Wellington Philosophical Society.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXII, Issue 7001, 27 September 1897, Page 4

Wellington Philosophical Society.

(Poat.) i It is satisfactory to know, on the authority of Mr Barker, of the Agricultural . Department, that cancer in meat is not nearly so common as most people imagine; and vegetarians will perhaps feel disturbed in mind to learn that hospital statistics m London go to prove that there are just a3 many cases of cancer amon? vegetarians as among those who eat animal food. In his lecture at the Museum last night, Mr Barker said there was no instance, as far as he knew, where cancer had been communicated from animal to man or man to animal, and he did not think anyone need feel alarmed for fear of cancer from meat m New Zealand. In any <nse, thorough cooking of milk and meat would abolish all danger of infection from animal diseases. Sir James Hector considered that the results of the investigations of the Department would allay any anxiety feit as to the danger of acquiring disease from our food-producing animals. He regarded it as satisfactory that diseases were found to be so moderately developed In so large a stock-producing country. _ He exhibited a number of pathological specimen?, and gave a short address concerning them, referring particularly to the habits o? the bot-fly and diseases in stock. With regard to the Queensland tick" he expressed the opinion that there was no fear of it affection New Zealand for climatic reasons. Mr W. M. Maskell complained that the Agricultural Department never took notice of anything done by an outsider, and would no doubt forget that last year ho demonstrated that we had nothing to fear from invasion of the Queensland tick. Mr Barker explained that he had not long been connected with the Department, and was not aware of Mr Maskell's service.-or he would have acknowledged it. Some interesting notes on fishes were read by Sir James Hector, who exhibited a gigantic swordfish caught off Otaki. Curious instances of the seeming insensibility of animals to pain were mentioned at the meeting. Mr Barker exhibited part of the jaw-bone of an ox which he killed recently. The bona was literally honeycombed with disease, yet the animal seemed to feel no discomfort from the diseased jaw, as it ate its feed comfortably, and was other* wise in a perfectly healthly condition. Mr Mvtkell described a wild pig which he had helped to kill and cat, and which was apparently indifferent to the fact that a tuik had perforated the cheek iu an extraordinary manner, causing an injury which it would be thought must be of a most agonising nature. The Government veterinary officers, scenrdina to Mr G. H. Barker, have no rvathenticated case of the death of a horse npinij caused by the hoc-fly, although no doubt the tly is a contributory cause of the death. Mr Barker quoted an American authority who had laid it down that bots tn horses aided digestion, that they did not injure a horse until they became diseased, and that anything given the horse to kill the bots is jast as likely to kill the horse. Some truth and a great dual of nonsense was, he said, mixed up in these statements. The Department had found that nothing would kill bots except nitric acid and boiling water, but either of these remedies unfortunately was calculated to cause serious damage to the unfortunate horse. The fly was natural to horses, and pestered them for 10 months in the year.