5
causal agent of rinderpest loses its high degree of virulence for hill bulls, the
most susceptible breed of cattle in India, by passage through the black buck.
18. Piroplasmosis, Trypanosomiasis, Foot and Mouth, Stomatitis and
Spirillosis in the blood of bovines.—A considerable amount of research work
has been accomplished with regard to Piroplasmosis, and Trypanosomiasis in
so-called healthy cattle, occurring as secondary diseases to rinderpest.
19. Piroplasmosis.—After careful observation it has been proved that the
great majority of hill bulls utilized at this Laboratory and also 50 per cent.
or more of all plains bulls brought to Muktesar are the subjects of Piroplasma
in one form or another. As it would occupy a large space in this report, it is
my intention in the near future to publish a separate pamphlet on this most
interesting form of disease as met with in this portion of India.
20. Trypanosomiasis.—Many new facts have come to light with regard to
this disease in cattle, caused by the presence of a form of protozoon belonging
to a genus of blood parasites in man and the lower animals, which, in the
various forms discovered, are more or less at the present time occupying the
attention of the scientific world. As in the case of the previous disease, much
space would here be utilized in drawing attention to all the results of observa
tion drawn from the protracted study of these organisms, a separate report
will, therefore, be submitted and published at the first opportunity detailing
in full the several points of interest encountered and dealt with.
21. Foot and Mouth.—This disease has been a source of great inconve
nience during the year under report and full mention of the facts has been
entered into under section III.
22. Stomatitis.—This disease occurred as a complication in hill animals
during the early portion of 1906, the animals were segregated and but little
delay was caused, as a consequence, in the work of the Laboratory.
23. Spirillum in the blood of bovines.—In the peripheral blood of hill
bovines brought to Bareilly during the autumn of 1905, well developed
spirilla were discovered, resembling somewhat the organism of relapsing fever
in man. The mean length of each organism pointed at either extremity was
19 μ and was composed of nine spirals; each organism, however, showed a
small area in its middle unstained, evidently the seat of division at a later
stage of development.
The results of the observation were :—
(i) It was impossible to convey the spirillum by subcutaneous inocula
tion of blood to either monkeys or other small animals.
(ii) That this spirillum, although probably conveyed by a species of
ticks, could not be detected in ticks removed from the host.
(iii) That emulsions of ticks removed from the sick bull did not
reproduce the disease on subcutaneous injections in healthy
animals.
24. A new form of sporozoon has been observed by me in the red blood
corpuscles of some bovines. This will be described at a later date when time
permits me to work out the various forms it assumes.
Anthrax.
25. Previous to the year under review, the method employed for the
hyper-immunization of cattle against Anthrax was by subcutaneous injections
of increasing doses of bouillon cultures. During the past 12 months,
considerable saving of time, labour, a great reduction in the quantity of
cultures utilized and a minimum risk to those conducting the operations,
has been introduced by the use of the intravenous method of injecting the
bovines as employed by us, for several years past, in the preparation of
Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia serum.
Owing to the enormous increase of work in every direction and in addition,
having our attentions directed to greatly enhanced supply of Hæmorrhagic
Septicæmia serum and to the elaboration of prophylactics for Charbon
Symptomatique, but little time could be found for investigating other questions
of interest concerning Anthrax.
Hæmorrhagie Septicæmia.
26. This is an acute disease affecting for the most part buffaloes and
cattle in this country, although it is pathogenic to some equines, deer and to a