REPORT ON AN INVESTIGATION INTO A DISEASE
AMONG TRANSPORT MULES.
PART I.—HISTORY OF THE DISORDER
IN accordance with Inspecting Veterinary Surgeon's Office No. .1208, dated Ootaca-
mund, 24th October 1884, and under G.O.C.C, No. 547, dated 23rd idem, I proceeded
to Rangoon from Bangalore as expeditiously as possible (vid Calcutta). I commenced
my investigations on 17th November and continued them until 20th December, when
I left for Tonghoo (under D.O., No. 5, dated Rangoon, 17th December 1884) at which
place I arrived on 27th idem, but left again on 29th on receipt of an urgent telegram
from the Inspecting Veterinary Surgeon requesting my return to meet him in Rangoon
as soon as possible. I arrived at Rangoon again on 3rd January 1885 and remained
there until 17th February, when I left forThayetmyo (under D.O., No. 3, dated Rangoon,
17th February 1885). I arrived again at Rangoon on 23rd February and occupied
from 3rd March to 7th idem in visiting Moulmein on duty. Under D.O., No. 2, dated
Rangoon, 10th March 1885, I left Rangoon for Madras on 11th idem. I have periodic-
ally reported to the Inspecting Veterinary Surgeon my proceedings in the investigation,
with a view to keeping him au courant with the progress of the inquiry. I informed
him that, after organizing a temporary pathological station at Rangoon with the
medicines, appliances, &c, obtained from there and Madras and ascertaining the
general condition of the animals belonging to Government in the station and their
management, I proceeded to inquire into the fatality. I soon was enabled to arrive
at the conclusion that there was one disease of an imperfectly-ascertained nature to
which the rise of fatality above the average was to be attributed, in Rangoon at any
rate, but also (as I subsequently found to be actually the case) probably in Tonghoo.
I ascertained all the cases of affected animals, collected them into a sick lines (as
improvised previously from one of the stables of the Somersetshire Regiment), and
carefully studied the clinical features of the disorder. It was evidently not one of the
ordinary diseases of the horse as recognized by the veterinary profession, and among
the unusual diseases described by authors the only one bearing any analogy to it was
Surra as described by Dr. Evans, A.V.D., from his investigation of it in the Trans-
Indus territory (vide Veterinary Journal, 1881 and 1882), and yet there seemed such
great and important differences between the disease observed by Dr. Evans and the
one under inquiry by me that I hesitated much in accepting their identity. With the
progress of the research, however, I found that the principal differences began to
disappear, and, finally, microscopical observations enabled me to conclude that the
outbreak is one of Surra, presenting some special features such as may be ascribed to
range in species and to geographical, climatic, and other influences. Careful and
sustained thermometric researches have enabled me to supplement Dr. Evans' views as
to the nature of the disease by showing that it is a true relapsing fever and probably
resembles closely, although it is not absolutely identical with, relapsing fever of man.
Experimental research has enabled me to confirm most of his conclusions on the communi-
cability of the disease by ingestion and inoculation to the dog, horse, and mule;
experiments in this line on other species have been tried. Post-mortem investigations
have thrown much light on the pathology of this disorder, especially in its relations
to the frequent occurrence of ulceration of the stomach, which lesion was originally
considered to be the disease, but has now been proved of subordinate importance.
Microscopical examination, with the higher powers, has enabled me to study the parasites
which prevail in the blood in this relapsing fever; my conclusions agree in the main with
those already placed on record, but there are some minor points of difference. The
causes of the disorder have been carefully investigated by me, and I have in this matter
obtained information of value from the Government meteorological and statistical
returns. The reports of Inspecting Veterinary Surgeon Shaw, I.V.D., and Veterinary
Surgeon (First-class) Frost, A.V.D., have given me valuable information. I may
remark that the complete absence of veterinary records in the transport has lessened