VETERINARY SCIENCE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1685, 27 February 1913, Page 6

VETERINARY SCIENCE.

RECENT PROGRESS. 1

IN ENGLAND AND OTHER

COUNTRIES,

A NEW ZEALANDER'S TOUR, /.

Mr. H. A. Reid, Bacteriologist' to the Department' of Agriculture, returned to Wellington yesterday after four months spent in Europo for tho purpose of posting. himself in the latest -advances in bacteriological and serological ecicnce. To this end Mr. Eeid visited tho Pasteur Institute, Paris, Lyons Veterinary College, tho State Bacteriological and Serum Institutes in Utrecht and Rotterdam, the Lister Institute, London,..' Cambridge Laboratories, and the Laboratory of the British Board of Agriculture. The greater part of the time was spent, at the Lister Institute, which has a very high scientific reputation, and corresponds in England to what tho Pasteur Institute is in France. In Holland Mr. R-cid was much impressed by the progress which veterinary science has macle. Utrecht possesses what is probably the best equipped veterinary collego in Europe, while in Rotterdam tho Government havo established a serijm institute devoted to the production of preventive and curative serr. against many animal diseases. Scientific investigation into the origin and cause of such diseases is also conducted there on similar lines to what is being done at tho New Zealand Government's Laboratory at Wallaceville, but 1 on a very much larger scale; In this connection, said Mr. Reid, it is interesting to observe how fully alive tho Dutch authorities are to tlio primary importance of the agricultural and stock industries, and by substantial grants to the various State institutions, and tiip employment' of the best workers obtainable, do all in their power 'to assist tho agriculturist and stockbreeder. It should bo borne in mind that tho total area of Holland is only a matter of 12,600 squaro miles, supporting a population of something over 5,900,000,-the , total revenue being reckoned at about .£15,000,000. Mr. Reid devoted much attention to tho subjects of mastitis and contagious abortion in cattle, in reference to tho diagnosis and treatment of tlieso diseases by means of bacterial extracts and anti-toxic sera. In Holland, contagious mastitis appears to bo a very common complaint, causing great monetary loss annually to tho dairy farmers. In France, on tho other hand, this disease appears to bo decreasing. ■ Questioned as. to his opinion regarding the decline in.one country and the number of cases, of mastitis occurrjrig-in another adjacent to it, Mr. Reid stated that from his own observation' he attributed this to greater care in dairy management, particularly in regard to cleanliness in milking processes,, bestowed by ■ tho majority of French farmers in comparison witli the Dutch. Moreover, tho cold and often severe weather experienced in Holland .'undoubtedly exposed cattlo moro readily to infection, by rendering their teats liablo to, crack ,or "chap," while .tlio wet', low-lying conditions of tho country made cleanliness most difficult to ensure. It might ba mentioned hero that tli<! marked decline in the' number of cases of mastitis occurring in New Zealand is duo apparently to the awakening of the New Zealand dairy farmer to tho necessity for observing more thoroughly tlio methods of cleanliness which liavo always been so .strohgly urged by the Officers of the Department of Agriculture here. The cattlo diseases in Great Britain which, owing to their ravages,' appear to bo engaging tho greatest amount of . attention at present are contagions ' abortion and • "Jaime's disease."- This statement; does ; not, of bourse, include ''foot-arid-mouth disease," (which has anneared from time to timo lately in the United Kingdom in epizootic form, and which is being made the subject iif special inquiry in India by iho lead--I'tig' Drhish veterinary scientist, Sir John M'Fadyean. The prevention of contagions abortion by means' of the inoculation of bacterial vaccines seems to have been successfully carried 0n... "Johne's disea'so" (a chronic inflammatory catarrh of tho largo intestine affecting cattle) has also received considerable attention, and improved methods'of tliacnosis and differentiation have been elucidated.

No systematic control of tuberculosis In. cattlo has yet been attempted, but much has been done by the appointment of veterinary inspectors by local authorities to protect, the public from_()btaining milk supplies from infective sources. Swine fever continues, unfortunately, to "flourish, arid somo' method of control - other than that already- in vogue will havo to be adopted to deal with this porcine scourge. ■ In Scotland and the_ North of England, "louping ill" still claims a large annual toll of'victims among the sheep, but tho exact nature of this affection lias also received much'consideration at the hands of Sir Stewart. Stockman,. Chief Veterinarian to tlio Board of Agriculture, and further light is expected' to bo thrown upon it as the result ""of his researches thereon.

At Bombay, where Mr. Roid called on the return journey to New Zealand, a visit was made to the Government Veterinary College, a finely-organised establishment, which owes much to tho generosity of wealthy natives who desire to promote tho welfare of veterinary science in India. Tho largo and important Vaccine Institute, • controlled by the Indian Medical Department, was'also thoroughly inspected, and some of tho latest methods of dircct microscopic diagnosis, preparation of anti-venin (for tho cure of snakepoisoning). and plague serum \rwe "Tully demonstrated by tho medical officer in charge of the institute.

The opportunity was also taken to visit tho recently-established Veterinary Schools at Melbourne and Sydney. Needless to say, these are thoroughly modern in every resjiect, and bear favourable comparison with any similar institutions existing in Europe.

In his capacity as Staff Officer to the New Zealand . Veterinary Corps, Mr. Reid mado. full inquiries concerning the organisation and equipment of the British Army Veterinary Department', some days being 6pent at Aldershot and Woolwich for this pnrposo. A very high opinion was formed of this branch of (lie British Army organisation. The Department, Mr. Reid said, is prepared in every particular for war. and' can. if necessary, take the field 1 fully equipped at an hour's notice.