502
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So far as the mouth is concerned, patches of the mucous membrane becoine inflamed and detached, leaving raw surfaces in a few European cattle - he has never observed this appearance in native cattle and only occasionally in half-breeds. Believing the disease to be Rinderpest, he followed the treatment generally found successful in South Africa. That is to say, he inoculated healthy animals with the defibricated blood of recovered animals as a preventative and further carried out the same method in regard to sick animals as a curative The general results of his treatment led him to believe in the efficacy of this method.
Mr. WATSON, Senior Inspector in Charge of the Kennedy Town Animals Depôt and Slaughter House, who has had many years' experience of native cattle, both in the Depot and the Island, and rendered us valuable assistance during the present investigation, made the following statement:-
That so far as he can see, the symptoms, etc., of the disease under consideration, are identical with those observed during the epidemics of past years.
Mr. COTTON, 1st class Inspector of Animals Depot and Slaughter House, Ken- nedy Town, who has had, at the instigation of the Government, the opportunity of coming in contact with sick animals during the past epistemics, and more particularly in the New Territory in 1899, states:-"That with reference to the present disease existing among cattle in the Depôt.........I have taken particular observations and failed to observe any different symptoms from those shown by the animals affected in the Hunghom Cattle Depôt and in the New Territory during the outbreak of the disease in 1899.”
For further information in regard to reports to the Government, reference may be made to C.S.O.s 193 of 1899 (Extension), 85 and 691 of 1900, and C.O.D. 130 of 1901.
In 1902 a severe outbreak of the disease occurred at the Dairy Farm, Pokfulum. During this epidemic we both had an opportunity of investigating the disease. Symptoms were noted, post-mortem and simple bacteriological examinations were made, but owing to the prevalence at the time of a severe outbreak of Plague and the conduction of experiments on Plague in animals by Professor W. J. SIMPSON, it was found impossible to carry out a systematic examination. For details in regard to the symptomatology and post-mortem appearances met with at the Dairy Farm during this epidemic reference may be made to Appendix F. In Professor SIM- PSON'S Report on Plague Prevention in Hongkong mention is also made of this epidemic and its possible relation to Plague.
Since our arrival in the Colony early last year, post-mortem examinations have repeatedly been made on animals found dead in the different cattle depôts in the Colony and occasionally the lesions found by us resembled the disease under con- sideration. A microscopical examination of the blood and tissues was inade in several instances and micro-organism was found similar to the one we are about to describe as having a causal relationship to the disease under consideration. As the examinations made were only microscopical and the micro-organism seen by us presented no definite morphological peculiarities, we were unable, in the absence of biological and experimental data, to form an opinion as to its relation to the disease.
In June of this year an epidemic appeared among the cattle housed in the Kennedy Town Depôt. From the symptoms, post-mortem appearances and micros- copic examinations we were convinced that we had to deal with the same disease as at Pokfulum in 1902.
The commencement of this year's epidemic appeared to be a favourable oppor- tunity for further investigation of this disease. The occurrence of epizootics amongst the cattle all over the Colony in different years and at different seasous of the year, has been attended by serious loss to Hongkong. Cattle owners through- out the Colony have lost heavily. The residents of the Colony consuming butcher meat and milk have been affected. The loss in cattle has seriously interfered with farming in the New Territory, and should the establishment of a cattle raising industry in the New Territory become an accomplished fact, this disease will be a factor with which such an industry would have to reckon.
As has already been noted, the conclusion generally arrived at by those who have come in contact with the sick animals is that the disease which they had before them was Rinderpest. From our own preliminary examinations, however, the