15
for from typical cases and were secured and forwarded to me for examination.
The specimens submitted were in each instance found to contain the organism
of Barbone or Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia in virulent form and no other
pathogenic organism—consequently it was concluded that the epizootic which
occurred in the Punjab was principally, if not entirely, one of Hæmorrhagic
Septicæmia. Later it was proved that anthrax protective serum in doses
of 200 c. c. conferred no protection against Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia in
bovines and buffaloes. While referring to Appendix III, it may be asked
why there appeared to be a more or less sudden cessation of the epizootic when
anthrax protective serum was injected into animals susceptible to the disease.
The answer to this is that the great peculiarity of Barbone or Hæmorrhagic
Septicæmia is that it attacks the animals of a certain village but seldom or
ever remains in that particular locality for a period exceeding 9 to 10 days.
This is exactly the opposite in the case of Anthrax, where the locality always
remains an infected area. Therefore, it will be easily understood that any other
serum utilized after the cessation of Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia epizootic in any
particular locality would have probably had what appeared to be an equally
beneficial effect.
68. Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia, (Ghotwa, Ghotu) or Malignant-sore-
throat.—The following results were arrived at during the rains of 1902 :—
(i) Cattle exposed to natural infection shut up with diseased and dying
animals of the same species for a period of 14 to 21 days, do not contract the
disease in an acute form, when allowed to lick the saliva and other body fluids
if no abrasions of the mouth or body exist. They pass through an almost
imperceptibly mild attack of the disease, as evidenced by a slight rise in
temperature only. The same cattle when subcutaneously inoculated at a later
date, with a virulent culture of Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia showed no reaction
and were therefore protected, although the Control succumbed within the usual
period.
(ii) No immunity against Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia is conferred upon
plains cattle when hyperimmunized against rinderpest.
(iii) Bovines which have passed through an attack of foot and mouth
disease are just as susceptible to the inoculated virus of Hæmorrhagic Septi-
cæmia as healthy bovines.
(iv) Plains bovines injected intravenously with anthrax protective serum
receive no protection therefrom against inoculated Hæmorrhagic Septicaemia.
(v) Bovines injected on two or more occasions with bile derived from
cattle which have succumbed to Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia, the bile utilized
for subcutaneous injection in the first instance containing the organism of the
disease in a less virulent form than that contained in the fluids subsequently
used, will be found after an interval of 10 days from the last injection to be
respectively protected against a dose of 0.1 to 0.2 c.c. of a virulent culture.
(vi) Animals which proved refractory to inoculated virulent cultures of
the Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia, viz., ponies, sheep, goats, and protected bovines
and buffaloes when subsequently injected for long period with successive
increasing doses of such cultures, furnished powerful protective sera against
Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia.
69. Material examined.—Numerous cover glass preparations of pus and
blood together with samples of blood sealed in glass pipettes supplied for the
purpose have been received during the year for examination and report.
Among the above were Lymphangitis Epizootica (100 specimens)—Pueperal
Septicæmia in the elephant, and specimens of elephants' blood which indicated
death from the nematode " uncinnarria os papiliatum" lately described by
Professor Ostertag as occurring solely in the Indian elephants.
70. Other diseases.—The six diseases under observation during 1902-03
were:—(i) Rinderpest, (ii) Rinderpest in plains bovines immediately followed
by spontaneous Hæmoglobunaria or Texas Fever, (iii) Anthrax, (iv) Barbone
in buffaloes or Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia, all of which have been treated of
in their respective places. But a very large amount of research work has also