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The most interesting condition is found in the abdomen. The peritoneum is smooth and shiny. Very little fluid is found in the peritoneal cavity.
The stomach is congested particulary on its mucous surface. The latter also shows the presence of innumerable haemorrhages of varying size. No actual ante-morten ulceration was found. The small intestine was in general reddened. Little of engrossing interest was found until the ileum was reached. This part of the gur was the seat of many small petechia scattered throughout its entire length. These were well seen shining through the wall of the gaseons distended gut. mucous surface of the ileum was reddened and thickened. The latter was chiefly due to edema. The solitary follicles were visible, being pin head in size and greyish yellow in colour. Small areas of necrosis were present, these appeared chiefly about the regions of hæmorrhagic extravasation. In one or two cases a distinct bubonic formation was found in the mesentery.
The
Plague bacilli were found scattered throughout the body. They were specially abundant in the lymphatic apparatus and in all bubonic areas. The fœces and the urine also contained plague bacilli. These results are similar to those obtained by KOLLE and are of great interest when compared with the type of the disease found
in man.
The type
of disease was in all instances septicæmic but special tendency was shown on the part of the plague bacilli to collect in the lymphatic apparatus.
Chronic Cat Plague. This is evidenced mainly by great emaciation. Buboes are found in various situations of the body especially about the neck. These are extremely chronic in growth, accompanied by extreine surrounding infiltration and slowly break down with the production of thick creamy pus. The animals may live for two weeks to a month. The condition of those cats suffering from chronic plague is well described by the term "Pest Marasmus.”
The conclusions which appear to be justified from the various observations. and experiments on plague infected cats are these:—
1. Cats suffer from plague.
2. The disease may be acute or chronic.
3. The type of the disease is septicemic.
4. Plague cats scatter plague bacilli broadcast in their faces and urine.
5. These animals must be reckoned with as occasionally playing a part
in the dissemination of plague.
6. In plague infected districts, possible plague infection in cats is of
great importance from a domestic point of view,
7. In plague infected areas, cats probably become infected through
plague rats and mice which they devour as food.
WILLIAM HUNTER.
Plague in Mice.
When one considers how intimately associated rats and mice are in nature it is rather surprising to find so little data in regard to the possible dissemination <f plague through the occurrence of Mouse Plague.
Experimentally one finds the mouse susceptible to plague. In fact its degree of susceptibility to the disease does not fall far short of that of the rat. Much of the positive evidence of experimental infection of the mouse, points to the facility with which the animal can be infected per os. Records of widespread mouse plague, in endemic plague areas are few. Indian records barely mention naturally -occuring mouse infection.
In Formosa, in 1896, it is said that widespread mouse plague existed, and that these animals probably played a greater part than the rat in the dissemination of plague, which was severely epidemic during this year.