THE RABBIT PEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9202, 3 November 1888, Page 5

THE RABBIT PEST.

M. PASTEUR'S PROCESS. REPORT ON THE EXPERIMENTS. [BY TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENTS. ] Wellington, Friday. The Minister of Lands has received an interim report from Mr. A. D. Bell, the representative of ihe New Zealand Government at the Conference being held in Sydney, of the results of their proceedings and experiments. Professor Allen is the president of the Conference. As to the modus operandi it would —although it is nor. stated in so many words—that the Conference having agreed upon a schedule of experiments the delegates of M. Pasteur have the option of accepting or declining the programme, or varying each experiment, subject, of course, to the decision of the Conference. Mr. Bell says the whole of the experiments will be published in exact detail. It is to be borne in mind that the members of the Conference are all scientific exports, although representing different branches of science. Mr. Bell is known as a most capable expert in chemistry. So far, it would appear M. Pasteur's ia;thod of destroying rabbits by infecting them with fowl pox, is but an indifferent success. When the disease is communicated to the rabbit, either by inoculation or contagion, it is " deadly" in its effect, but the infection is not taken with facility. Whether the process is inoculation or contagion, much has to be allowed for "pathological variations," so that the result in any specific case or series of experiments is the subject of much controversy. This is suggested by passages in Mr. Bell's report, which go to show thatM. Pasteur's delegates have made frequent essays to vary the conditions of the experiments. On this account there was at one time almost a deadlock in the proceedings, for the delegates refused to accept the conditions of some of the experiments us drawn up by the Conference. The effect of this was to make necessary a reference to the great scientist himself. The result of this reference was that M. Pasteur assented to the experiments being made as proposed. What is important in this report is that the conditions of the six experiments are rather favourable to the communication of the disease from the fowl to the rabbit. The effect of the disease upon the rabbit is no new thing. It had been known years before M. Pasteur's scheme for destroying rabbits was thought of, and thus far the proceedings of the Conference related to what was a "foregone conclusion." The real issue is the greater or less facility for transferring the disease. The methods adopted are by giving the rabbits infected food, and inoculation. Although there is no doubt of the deadly character of the disease when contracted by the rabbit, experiments as to the power of spreading the disease amongst rabbits wero less successful. They prove that while the disease is sufficiently safe as regards ordinary domestic animals, it is unfortunately as most safe under anything like natural conditions to tho rabbits themselves, that is to say, that whilo it is very deadly when once the rabbit takes it, it is anything but remarkable for facility in spreading among tho rabbits either by infection or contagion, oven under ; more favourable conditions than could be obtained in the open country. Tho delegates appear to havo insisted moro than once that the experiments should be tried in the " open country," but tho Conference decided to exhaust their programme within a confined area, and carried out thoir method, with the result just mentioned. The trial appears now to have entered upon a new stage. Tho next series of experiment is to take place upon Rodd Island, which will so far favour the desiro of tho dologate3 of M. Pasteur, that tho conditions will approximate more closely to those of tho "open country," although the area will still be limited. Mr. Bell doubts whether tho colony would bo justified in retiring from giving its co-operation, considering the stage to which this inquiry has advanced. Ho has been pressed to attend the now series of experiments that arc to take place in January next. Ho did not wish to commit the colony to tho expense of a second journey ; ho has, thcreforo, no desire to attend the Conference again oxcopt at tho request of the Government.