FARM NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2373, 24 August 1899, Page 7

FARM NOTES.

ACTINOMYCOSIS. The disease known among cattle men aB •■"wooden tongue," and in Australia as "lumpy jaw," is one which the microscope has demonstrated to be due to a rayed lungus, and distinguishable from cancer and other maligr.ant growths, with which it was for long confounded. Occurring frequently at the angle of the jaw, the ,tumour was regarded as a wen in those cases where no suppuration took place and was" naturally thought to be of a benign character, and of a different kind from those for which the mo3t powerful caustic remedies were employed, sulphuric acid {oil of vitriol) being rather a favourite agent in the attempt to destroy what h now known to be amenable to comparatively simple and safe remedies. There is reason to suppose that actinomyces are frequently mistaken for tuberculous deposits, for it i» now ascertained that the fungus gi-.ing rise to these tumours is not ' 'confined to the tongue and adjacent parts, but may invade any portion of the body. Itß pre-

sence in the udder of the cow is not readily distinguishable from tubercle enlargement, although according to Mr James M'Phail, the swollen parts stand out more distinctly, are commonly more superficial and scattered about the gland, whereas tubercle occurs higher up in the groin and has a tendency to coalesce, instead of showing scattered gravelly deposits. A case of actinomycosis in the udder, reported by the above-named gentleman, was examined for tubercle bacilli without discovering any, and further samples of milk taken on subsequent occasions failed to provide the expected organisms, despite the increased tumefaction of the quarter to which the desease had been restricted. Post-mortem examination of the cow proved the presence of actinomycosis in the lungs as well as udder, and the question arises as to which was the [ primary infection. Since nothing but micro- i scopic examination can determine the dilFe- i rence between the enlargements of tubercle | and those produced by aetinomycosis, a fur- ■ ther difficulty is placed in the way of condemning ac tuberculous those cows having . shronic tumours in the mammary glands. It will perhaps be found that no inconsiderable ' proportion of cows with udder troubles) but ', not reacting to tuberculin, are the victims of I this malady. The question naturally arises, i is this other disease communicable to man j through the agency of milk from such a cow ? j That man is a subject of actinomycosis we i h?ve abundant evidence, and that all the domesticated animals may bo affected by it. The first symptom, and one that is commonly over- j looked, is a difficulty of mastication or of J deglutition, and, until this has progressed , sufficiently to attract attention, or the animal i ha« lost condition and is seen to drop its food in the manner~familiarly called "quidding," tho mouth escapes that careful examination which should be made of it and the contained organs whenever a beast dribbles or fails in its carcase to respond to generous food. The ' hanging rope of saliva may be due to a bramble or thorn lodged between the teeth or in ' the soft under part of the tongue, or to the commencement of those circumscribed swellings which are the precursors of actinomycosis. A little later these tumefactions are found to contain pus, and in the pus the rayed fungus known as actinomyces. Previous to breaking, while as yet there i« to Eupp'urative material formed, the tongun bscomes so hard as to give to lh*> disease one of its most popular names, "wooden tongue." i There will often be a number of centres from i which the tumours are growing, and a large area around each i.s indurated for a period which greatly varie?, boih in individuals and in particular seasons. It would seem also that the jaw, rather than the tongue, is attacked moot frequently upon those lands in America where it is most found, and that its appearani'e, duration and disappearance again are erratic on both sides of the x\tlantic. So much is this the ease th».t it has been attri- ' buted by some to Ihe culture of particulai j crops, rye and barley being suspected more than others of conveying the infection to ani- i mals, and probably by ingestion, inhalation \ being a highly problematical method of transmission of the fungi from plants, while it is easy to conceive how, through the abrasions of thistle pricks and coarse fodder, an entrance could be gained into the soft parts of the tongue, or the buccal membranes, the i fauces, and perhaps through the ducts ofthe •;&- : luary glands. The latter may very \\ ell be secondary, as in the udder case previously referred to. It has been suggested that foreign , grain or hay is the means by which our homebred stock is infected, but it has not been proved to be conspicuous along the line where j .such fodder is most used. Biologically considered, thy fungus is a streptothrix, an anferobe and a faculalive serobe, and easy of culti- ] vation artificially upon such me,dia as gelatine* ' bouillon, blood serum, agar, etc. Recent ( colonies present the appearance of threads ] (leptothrix), while the older growths I take the form of clubs. Until the dis- ', covery of the rayed fungus known i-s ] PLtinomyces the treatment of the tv- j incurs, whether of the tongue or adjacent pnrts, wat-- but a blind fight with an "annum- • bered host. One thought he was combating j cancer and another fome bone disfase, while the pointing or formation of an abscess led men familiar with cattle and their behaviour to one another to suppose that a blow or a kick was the cause, and with the application \ of some fa.vourite nostrum tho enlargement I would be dispersed. There was and is FtiU ' some confusion in the minds of practical men i as to the different sorts of enlargement, both j in the tongue and about the head, and noth- j ing short of microscopical examination can | determine, as has been already Mated. The owner naturally de«ires to undertake j remedial measures at once, and not wait for ' a abscess while the beast »b wasting away, j An instance in point came under the ! writer's observation recently in a pedi- I gree Jersey heifer, which was sold at ] market for a trifle, under the impre«°ion that J an incurable disease was the caupe of a large tumour occupying thr space between the j angle of the jaw and the neck, with jedemnlo\is swelling, as a consequence, expending all along under the tongue. It was -\r\ actinomyces abscess, which, with suitable treatment, is now in the last stage of repair, and will undoubtedly prove a radical cure. It has been j found that iodides and mercurials in various combinations are fatal to the fungus, and , that the application of them may be both topical and constitutional. To the tongue, when that member is found to have open sores, the tincture of iodine may be directly applied on a feather, and the mouth may be washed out with a solution of iodide of potassium, a rather expensive drug by the way, to use in large quantities, but probably the most effectual of the combines of mercury and iodine. The biniodide of mercury, familiar to most horsemen as the blistering agent, first made popular as a substitute for firing, is given in small doses, and is only less successful by reason of the danger of employing a quantity as great as of iodide of potassium. Without detriment to the patient's health, or injury to any gland or other organ, a rapid saturation with iodides renders the continued life and multiplication of actinomyces impossible, save in the case of deep-seated abfeesses. which have undergone such further changes that the drug cannot be conveyed into their midst by the uFual channel of the circulation. Where the tumefactions are visible or capable of being manipulated, as in the case of the heifer, an injection of solution of potassium iodide, or of the tincture, may be made intc its substance, with the result either of exciting absorption or determination of an abscecs to a point, from which relief may be obtained with the lancet. It was for some reason assumed by writers on materia medica, until quite lai-p-Jy, that the continued employment of iodines internally would result in wasting of the mammary glands and of the testes, but suoh unfavourable sequela?, have not been observed by veterinarians. — Field. THE TUBERCULOSIS SCARE. Professor Wrighteon, in the course of his " Seasonable Notes " in the British Agricultural Gazette, makes the following remarks on this subject :-•

" The pleasure of dairyfarming has been somewhat marred by the idea of unsoundness in so large a proportion of our cows. It is to be hoped that ere long our knowledge will at least be sounder than it appears to be, and probably our cows are sounder than our knowledge. The seeds of disease, alas ! are sown bioadcast, even in the fairest scenes, but no > human measure can eradicate them. There is such a, thing as knowing too much, and life would not be worth living if we could see th» approach of disease and death. It is well, no doubt, to eliminate as far as possible all predisposing causes, but to detect, in a manner which may be termed prophetic, the germs of a disease which has not declared itself, and which may remain latent until death inter- ; vetes from totally different causes', is going | a step too far. If an animal is diseased, by ! all means isolate it or destroy it ; but to do i so because an animal reacts to a reagent, and | thereby exhibit a tendency, is, I repeat, going , a step too far. All animals have this tendency, for it is evident that, although an ani- . mal does not react to-day, if may react to- ' morrow, or at least shortly. The ie.=t to ' be effective, should be constantly used. A ; cow free this summer may not be so in autumn I and hence a system of monthly testing would I b'j necessary. ! "Animal food, bacon cheese, butter, j creim, and milk have always been regarded as j wholesome foods, and they are as wholesome ' now as ever. Why should we terrify ourselves v.'ith wondering whether animal? used as food, i or their products used as food, may have the \ seeds of disease or death in their bodies ' (which must be the case) when they are appar- \ eiilly healthy, thriving or yielding large quantities of q;ood milk ? As well might we question the wholesomenes 5 : of hares, rabbits, and poultry, and have every chicken subjected to .i ti'bci. ul'.n te».. ''eloro we wring its neck. To such prepositions lengths might we be ■ l?d but for tne "strong common sense which hr.ppily rules. I trust, therefore, that the 1 scare which has lately prevailed will soon be moderated, and that attention will he fixed upon animals which are diseased, and not on those which exhibit tendencies or liabilities to diseas-e. As well might a crusade be set on foot against salads, raw fruit, oysters, or any , other food of like description which must be exposed to the invasion of germs. They are absolutely cveiywhere. In water, in air, in •ill crowded assemblages of people they posi- , lively reek. In all railway carnages they , abound, :md in cabs they aue übiquitous They are in the cowhouse and in the kitchen. They must be in every breath inhaled, and yet we live. Too much has been made of the germ simply because we have only lately discovered fhal he is universal."