Conservation of the health of domestic animals; by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Domestic animals
Publisher: Ottawa, Printed by S. E. Dawson
Published: 1906-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

About the year 1882 an attempt at investigation was made, and some experiments were undertaken with a view to ascertaining whether or not there was any foundation for the popular belief as to the connection between the weed and the disease, which, by this time, had been recognized as a peculiar and almost specific cirrhosis of the liver. Unfortunately, however, these ^experiments were unsuccessful in throwing any new light on the subject, with the result that Pictou cattle disease was declared to be con-

APPENDIX-No. 2

tagious, and the policy of slaughter and compensation above referred to brought into force. From time to time in after years the subject was investigated by Dr. William Osier, Dr. Adami, the late Dr. Wyatt Johnston and other skilled pathologists, but invariably with negative results so far at least as concerned the establishment of any definite and intelligent theory as to its true nature and causes.

ORIGIN OP THE. PICTOU CATTLE DISEASE.

During the whole of this time close observers in the affected district were becoming each year more strongly'convinced that ragwort and that alone was responsible. Many of these men, although receiving little encouragement to do so, took steps to eradicate the plant from their farms and to induce their neighbours to do likewise, with the result tJhat their animals remained unaffected, while those kept on weedy farms sickened and died. These conditions were especially noticeable when, in addition to keeping the weed down in the pastures, care was taken to remove it from the hay fed during the winter. It was also observed that in years when scarcity of hay necessitated wintering cattle on straw, animals so treated seemed to be immune. In the light of our recent experiments it seems almost incredible that these and similar facts did not Sooner force a full recognition of the true situation, which would have undoubtedly been the means of inaugurating a campaign of examination against the weed at a time when such a task would have been much less difficult than now.

For some years Dr. Gilruth, Chief Veterinarian and Bacteriologist to the government of New Zealand, devoted considerable attention to a peculiar hepatic cirrhosis known in that colony as Winton disease, and from which, up to 1901, and these in one locality only, horses had appeared to suffer to a greater extent than either cattle or sheep. Dr. Gilruth initiated some experiments and finally reached the conclusion, without doubt well justified, that the trouble was entirely due to the ingestion of ragwort. His experiments, while convincing, were not, owing to apparently unavoidable circumstances, conclusive, although strengthened by corroborative evidence from Cape Colony, where a like disease has been traced by Mr. W. H. Chase, government veterinarian, to the agency of another plant of the same species, Senecio Burchelli.

For the above and other apparent reasons, such as the different climatic, economic .and dietetic conditions and the lack of absolute proof of the identity of Pictou cattle disease with the hepatic cirrhosis of the antipodes, his decision could not,- with

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.