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remained" down," and in consequence of the strain imposed by their position the acetabulum was commonly fractured and displaced inwards, hindering defcecation. The straining induced often caused additional rupture of the symphysis of the pubis. Diagnosis of these conditions could be con­firmed by rectal exploration, and on occasion sharp spicules of bone were felt protruding into the pelvic cavity. Any animal unlucky enough to fall on to its side was sure to drive the head of the femur through the weakened acetabulum into the pelvis.

As regards treatment of affected animals, medication alone proved of little value and the best results were seen when it was possible to give the patients plenty of green fodder and a change of drinking water. All heavily pregnant or delIvered animals which remained down for more than five days were slaughtered. For the remainder a system of treatment with carbonate and phosphate of lime combined with common salt and bitter tonics was adopted. In cases complicated by bloody urine consider­able doses of quinine proved of service.

When the sternum was affected it was found that local counter-irritation caused the pain to disappear more rapidly than other methods of treatment, and injection of turpentine to cause the formation of a local abscess was among the best methods.

Apart from surgical or medical treatment, it was found to be most beneficial to effect a change in the drinking water whenever possible.

Even after the lapse of a year it was not uncommon to encounter relapses among animals recovered from a previous attack: this fact is of interest to the veterinary practitioner in that it should convince him of the necessity for continuing any form of treatment found suitable. The profound changes in the structure of affected bones are not rapidly healed and prolonged treatment is therefore indicated. (A. Hiirlimann, Schweizer Arch./. Tierheilk., Band LXIlI., 1921, pp. 108-1 II).

TUBERCULOSIS IN THE DOG.

Two cases of canine tuberculosis are reported which are of interest on account of the distribution of the lesions and the action of tuberculin as a diagnostic.

The first case was one of a dog presented at the clinique with a history of progressive loss of condition over a period of six months. The animal was emaciated and ancemic, and had a slight bronchial catarrh. Abnormal effort caused some breathlessness and a jerky cough. As all explorable lymphatic glands were normal to the touch worms were suspected, but no evidence of either adults or eggs could be found in the excreta. It was therefore decided to test with tuberculin, in spite of the fact that the dog's average temperature was 39·5° C. (103.1° F.). A dose of I cc. of ordinary (unconcentrated) tuberculin was injected subcutaneously, after which the temperature rose to 1050 F. at the ninth hour, and to 105.3° F. and to 106·1° F. at the eleventh and thirteenth hours respectively, eventually falling by degrees to approximately normal at twenty-four hours. Apart from this marked thermal reaction the dog showed striking general symptoms; it

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was extremely depressed and suffered from shivering fits, and, in addition, if made to stand showed symptoms of lameness, which during the next few days shifted arbitrarily from leg to leg. Later the dog would stand with its back arched, as though the reaction to the tuberculin had involved some altera­tion of the vertebral column. Cough and emaciation progressed, but It was impossible at any time to establish unequivocal evidence of tuberculosis. A second subcutaneous tnberculin test was applied twenty days after the first, and, as its results were similar to the first test, the dog was destroyed.

Post-mortem examination revealed small pulmonary and mesenteric tubercles, but the most striking lesions were in the kidneys, which were much enlargetl and packed with caseous tubercles up to the size of a pea, especially in the cortex. Ureters and bladder were apparently normal, but inoculation of the deposit from centrifuged urine into a guinea-pig produced tuberculosis. Presumably these renal lesions were the cause of the arched back following the tuberculin test.

As severe variable lameness had also followed the test, a careful examina­tion of the limbs was made, with the result that bone and joint lesions were discovered, particularly noticeable in the carpo-metacarpal and metacarpo­phalangeal regions of both fore limbs. The lesions assumed the form of a partly productive and partly rarefying ostitis, but as they were apparently in an early stage practically no alteration in the shape of the limbs or joints had occurred. In confirmation of the presumed tuberculous origin of these lesions, tuberculosis was produced in a guinea. pig by the injection of an emulsion of a spicule of the diseased bone ground up in sterile water.

The second case had a similar history of a six months' indisposition, but in this dog the bones of the limbs were already considerably enlarged. Clinical examination also revealed roughened breathing sounds and severe breathless­ness, and a jerky cough following any undue exertion. Careful examination of the enlarged limbs indicated that all the bones of all four legs were probably involved. The swellings were fairly hard and quite painless when manipulated, although there seemed to be some local heat; moreover the dog was not lame.

Tuberculosis as a possible cause was strongly favoured, and the subcutaneous tuoerculin test applied with a view to confirmation (1 cc. unconcentrated). The subsequent reaction although probably sufficient was not very marked; with a preliminary temperatnre of 101'8° F., the highest point reached was J 04 a F., but this last level W'lS held for several hours, the temperature at the twenty-second hour being 10360 F. Apart from the thermal reaction, absolutely no other phenomena either local or general were presented, and it was therefore decided to keep the animal under observation and re-apply the test as usual after an interval of three weeks.

This repeat test placed the matter beyond any possibility of doubt; the temperature rose to 1040 F. at the fourteenth hour and fluctuated between this level and 1050 F. until the twenty-fourth hour, but, as in the previous test, no general or local symptoms were presented. It was, however, con­sidered justifiable to destroy the patient, and this was done.

Post-mortem examination showed tuberculosis of the bronchial and axillary glands, accompanied by a few small foci of disease in the lungs and on the pleura. There was only one pulmonary lesion of considerable dimensions; this consisted of a patch of hepatisation approximately the size of a five franc piece and from one to two centimetres thick. Inside this diseased area was a considerable phthisical cavity with contents rich in tubercle bacilli. In a second focus of hepatisation there was no cavity, and there were no abdominal lesions of any kind.

The most interesting feature of the case was the condition of the bones of

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the limbs. Tnese were badly affected with a form of ostitis partly rarefying and partly hypertrophic; the periosteum was greatly thickened and indis­tinguishable from the deeper layers of fascia, which were so increased as to form a dense fibrous casing around the bones and tendons. It was interest­ing to note that the alterations were bilaterally symmetrical. Incidentally, inoculation of triturated bone material into guinea-pigs did not produce tuberculosis. .

A review of the two ca'ies here quoted, considered in conjunction with others of a similar nature which have from time to time been reported, impress the observer with the frequent association of ostitis and arthritis in dogs with tuberculosis. The lameness induced in such cases, as recalled by the first subject in this article, has come to be almost a pathognomonic feature; it is probably in the nature of a local allergic reaction. Further­more, in the same case the arching of the back was seen to be consequent on renal tuberculous lesions. Unfortunately such representations are not ·constant, as evidenced by the second case here recorded, but this case in the author's opinion is an exception to the general rule-puzzling, no doubt, but an example of some phase of the disease which may be better understood on further investigation of canine tuberculosis.

Probably the most interesting point in connection with the report is that triturated bone material from one of the dogs produced tuberculosis when inoculated into a guinea·pig. It has generally been accepted that the lesions in bones and joints of tuberculous dogs are the result of some toxic action secondary to a visceral tuberculosis, but this experiment suggests that such may not invariably be the case; it is a question worthy of further investigation.

Again, urine from the same dog also produced tuberculosis in a guinea­pig. This point is of great importance in that dogs normally distribute their urine very widely. These last two facts, combined with the discovery of open pulmonary lesions (as found in the second case here recorded), have an important bearing on the whole clinical outlook on·tuberculosis in dogs. {Sendrail, Lasserre, and Lesbouyries, Jl. de MM. Vet. et de Zootech., Tome LXVI., 1920, p. 729-743.)

THE BACTERIAL FLORA OF THE NORMAL COW'S UDDER.

THE method of studying the so-called normal bacterial flora of the cow's udder adopted by the author consisted essentially in exhaustive examinations of samples of milk taken with sterile precautions from individual quarters of the udder. Samples were taken of the fore, mid, and after milk at ordinary milking times, and the number and nature of organisms present was estimated by mixing definite volumes of freshly drawn milk with culture media and pouring plates. The cellular contents, which were almost entirely polymorphonuclear leucocytes, were also estimated.

It was found that the normal bacterial flora of any quarter of the udder of any cow tended to be almost constant over long periods- months, or even years. Quarters could be classed as "poor" or "rich" in organisms with great distinctness, the former rarely containing more than about fifty organisms per cubic centimetre, while the latter contained from several hundreds to some thousands in a similar volume of milk.

Individual quarters of a single udder are quite independent of each other,