March, 1950]
K.
RANGANATHA
RAO
21
Attempts were also made in India to treat cases with spleen extracts and egg al-
bumin. In Mysore, under the present scheme, the curative value of chaulmoogra
oil was investigated. Several brands of the oil were analyzed and the best, approxi-
mating to B. P. standard was employed in the treatment experiments.
The different brands of oleum chaulmoogra obtained from Bengal Immunity
Company as well as oleum hydnocarpi received from Madras Medical Stores, were
all analyzed. As the oleum hydnocarpi from Madras Medical Stores was recommend-
ed as the best, it was selected. The subjects for treatment selected from the experi-
mental herd consisted of a few naturally affected cases of Johne's disease and a larger
number of cattle artificially infected with the disease. The artificial infection was
accomplished in the following manner :
A representative piece of the bowel of a confirmed case of Johne's disease was
collected and, after removing the serous covering and fat, was cleaned with distilled
water and then cut into small bits with a pair of scissors and ground with normal
saline till a fairly thick emulsion was obtained. The material was then filtered
through cotton wool to remove larger bits and a loopful of the filtrate was then
examined after appropriately staining it. If the material showed large clumps of
Johne's bacilli crowded up in each field it was employed for infecting. Each animal
received 100 c.c. of this filtrate administered orally.
It may be stated that while selecting these subjects, a positive reaction to allergic
tests was taken as the evidence of the disease in the artificially infested cases.
A batch of 37 animals selected for these experiments was divided into two groups
of 20 and 17 each. The former of 20 made up of five clinically affected cases, two
suspected clinical animals and 13 artificially infected cases, received treatment
with oleum hydnocarpi (chaulmoogra oil) in the manner described below ; the latter
batch of 17, consisting of three naturally affected cases and 14 artificially infected
cases, was left untreated as controls vide Appendix II.
The treatment consisted of drenching the infected animals at weekly intervals
with oleum hydnocarpi (chaulmoogra oil) at the rate of 5 c.c. per 100 lb. body weight
shaken up with 4 to 5 ez. of clcum lini and half a pint of water. The dose was
arrived at after preliminary tests with varying doses, when it was found that this
dose of 5 c.c. per 100 lb. body weight was well tolerated without any ill effects.
Of the 20 animals thus treated, the majority, i.e. 13 had received treatment for a
period of nine months which was also the longest period for which an animal was
treated. The clinical cases showed no improvement in their general condition as a
result of the treatment nor was there any significant variation in the general condition
of the artificially infected cases inspite of good feeding and mineral supplements.
The results of post-mortem examination undertaken on these animals after the
conclusion of the treatment have shown that of the 20 treated six were positive for
Johne's disease and the rest negative. Out of the 17 animals left as controls only
three were found positive for Johne's disease, the remaining being negative for
Johne's disease.