THE CHIEF VETERINARIAN

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6269, 24 July 1907, Page 3

THE CHIEF VETERINARIAN

RETURN OF MR J- A. GILRUTH.

SOME INTERESTING VIEWS,

Mr J. A. Gilruth, Chief Veterinarian, returned to Wellington from Britain and Europe last evening. Made in the interests of his professional work, the visit bis resulted , in Mr Gilruth being in possession of the latest developments m veterinary science. He has been at the great world centres of activity in veterinary research work, and has there compared notes on the several subjects m connection with which he has carried out considerable original research with tho leading investigators of tne uia World. Mr Gilruth has found great activity in veterinary matters both in Britain and on tho Continent. the science has made vast strides. The question of tuberculosis naturally attracted Mr Gilruth's principal attention. He realised as soon as he came iu touch with investigators that it was tho question of the moment. Evidence was continually being, adduced as to the necessity for controlling it. The present teaching on the subject, founded on tho latest experiments, is that the microbe may pass through the wail or the intestine and get caught up m the lymphatic glands and there lie dormant —that is to say. neither increasing nor being killed by the cells .of the body—for six months. During this stage the animal shows no active symptoms, ami even on post-mortem no evidence of the disease can be detected. Yet the presence of the microbes can be detected by bacteriological methods, and the fact that they have not lost ,their virulence am also be proved; this, in young animals particularly. There ie an equilibpum. But given anything to interfere with the animal's state of health and the disease goes ahead. Of course if the animal continues to remain In good health , tne bacillus will ultimately be killed—the system will get over it. This shows the necessity of keeping young animals under the best food and hygienic conditions, bo as not to interfere with their vitality. Other things being equal the calf that is strong—is well looked after and has unimpaired vitality—has a better chance of resisting an outbreak than the badly reared and badly nurtured animal. At the Lille (Pasteur) Institute, presided over bv Dr Calmette, discoverer of the ante-snake bite serum, this scientist and Professor Guerin have been carrying out a large number of experiments in regard to tuberculosis. One of the experiments under way at the present fimo is’ in th© direction erf ascertaining the value of a vaccine which it is hoped will prove efficacious. To show the exhaustive nature of these experiments fifty cattle are being utilised under the one roof. And this in a country where cattle are at a high price. Mr Gilruth was asked for some light on th© statement which had reached the colony through certain British agricultural journals that the tuberculin test was a broken reed. The statement, said Mr Gilruth, was made by Professor Lignieres,.and it is not supported by any other authority. Professor Vallee, of tho Paris nary School, explained to Mr Gilruth that Lignieres was basing his claim on experimental cases, where the disease had been conferred experimentally by a so-called vaccine, which was really an artificially-weakened bacillus, so that conclusions drawn therefrom could not be taken as a general principle. One of th© first men Mr Gilruth visited in Britain was Professor Hamilton, of Aberdeen. He was anxious to meet this authority . in order to discuss with him braxy and other diseases of sheep which the Scottish investigator had. for many years been studying for tho British Government. Mr Gilruth had read Professor Hamilton's report,- especially on braxy, as there is a disease in this country very similar to the trouble, and which Mr Gilruth and Mr Wilkie had investigated some years ago. While the Home and New Zealand Diseases are apparently both in symptoms and post mortem, almost identical, they are evidently due to two different microbes. Prom what he has seen of systems of meat inspection in Britain and Europe, Mr Gilruth is convinced that the New Zealand system is th© best in the world, inasmuch as it is uniform, complete and under one general authority, 'ill© large cities at Homo each has its own system, consequently more is there left to the individual discretion of the inspectors. Asked as to whether he had changed his views in regard to the danger to the meat trade in exporting boned beef, (Mr Gilruth replied that what he saw at Horae convinced him he was right. It was declared to him by the chief meat inspector of Glasgow .that boned beef landed at the port from New Zealand looked most uninviting, and it was well known by butchers that anything coming from local districts in the same way would bo promptly condemned. This class of meat, thawed out in a muggy, sooty atmosphere, looked most unsavoury, and quite different to the appearance of the same meat at th© time of slaughter. Then, again, the recommendations of tho Royal Commission on tuberculosis cannot be complied with by the Home inspector where boned beef is concerned. Our boned beef has only been passed because the New Zealand Government inspector's stamp is upon it- Mr Gilruth' is emphatic in saying that he can see no reason to alter his recommendations to th© Government on the subject as appearing in his annual reports. t Wherever Mr Gilruth went he heard New Zealand produce highly spoken of. His brother, who is a large supplier of Scotch lamb to the London market, told him that a short time ago he had seen New Zealand lamb sold in tho London market within id a (pound of the primnet Scotch. As a matter of fact, tho Scotch market only feels tho competition of good New Zealand lambs. Other frozen meat does not make any difference. Mr Gilruth's own opinion is that frozen New Zealand lamb is much superior to the average. British lamb. Ajid

there is, he thinks, little doubt that very little of our lamb is sold as New Zealand. When in Paris Mr Gilruth eavo a dinner to his professional , friends, a partv of twenty. Everything on the menu, except the fruits, vegetables and wines, were produced in New Zealand New Zealand' ducklings, mutton, lamb, sweetbreads, kidneys, cheese and butter. POULTRY SHOW. PRESS ASSOCIATION". NAPIER. July 33. 1 At the Hawke’s Bay Kennel, and Poul- ' try Club's Annual show, which opened here to-day. the North Island championship for partridge M yandottes went to an adult cock shown by R. J. Chapman, of Carterton. The championship for homer pigeons went to I. Bullick, ot Hastings. ! Particulars of the principal awards in ' the classes for dogs appear under | " Kennel Notes ”, in another column-