61
they are helped up, but go on eating all the grass they get and much of the corn until they die." Again
Steele remarks : "The appetite is excessive throughout the attack; it is remarkable how the animal in a
state of semi-coma will continue to eat grass almost without ceasing
Some patients stand and feed
to the very last, and then drop dead."
Exceptions to this rule, however, must occur, for in September 1896, the water-famine year, I was
asked to investigate a new disease which was carrying off a number of horses belonging to the Rohil-
khund and Kamaon Railway Company, the most marked symptoms of which were loss of appetite, fever,
emaciation, &c. On remarking that it must be the old disease the animals were succumbing to, for it was
then September, the height of the Surra season in that part of India, I was definitely informed by the
Superintendent, a man with 40 years' experience of horses in this country, that the malady from which
the animals suffered was a totally new disease. The reason assigned being that the first symptom noted
was loss of appetite followed by fever; " every one knew that a Surra horse never left off feeding, but
that his appetite increased rather than diminished as the disease progressed." Within a period of 24
hours after my arrival, the blood of all the horses on the Dák line had been examined microscopically,
and 33 found to contain the Surra hæmatozoon in varying numbers. Out of a total of 101 horses, 92
succumbed to Surra. From the instance above cited it will be seen that occasionally Anorexia may
be a marked symptom of this disease instead of the ravenous appetite frequently observed.
SECTION VI.
TREATMENT OF HORSE SURRA.
On reference to Volume I, Surra Report, it will be observed that the methods of treatment made
use of included—
A. Rational therapeutic remedies.—The following chemicals were selected, and administered as
being the most likely to effect a destructive action on the hæmatozoon :—
(i)
Mercuric Perchloride.
(ii) Iodine and Iodide of Potassium.
(iii) Potassium Bichromate.
(iv) Iodoform.
(v) Oleum Terebinthinæ.
(vi) Carbolic Acid in conjunction with Iodine.
(vii) Cinchona Alkaloids and Arsenic.
(viii) Double Iodide of Potassium and Mercury.
(ix) Quinine Sulphate.
(x) Liquor Potassæ.
(xi) Arsenic.
It will be seen from the accompanying table of treatment that the first results were obtained by the
employment of the mixture of Cinchona Alkaloids and Arsenic, vide cases LXV and LXXII. In the
former the hæmatozoon disappeared after six days of treatment and remained absent for a period of
27 days. But it was found that after the drugs had been administered for 26 days, symptoms of
gastric irritation appeared, which were due to the alkaloids ; and consequently this form of treatment
had to be discontinued just at a critical stage of the experiment.
Arsenic alone had still more favourable results as regards the destruction of the hæmatozoon, as
will be seen in the following table :—
Horse Number.
LXXVII ... ...
LXXVI
...
...
LXXX
...
...
LXXXII
...
...
LXXIII ... ...
Days of treatment
to disappearance of
hæmatozoon.
8
5.5
2
2
3.5
Amount of Arsenic
to date of
disappearance.
Grains.
82
56
12
16
41
Number of days hæmato-
zoon absent.
56
27
44
64
84
In the above cases the cause of death was usually Arsenical poisoning, and this was owing to the
fact that great difficulty was experienced in determining the length of period for which the chemical
should be administered. It will be remembered that to prove the absence of the Surra organism from
the blood, other animals have to be inoculated from the animal under treatment.
In the ordinary cases of Surra, where no treatment has been adopted, the latent period, when
Guinea Pigs are inoculated, is only about one week ; but when the fluid for inoculation is taken from an
animal that has been subjected to prolonged Arsenical treatment, the latent period is extended to about
three weeks, and this time must elapse before the question can be decided. During this period the
administration of Arsenic has to be continued, hence the animal may receive far more than is necessary
for the total destruction of the organism.
Such results have been obtained from no other form of treatment, and it will be all-important to
determine to what degree the administration of Arsenic can be safely carried, for it is well known that
no satisfactory results can be obtained without first producing the full physiological effects of the
drug.
B 2204—16