TYPHOID IN CATTLE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11541, 20 May 1892, Page 2

TYPHOID IN CATTLE.

ALLEGED IMPORTANT DISCOVERY. (Otago Daily Times.) A veterinary surgeon of long experience in the treatment of horses and cattle, Mr A. Hamilton, has informed a reporter of this journal that he has made what he belives to be an important discovery. From timo to time ho has had to treat cows for what be has no doubt is nothing less than typhoid fever. Some time ago this disease was very common amongst cattle here, and thero were most case? shortly after the close of the exhibition, and at the time when tho number of typhoid patients in the Dunedin hospital was tho greatest. Of the indontity of tho foyer the cows suffered from with typhoid as it develops in human beings Mr Hamilton has no manner of doubt. Tho symptoms are similar, and in each case the fevor has run tho well defined course characteristic of typhoid, while the success of the treatment pursued supplied supplementary evidence of sonio value regarding the correctness of the diagnois. At present Mr Hamilton has but one case of the kind under treatment, and that not a strongly marked one, but tho casos have been so numerous and their correspondence so exact, as to leave no doubt in his mind as to the nature of the disease. In every case Mr Hamilton directed that the milk of tho diseased cows should not be sold or used, and in most of the cases this direction wns probably followed, but not in all, the mutter of peremptorily stopping the ealo of suchinilk not being within his province. The milk from the fever-strinen cows, Mr Hamilton observed, was extremely poor in quality, quite different from rich healthy milk, and the fact suggested a careful examination of the fluid. Taking a small glass phial, Mr Hamilton took somo milk from one of tho oews and corked it tightly instantaneously. On reaching home ho subjected this to an examination under the miscroscope, comparing it with healthy milk examined under tho same instrument. The difference provod to be most lemarbable. The hoalthy milk presented a smooth oven surface, the milk cells being regular in hv/.q aud form ; but tho unhealthy milk showed a broken surface with unuven cells, some small aud some very large, and near the large cells there wore microbes which presented the appoaranco of sections of line twigs, and being altogether different from anything discoverable in milk from healthy cows. Mr Hamilton believes thnt these wore tho microbes of typhoid, and if that surmise ho correct the discovery must prove of interest, and may provo of valuo. Tho matter, is doubtless, ono to which the attention of men of science will be directed. A sample of tho milk was, we may mention, sent to Dr. Coughtroy, who, on examination with a powerful microscope, found the milk to contain baccili, but ho was unable to say that they woro typhoid jferms, and di-1 not regard tho matter as important, for as fay as he %v!i3 awarp, they did not cliffor from what ii> to bo usually found in ui'lk. '