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62
Brief Summary of Results attained in the experiments conducted under Section II, which deals with the analysis of Methylene Blue and Perchloride of Mercury separately as to the therapeutical value of each in the treatment of Trypano- somiasis as well as other results of interest.
The results of treatment by drugs, &c.
A. Effects of treatment by injections of methylene blue:-—-
In the horse (see Horse D):-
(i) No effect on the temperature.
(ii) No removal of trypanosomes from the blood.
In the calf (see Calf F and Calf G) :—
(i) No effect on the temperature.
(ii) No removal of trypanosomes from the blood.
From the above it will be seen that methylene blue had no effect of any value
in both horses and calves suffering from trypanosomiasis.
B. Effects of perchloride of mercury following a course of injections of
methylene blue:—
In the horse (see Horse D):-
(i) A fall in temperature.
(ii) Removal of trypanosomes from the blood.
(iii) Relapses both of temperature and of trypanosomes in the blood. (iv) Loss in condition with subsequent improvement.
(v) Animal still alive.
In calves (see Calf F):-
(i) A fall in temperature.
(ii) Removal of trypanosomes from the blood.
(iii) Relapses in temperature but not of trypanosomes in the blood. (iv) A loss in condition with subsequent improvement.
(v) Animal still alive.
*
In the case of Calf G these good results were not attained, for there was no material effect on temperature, the trypanosomes were not removed from the blood, the animal wasted and died. From the foregoing it is seen that the effects of injections of perchloride of mercury following on injections of methylene blue had a decidedly beneficial effect, and it is remarkable that both these animals are living, whereas other animals treated by perchloride of mercury alone have died, but this is probably a coin- cidence, for, as we see, the treatment had no curative effect whatever in the case of Calf G. There is little doubt, looking at the results in the next paragraph C., that the perchloride of mercury forms the most potent curative agent of the two; but as to whether a preliminary course of methylene blue enhances the therapeutical value of the perchloride of mercury is a point which requires to be worked out by further experiment: and then only can an opinion be formed on the results attained.
C. Effect of treatment by perchloride of mercury:—
In horses (see Horse C, Horse F, and Horse G) :-
In the cases of Horses C. and F. the results were identical.
(i) A fall in temperature.
(ii) Removal of trypanosomes from the blood.
(iii) Relapses both of temperature and trypanosomes in the blood.
(iv) A loss in condition.
(v) A fatal termination.
In the case of Horse G. the effects were not so good, for relapses
were more common, and a fatal termination much more rapid.
In calves (see Calf I and Calf H):--
(i) Temperature kept fairly normal in Calf I or not affected at all in
Calf H.
(ii) Trypanosomes not removed from the blood.
(iii) Loss of condition.
(iv) Fatal termination.
63
From the above it is seen that the effects of treatment by injections of perchloride of mercury resemble those attained by the mercurial treatment following on methylene blue, with the difference that in the case of the latter, two out of the three animals so treated are still alive, and the outlook is favourable, whereas all the five animals treated by mercury alone died eventually.
D. Effects of treatment by the mixture of methylene blue and perchloride of
mercury, already dealt with under Section I.
In the course of these experiments Horse E was treated in this way, and the results were identical with those attained in the cases of Horses C. and F. treated by perchloride of mercury alone (see page 62, paragraph C.).
Calf C was also so treated by the mixture, and the results were the same as those in the case of Calf H treated by the mercury alone (see page 19, paragraph C.). The results attained and described under Section I., where all the animals were treated by the mixture, are practically the same as those attained by the injections of perchloride of mercury alone, as described under paragraph C., on page 62, where it is seen that some beneficial results are attained in horses, but not so in the case of calves.
E. Effects of treatment by subcutaneous injections of blood from a horse that
had been treated by mercury.
Calf I was first treated by mercury, which failed to have any curative effect. The calf was then treated by subcutaneous injections of blood from Horse F, which had been treated by mercury and its blood rendered free from trypanosomes, but this treatment was of no avail. It may be noted that the blood tried as a curative agent was taken from Horse F, from which Calf I was originally infected with the disease.
A point of interest in connection with the case of Calf I is that, after being inoculated with the disease, infection took place during the ordinary period of incubation, but that invasion of the blood by trypanosomes was not marked by a concurrent rise of temperature, and subsequently the temperature ran a very low course, although trypanosomes were almost constantly present in the blood; hence in cattle invasion of the blood by trypanosomes may be present without a marked reaction of temperature.
Recommendations. It would be advisable to conduct a few further experi- ments on horses and cattle to ascertain if the treatment by methylene blue followed by perchloride of mercury was really of much greater therapeutical value than treatment by the perchloride of mercury alone, seeing that out of the three animals (one horse and two calves) treated by the former method, two had survived, whereas all treated by the latter had succumbed ultimately.
Further experiments-Horse D and Calf F are to be experimented on further --they will either be subjected to natural infection in a fly-belt, or inoculated with the disease again, to see of the first infection and treatment, with subsequent cure, has rendered them immune to any extent against a second attack of the disease. Should any degree of immunity appear to have been established, the blood of these two animals will be used to try and confer immunity on other horses and cattle, The next section will show that such experiments on immunity are already in progress.
Section III.
This section deals with a number of cases experimented on with a view to ascertaining if the blood of animals which had been rendered free from trypano- somes by treatment, either by the methylene blue and perchloride of mercury, or by the latter alone, possessed any immunising properties.
The first case for consideration is:-
Dog H (see Chart 208 to 20h), which was inoculated with 10 c.c. of blood from Calf D on the 31st January, after the calf had first undergone treatment by the methylene blue and perchloride of mercury mixture, but which failed to remove the trypanosomes from the blood, and then was subjected to further injections of methylene blue alone for 10 days, after which the blood on microscopical examina- tions showed an absence of trypanosomes, so Dog H was inoculated with a view to ascertaining if the blood had been really rendered free from the organisms. On the 12th February, which was the 12th day after inoculation, the temperature though showing a slight rise the blood was found free from trypanosomes, and so