CO885-(21-23) — Page 108

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

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The first symptom of the disease is an albuminous discharge from the genital organs. Further examination reveals single or multiple papillary growths of a warty nature in the vagina or on the penis. These small papillary growths increase much in size at the base and commence deeper infiltration. This deep growth may extend until the whole pelvis is involved in its spread. The rectumi is especially .affected.

It is rare to find any metastases. The disease is associated with much emaciation and deaths usually follows in 8 to 10 months. The secretion from the penis of 11 dogs (8 dogs, 3 bitches) was examined. This consisted of a large number of poly- morphonuclear cells and of small round cells of a lymphoid character, apparently Lymphocytes. Many eosinophiles and red blood corpuscles were always present, as also long strands of fibrin. Bacteria of various kinds were found, but on culture they were found to be of the common well-known varieties, such as B. Coli, S. Pyogenes aureus, &c. There were also present in every case, save one, numerous spirochetes. The spirochetes stained readily by Giemsa, Leishman, methylene blue and all the laboratory stains.

The length varied from 100 micro-millimetres to 145 micro-millimetres, while the number of curves was usually four or five, the length of a single curve being from 25 micro-millimetres to 29 micro-millimetres. The curves of the spirochetes were not well marked, and there was a strong aptitude for the ends of the spirochetes to approximate, thus throwing the parasite into a circle.

The spirochaetes are only found in the more superficial layers of the lesion in the vagina or penile sheath. The deeper infiltrations never showed the presence of these parasites.

Similar spirochaetes were found in the penile discharge of four dogs which did not suffer from this disease.

The tumour where infiltration has occurred is a fairly hard, elastic mass, which is well circumscribed and can almost be shelled out. Occasionally necrosis may occur in the centre of the harder tumours. Histologically the masses consist of lymphoid tissue tightly packed; nothing but small round cells are to be found, with here and there strands of a recticulum arranged in a more or less parallel fashion. It is an Blood vessels actively growing tissue, and many karyokinetic figures are to be seen.

are very rare and only found after much searching. There are no signs of inflam- mation, either acute or chronic, there is no exudation of leucocytes or plasma cells. the tumour at the edge ending abruptly against a well of compressed tissue.

Inoculation experiments were carried out from dog to dog.

The tumour tissue was teased out in normal saline and the resultant emulsion inoculated subcutaneously into a bitch on each side of the vagina, and also subenta- neously in the penile sheath of a dog. In neither case did any tumour appear, the material being wholly absorbed. From a subsequent tumour a small piece was pocketed under the vaginal mucous membrane of a bitch and another piece under the sheath near the penile bone of a dog. In both instances a tumour grew of the same histological character. It was the size of a chestnut in four weeks and of an egg in eight weeks, at which time the animals were killed.

A third attempt to communicate the disease by scarification failed both in a bitch and in a dog. In the latter a purulent discharge took place for three weeks, but no papillary growth or other tumour occurred. Inoculation and implantation of pieces of growth into guinea pigs and rabbits failed.

Pieces of ulcerative granuloma from the human being were pocketed into the penile sheath of 3 dogs and the vagina of 3 bitches. In no case did any tumour result..

It is obvious from the above that this disease in dogs has no resemblance to ulcerative granuloma in human beings, though in both spirochetes are present in the superficial layers of the local lesions, the histological characters are completely

different.

In ulcerative granuloma of man there is a superficial necrotic area with numerous polymorphonuclear cells enclosed in a network of fibrin; beneath this lies a typical granulomatous growth with a hard base of fibrous tissue in which are in- corporated numerous plasma cells. It spreads locally very slowly and never forms

metastases.

In the tumour in the dog, ulceration is rare and the mass is composed of a lymphosarcomatous growth which spreads rapidly to neighbouring areas, occasion- ally forming metastases.

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The ulcerative granuloma has not been transmitted to animals as yet either by scarification, inoculation or implantation.

The tumour in dogs is readily transmitted from dog to dog by implantation.

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No. 24.

MINUTES OF AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF THE TROPICAL DISEASES RESEARCH FUND ADVISORY COMMITTEE, HELD AT THE COLONIAL OFFICE ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26TH, 1912, AT 4.30 P.M.

PRESENT:

Sir WEST RIDGEWAY (in the Chair).

Sir THOMAS BARLOW,

Sir JOHN ROSE BRADFORD.

Surgeon-General Sir ARTHUR BRANFOOT.

Sir THOMAS HOLDERNESS.

Sir PATRICK MANSON.

Mr. READ.

Mr. KEITH (Secretary).

(1) The Minutes of the meeting of the 24th of May* were approved.

(2) The Committee considered the recommendations of the Royal Commission

on Malta in favour of further investigation of the question of Mediterranean fever. Sir Ronald Ross, who was unable to be present, had sent a letter expressing his opinion strongly in favour of the continuance of the researches into the disease on the lines indicated by the Royal Commission. He did not see any necessity to kill all infected goats, and he suggested that it would be useful to attempt to cure them in isolation. He was also of opinion that it was desirable to ascertain exactly how infection took place, and he suggested that the French Government should be asked to join the British Government in the researches proposed as Malta fever,appeared to be very greatly on the increase in the south of France, and the French Government were very closely interested.

Mr. Read stated that his experience of the attitude of the French Government in these matters led him to think that no useful purpose would be served in endeavour- ing to obtain the co-operation of that Government, and it was agreed that it would be better to proceed without counting upon the possibility of French co-operation.

Sir Patrick Manson stated that the disease was widely spread and that cases had occurred in Cyprus, in Gibraltar, in East Africa, in Uganda, in Somaliland, in Northern Nigeria, in Hong Kong and Ceylon, in India and in parts of the Union of South Africa as well as in various foreign countries, and, of course, prevalently in the Mediterranean basin.

The question was raised how far co-operation could be expected from the Army Council and the Admiralty, and it was explained that on this occasion the Admiralty and War Office were unwilling to contribute anything beyond the pay and allowances of their representatives. It was also explained that the condition of the finances of Malta rendered it impossible that the whole cost of further enquiry should be borne by Maltese funds. The question was also considered whether it was sufficient that enquiries should be made in Malta, or whether any Commission appointed should not investigate the conditions affecting the disease in other parts of the Mediterranean. Sir West Ridgeway urged that it was difficult to make application to other Colonies if the researches were to be confined to Malta, and Sir Thomas Barlow concurred in this view, and it was agreed that, though the researches might be commenced in Malta, it would be desirable that they should later be carried on elsewhere. Sir John Rose Bradford thought it most probable that the disease was conveyed elsewhere by cows' milk, but he considered it likely that if the cause of infection in the case of goats could be discovered, it would solve the question also in the case of cows.

Mr. Read pointed out that the chief cost involved, in addition to the salaries of the workers engaged on investigation, would be for the purchase of goats for

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