THE RABBIT PEST.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10962, 3 May 1907, Page 4

THE RABBIT PEST.

DR. DANYSZ'S EXPERIMENTS.

(Press Assn. — By Telegraph. — Copyright.) SYDNEY, May V Dr. Danysz has submitted his report to the Pastures Board on his experiments with rabbit vims. The experiments of contagion show tliat 72 infected rabbits died. He gave the disease to 193 out of 307 liealthy rabbits. The spots where infected rabbits have lived and died remain infectious for a certain time. An important feature is tliat he 1 was unable to obtain on Broughlon Island infection causing a lump on the nose, which is a most contagious form. This form was obtained m the laboratory of the Board of Health, Sydney, sd it is concluded that the special climatic conditions of the island prevent the appearance of this form of direct infection of rabbits. The experiments prove that this is easily accomplished by put-ting-a certain quantity of virus m the water which they drink m the proportion of one pint of broth to two or three gallons of wa ter, renewing it every day. Several tons, of virus could be made per week or even daily, m a properly appointed laboratory. About ten pints of virus would suffice for a thousand acres. Thp question of -the immunity of other animals was left to Dr. Tidswell, appointed by the Commonwealth, but Dr. Danysz satisfied bims'elf op the point, and his experiments fully justified the opinion he beld that the virus is dangerous only to rabbits.