26
39.6°c. never exceeded 40.6°C. No symptoms of rinderpest supervened
during the course of the case, but a troublesome cough was present. The
animal succumbed on the 17th day after inoculation. Post-mortem revealed,
consolidation posterior ⅔ of right and anterior lobes of left lung, and in
addition ulceration in the colon and cæcum.
Result.—Insufficient amount of serum, vide remarks with regard to
pneumonia.
Plains Goat, No. III, aged, male, body weight about 30 lbs., in poor
condition, was inoculated by the simultaneous method with 3 grammes of the
precipitated serum slightly alkaline, glycerine and salt solution on one side and
0.25 c. c. virulent rinderpest blood on the opposite side of the body. The
temperature rose on the 4th day to 40.4° C. and remained until the 8th day
inclusive, when it fell to 38.8°C., a few vesicles appeared on the buccal mucous
membrane, the animal made an uninterrupted recovery.
Remarks.—Four plains goats were obtained a few days before being used
for experimental purposes, they arrived in very poor condition and the fourth
animal succumbed, during my absence from Muktesar, to a severe form of
pneumonia, several miles away from the Laboratory when with the healthy
herd. I am inclined to think the pneumonia was of an infective form, for
the animals under experiment all suffered from severe fits of coughing, discharge
from eyes and nostrils, etc. It would appear that 3 grammes of precipitated
serum is sufficient to protect a goat of 30 lbs. body weight from rinderpest.
Later when the necessary apparatus arrives, further trials will be made
with regard to this form of serum preparation.
22. Can the blood of animals other than those susceptible to riderpest, be
made to produce a hyper-immunized serum capable of granting protection
when injected into animals ?
(a) Can the blood of the horse be made to furnish a hyper-immunized
serum capable of furnishing protection to bovines and buffaloes, when the
animal is subcutaneously injected with virulent rinderpest blood, in large
increasing doses, and at frequent intervals ?
It is a well known fact that horses are not susceptible to the virus of
rinderpest. Nevertheless when virulent material, the " materies morbi " of
certain diseases is introduced subcutaneously in equines, a reaction takes place
which is well marked in the thermal curve of the body temperature. In order to
ascertain whether a hyper-immunized serum could be prepared from the blood
of the horse (as is the case with susceptible animals like bovines and buffaloes),
the following experiment was undertaken for the preparation of a protective
serum, and later its effect was tested upon plains and hill animals. The
action on hill animals was particularly looked forward to, as to whether a
serum could be produced more effectual than the serum of plains animals, for
at present a hill animal, body weight 180 lbs. requires by the simultaneous
method 180 c. c. per 600 lbs. to overcome the effect of 0.5 c. c. virulent blood ;
whereas a plains animal of 480 lbs. body weight may be protected with 10 c. c.
(per 600 lbs.) plus 1.0 c. c. virulent blood. The following is a short resumé of
the experiments with the above ends in view.
Pony, aged 22 years, 11.2 hands, was subcutaneously inoculated in large
increasing doses of virulent rinderpest blood at frequent intervals, allowing the
reaction following one injection to subside before the next was proceeded with.
In this 10, 100, 250, 500 and 1,000 c. c. were introduced. Twenty-two days
after the last operation blood was drawn and the serum collected. The first
animal upon which the protective power of this serum was tried was a hill
bull, for, in the event of its proving successful, the serum would have been
imbued with a high immunizing power.
Hill bull, 3 years, body weight 2051bs. was inoculated by the simultaneous
method with pony No. I Serum, 184 c. c. per 600lbs, 0.5 c. c. of virulent rinder
pest blood being introduced on the opposite of the body. The temperature
rose from 38.7°C. on the 4th day and in the evening 40.2°C. was recorded:
Well marked symptoms of rinderpest supervened and the animal died on the
7th day of the disease.
Result.—Protective power insufficient.
Plains bull, aged 4¼ years, body weight 322lbs. was inoculated by the
simultaneous method with pony serum No. I (20 c. c. per 600 lbs.) The