, M.B., M.S., Professor of Bacteriology and Comparative Pathology, Civil Vetennary Department, India. Vol. 1. Bombay, 1893.

SURRA is the name applied by the natives in India to a very fatal disease of the horse, ass, and mule. Our first knowledge of it was furnished in 1880 by" Inspecting "Veterinary Surgeon Evans, M.D., who discovered in the blood of affected horses a minute animal organism-a flagellated infusorian, which is now recognised as the cause of the disease. Since the publication of Dr Evans' report in 1880, the only important contribution to the subject of surra emanated from the pen of the late John Henry Steele, A. V.D. His observa­tions were made during an outbreak of the disease among transport mules in British Burmah in 1885. While Evans had not found that the disease was charactensed by structural alterations in any of the organs of the body, Steele frequently encountered lesion, in the stomach. Burke, Gunn, Ranking and others have also published observations regarding the pathology of this disease.

But in one respect all previous publications on the subject of surra, even when combined, sink into insignificance beside the [Jr~sent one-that respect is bulk.

Mr Lingard's report measures 13 inches in length, by 10 in breadth, and 2 in thickness, and it weighs over 7 lbs. The observations recorded in it were made on nineteen cases of naturally contracted surra, ahout forty experimental cases in the horse, and a number of experimental cases in other animals (rabbits, rats, etc.). The symptoms exhIbited during life, and the lesions discovered after death in each case are set down in minute detail, and this part of the work will be valuable for reference. Unfortunately, little is added to previous knowledge regardmg the cause, mode of infection, or means of prevention of the disease.

In summing up the result of the work done the author sDyS that the main pOint ascertained in the inquiry "is that the infusorian of surra can in the first place be made to disappear from the blood of affected animals by subjecting the latter to a short course of treatment with arsenic; and, by a more prolonged administration of the chemical, it can be completely destroyed; but the extent to which the arsenic could be administered to the animal is as yet unknown." On turning to the experiments made with arsenic, we find that in five horses the infusorian disappeared from the blood for from twenty-six to eighty-four days after the animals had been dosed with arsenic, but it is added, "in the above cases the cause of death was usually arsenical poisoning." It is assumed that in these cases the animal may have received far more than was necessary for the total destruction of the organism, and further experi-