'76 REPORT.

!tport.

GLANDERS IN THE GLASGOW CORPORATION TRAMWAYS.

I.-REPORT BY MR YOUNG, GENERAL MANAGER.

IN my Memorandum of 7th February 1 last I gave a full account of the out­break of glanders in the stud (4439 horses) of the department in July 1899, and also an outline of the methods which were adopted for having the whole stud systematically tested with mallein by our own departmental veter­inary surgeon. I stated that the result of the first mallein test was that 278 horses had reacted. I also gave the results of further tests of these 278 cases, as follows :-

1 st test 278 reacted. 2nd" 49 " 3rd " 9 " 4th " 5 " 5th " 2 "

6th " 1 "

7th " 0 "

It will be seen from the above statement that, after the seventh test, every animal had ceased to react. The question still remaining to be answered, however, was: Were all or any of these 278 animals now free from the disease?

In this report I propose to give the results of the steps which have been taken to give a satisfactory answer to this question.

As a result of our later periodical tests, none of the animals which were found clear on the third mallein test have reacted to further tests. They are all doing full work, maintaining their condition, and are, to all appearances, in perfect health.

This reduces our observations to the nine horses which reacted on the third test. Of these nine, three became clinically affected-one after the third, one after the fifth, and one after the sixth, test-and were consequently destroyed. The remaining six, two of which had reacted to the fourth test, have, since the date of my Memorandum, shown no reaction to further tests. Four of them are doing regular work, and seem perfectly healthy; the other two, which looked equally healthy, were among the animals selected to be de­stroyed for demonstrative purposes.

It was decided to select for the purposes of demonstration seven animals which had reacted as under :-

1 animal which had reacted once. 1 animal which had reacted once, and on second test was suspicious. 3 animals which had reacted twice. 1 animal which had reacted three times. 1 animal which had reacted four times.

In the whole of these cases our departmental veterinary surgeon (Mr Thomas B. Hamilton), assisted by several professional gentlemen (Dr

1 See this Journal for March last, p. 89.

REPORT.

Buchanan being always present), made a most careful and thorough post­mortem examination. Every doubtful or suspicious part was excised and submitted for report to Dr Buchanan, bacteriologist to the Corporation, and to Professor M'Fadyean, Principal of the Royal Veterinary College, London. The reports of Mr Hamilton, Dr Buchanan, and Principal M'Fadyean, which are given herewith, bring out two important points:-

I. That the animals in question had previously been infected with glanders.

2. That the specific bacillus could not at the time the animals were killed be detected in anyone of the cases, either by microscopical or cultural methods, and that the animals must consequently be considered to have been free from the disease.

I should state that the time which had elapsed between the latest mallein test and the slaughter of the animals varied from one to eight weeks. In the last two cases the period was seven weeks. Perhaps these two may be con­sidered the most important, as the animals had reacted to mallein three and four times respectively.

Seeing the result has been practically the same in all the seven represen­tative cases, it may be taken as clearly demonstrated that these animals had become free from the disease, and it may fairly be concluded that the animals from which these test cases were drawn are likewise free from the disease. It does not seem to me that this conclusion is affected by the fact that three animals out of 278 broke down during the process of further testing by mallein. It may be that the disease was further advanced in these cases before the mallein was applied. Very probably a larger percentage would break down in cases where the horses are not so well stabled, fed, and generally cared for as ours are.

In any case, the results seem to justify the position we have taken up, and we can no longer accept the theory that glanders is incurable, or endorse the policy of slaughtering every animal which has reacted once to mallein. So far as our tests indicate, animals which are in good seasoned condition may react once, twice, thrice, or even four times, and still make good recoveries.

Looking to the history of this outbreak, there can scarcely be any doubt that this disease is much more easily transmissible from animal to animal than has been generally supposed, and that a stud may be widely affected with only very slight, if any, outward indications. It is, therefore, most important to have the earliest possible knowledge of the presence of the bacillus. I would, therefore, repeat here what I ventured to suggest in the last paragraph of my Memorandum of 7th February last, which suggestions have bee!"! approved of by the Town Council, namely:-

"If the disease is to be controlled or cured, it must be very important to discover and attack it in its early stages, and it is obvious that, for the dis­covery of cases and studs affected, reliance must chiefly be placed upon post­mortem examinations at the knackeries. This seems to point to (I) having all knackeries municipalised or under public control; (2) having all horses for slaughter and carcases in each district disposed of through the public knackery; and (3) having arrangements made whereby at each such knackery the regular examiner could, on the appearance of any suspicious case, call in an expert bacteriologist for assistance and advice."

The following further suggestions seem to arise from the results now re­ported :-

1. When a case has been discovered, mallein should be forthwith applied to every horse which has been in the same stable, or otherwise in contact with the affected animal, and the movements of all such horses should be under strict supervision and control.

178 REPORT.

2. The mallein test should be repeated upon reacting animals at proper intervals.

3. After an animal has reacted on three or four successive tests-the number of tests depending, of course, upon the condition of the animal-it might be destroyed, and the owner compensated.

I believe that, under some such system of detection in the early stages as has been indicated, cases showing three or four reactions would soon become very rare and exceptional.

In my opinion, if powers were obtained to carry out these suggestions, they could be enforced by the Local Authority without causing any more than the most trifling interference with the working of the animals.

II.-REPORT BY MR THOMAS B. HAMILTON, M.R.e. V.S., VETERINARY SURGEON, GLASGOW CORPORATION TRAMWAYS.

At the date when the former report was issued, viz., 7th February 1900, the figures showing the results of previous testings were given as follows :-

1st test 278 reacted. 2nd

" 49 " 3rd " 9 " 4th " 5 " 5th "

2 " 6th

" " 7th "

0 "

The horses which reacted on the 1st and 2nd occasions only have been periodically tested since without showing any further reaction. They are doing full work, maintain good condition, and are to all appearance in perfect health.

Of the nine which reacted at the 3rd test, four are still in the service, and the previous remarks apply equally to them. Two more, to which the same remarks would apply, were selected as representative cases and slaughtered for demonstration, whilst the remaining three developed clinical symptoms, and were accordingly destroyed.

HISTORY OF THE THREE HORSES WHICH DEVELOPED CLINICAL SYMPTOMS.

BROWN GELDING 5592.

Average Temperature Temperature after Inoculation. Date. before Inoculation. 8th Hour. 10th Hour. 12th Hour. 14th Hour.

4/ 9/99 100·4 103 103 103 103.2 17/ 9/99 100·4 102·8 1 04 100·4 103'4 16/10/99 100·8 102"4 103 103 105

The above gelding, as 'will be. seen, reacted on three occasions. Immedi­ately after the last inoculation clinical evidence of glanders developed, and the animal was destroyed on 26th October 1899. The post-mortem examina-tion revealed the lungs to be extensively diseased. .

REPORT,

BROWN MARE 4308, AverO{/e Temperature Temperature after Inoculation

Date, before Inoculation, 8th Hour, 10th Hour, 12th Hour, 14th Hour, 22/ 8/99 101'2 100 103'2 104'4 105 II/IO/99 101 105 105'6 105'6 104'6 J S/II/99 100'2 103 '4 103 '8 103'6 103 '6 6/ 1/00 100'4 104 104'2 103 103

r9/ 1/00 100 103'4 r04 104'6 103'4 2,6/ 1/00 100'2 100'8 100'6 101'2 101'4

From the above chart it will be seen that, after reacting on five consecutive occasions, this animal failed to react to the 6th test, a result which I attribute to the fact of the last three tests being carried out with such short intervals between them,

On the roth February 1900 clinical symptoms of glanders were detected, and the animal was destroyed,

The post-mortem examination revealed the lungs to be a perfect mass of tubercles, all more or less in the advanced stage of development; in these the glanders bacillus was found,

BROWN GELDING 788, Average Temperature Temperature after Inoculation,

Date, before Inoculation, 8th Hour, 10th, Hour, 12th Hour, 14th Hour, 16/ 8/99 99'8 101'6 100'4 102'2 103 10/ 9/99 101'2 104'4 104'4 104'6 104'8 16/10/99 99'8 102'4 104 104 104'2 IS/II/99 102'4 103 103'2 103'8 103'8 6/ 1/00 100'6 103'6 102'6 102'6 101'6

19/ 1/00 100'6 103 102'4 102 102'4 26/ 1/00 100'2 102'4 102'4 lor 102

It will be seen that this animal reacted up to and including the 6th test. After the completion of the 4th test, it was evident from the very decided character of the reactions, both local and thermic, following each test that, if monthly inoculations were continued, reaction might go on for an indefinite period; so, with a view of obtaining better results, injections of mallein were given, one after the other, as soon as the temperature regained its normal degree, with the result that, after the third test carried out in this manner, the animal developed pronounced symptoms of farcy, and had to be de­stroyed,

The post-mortem examination demonstrated the existence of glanders in the lungs in addition to the local lesions of farcy,

The following are the particulars, briefly stated, of the horses which were killed for post-mortem demonstration :-

HISTORY OF THE SEVEN HORSES KILLED FOR DEMONSTRATION,

BROWN GELDING 1684,

Date, AVtrO{/e Temper"ture Temperature after Inoculati01"

8th, Hour, 10th Hour, 12th Hour, 14th Hour, before I noc ulation,

21/ 8/99 99'8 100'8 101'4 103'2 103 10/ 9/99 100'2 rOl'2 102'2 102'2 r03'2 II/I0/99 101 100'4 99'8 100'4 100'4 IS/II/99 100 100'2 100'4 101 '6 rOl'2 6/ 3/00 99'8 roo 100 roo

ISO REPORT,

The above horse, which was destroyed on 14th March 1900, had reacted twice, and failed to do so on three later occasions, Considerably over three months elapsed, it will be seen, before the fourth and fifth tests, The post­mortem examination failed to reveal the common lesions of acute glanders, A number of small nodules of a fibroid appearance were observed scattered over the surface of the lungs, which may have been active glanders tubercles at some previous time, There was entire absence also of the ecchymosed spots with the dark prune-juice staining, which are observable in the lungs of many horses killed immediately after reacting, and which some writers assert to be the earliest stage of glanders,

BROWN GELDING 5742,

Average Temperature Te1nperature after Inoculation. Date. before I noc ulation, 8th Hour, 10th Hour, 12th Hour, 14th Hour,

19/ S/99 100'4 100'6 100'4 100'4 103 10/ 9/99 100'2 100'4 102'2 103 102'2 11/10/99 100'6 100 100'4 100'2 100'6 15/11 /99 100'4 99'S 99'6 100'2 IOO'S

S/ 3/00 100 100 99'6 99'4

This horse, whose history is almost identical with that of the preceding one, was destroyed on the same day, and the post-mortem examination again failed to detect the presence of characteristic glanders nodules, A few nodules, however, were found in the same advanced stage, and were excised as before,

BROWN GELDING 3623,

A .'erage Temperature Temperature after Inoculation, Date, before Inoculation, 8th Hour, 10th Hour, 12th Hour, 14th Hour,

23/ S/99 100 100 100'2 102 103 10/ 9/99 100 100'2 100 100 100'4 II/IO/99 100'2 100'4 100 100 100 15/11 /99 99'6 99'2 99 99'S 99'S

6/ 3/00 100'4 100'6 101 100

This horse, as will be seen, reacted once only, and on four subsequent occasions the injection of mallein failed to provoke any reaction, The horse was slaughtered on the 2Sth March 1900, and the lungs, on post-mortem examination, were discovered to be the seat of six small hard nodules, which, with a part of tissue, presenting a marbled appearance, and which was thought might be of a glanderous nature, were excised as before,

BROWN GELDING 4SI5,

A ve'l'Uge Temperature Teff,pera.ture after Inoculation. Date, before Inoculation, 8th Hour, 10th Hour. 12th Hou,', 14th Hou,',

13/ S/99 100 101 101 103'2 103'6 10/ 9/99 100 100'4 102 102'4 102 '2 19/10/99 99'S 100'4 100'4 100 99'6 27/ I 1/99 99'4 99'4 99'S 100'2 99'S

6/ 3/00 100 100 99'4 99'4

This horse reacted in a very pronounced manner to the first test of mallein, but on the application of the second the thermic reaction reached only 102'4, and the animal was returned as a suspicious case, The local reaction, how-

REPORT"

ever, was quite characteristic of an affected animal. The three subsequent tests which were made produced no reaction whatever, either local or thermic" The animal was killed on 2Sth March 1900" The post-mortem examination exhibited several small nodules of a similar nature to those described in the previous cases, all of which were removed with a small cyst, also found present, but which was evidently not of a glanderous nature"

BROWN GELDING 1550"

A verage Temperature Temperatu~'e after Inoculation" Date, before Inoculation" 8th Hour" 10th Hour, 12th Hour" 14th Hour,

23/ S/99 100'2 lOO"S 104 105 105 19/ 9/99 99'S 100"2 103'4 104"6 104 II/10/99 100'4 100 100 100'4 100"6 15/11/99 100'2 100'S 100"4 101"4 101"8 6/ 3/00 99"S 100"4 100"4 99"S

This animal, as the chart shows, reacted on two occasions in a very pro­nounced manner" The three subsequent tests which were carried out pro­voked no reaction, either local or thermic" He was destroyed on the same day as the two previous horses, and in the lungs, on post-mortem examination, only two small, nodules could be found-one deeply imbedded in the tissue, and the other immediately under the pleura, both having undergone fibroid change" The marbled patch described as having been found at a previous post-mortem also existed here, and a part of it was removed with the nodules,

BROWN GELDING 3319"

A ,'erage Temperature Temperature after Inoculation" Date. before Inoculation, 8th Hour" 10th Hour" 12th Hour, 14th Hour"

23/ 8/99 100 100 101'6 104 104"4 10/ 9/99 99'8 100"4 102 '2 102"6 103"4 II/10/99 100'S 102"2 103'2 103"2 103"8 15/11 /99 100 Ico'6 101 '2 101"2 101'6 26/ 1/00 100'4 10l'S 101"4 100"S 100"8 6/ 3/00 100"6 99"6 100 110

This animal reacted distinctly three times, and afterwards on three succes­sive occasions showed no reaction" He was destroyed on 1st May 1900" At the post-mortem examination nothing could be found in the lungs" They appeared perfectly healthy, with the exception of a small patch of consolida­tion, the result of a previous pneumonia, This, with a part of the mediastinal glands, was removed for further examination"

BROWN GELDING 356"

Average Temperature Temperature after Inoculation, Date. before Inoculation, 8th Hour. 10th Hour" 12th Hour, 14th Hour,

23/ S/99 100 100"8 104"6 105 104'4 10/ 9/99 100 99"6 102'4 102"4 103 II/10/99 100'6 100 100'2 102"4 103"2 q/II/99 100"2 100"2 103 102"2 102'2

6/ 1/00 100"2 99"8 100"8 100"4 10I'S 14/ 3/00 99"2 99"6 100"6 100"6

REPORT.

This horse reacted distinctly on four occasions, and on two subsequent applications exhibited no reaction. The post-JIlortem examination, which was made on 1st May, failed to demonstrate the existence of any glanderous lesions, the lungs being, as in the previous case, perfectly healthy. The only pulmonary lesions to be seen were those so commonly found in the lungs of tramway horses on post-mortem-viz., pneumonia and pleurisy. These parts were excised, as on former occasions, for experimental tests.

At the various post-mortem examinations which were made I had the pleasure of being assisted by several professional brethren, and also by Dr Buchanan, City Bacteriologist, who very kindly provided sterilised bottles for the reception of the specimens which were to be microscopically examined. These tests failed in every instance to detect living glanders bacilli in any of the animals killed. I think, therefore, that as these horses were selected as fair samples of the originally reacting stud, we are justified in presuming that those remaining are equally free of glanders lesions.

It is difficult to say to what extent nature has operated in the production of the results we have obtained, and whilst admitting that many of the animals might have shown an equal recovery had they been left alone, I am strongly of opinion that mallein, periodically injected into a reacting animal, exercises a distinctly curative effect, and, therefore, when these injections fail to pro­voke any reaction after an interval of three months has elapsed immediately preceding the last two applications, that the animal may be considered free from living glanders bacilli. In any case, whether mallein is employed as a curative or not, it must be periodically injected to discover when the curative process is completed and the animal may be declared free of the disease.

Up to the present time 14,530 individual tests have been carried out by me in our stud since the outbreak in July last, and the results of our post· mortem demonstrations on the whole point to the legal recognition of glanders as a curative disease, and also to the enforced use of mallein as a diagnostic if not a curative agent.

IlL-REPORT BY DR R. M. BUCHANAN, BACTERIOLOGIST TO THE

CORPORATION OF GLASGOW.

I beg to report that I have made careful examination of a series of horses from the stud of the Glasgow Corporation Tramways Department, with special reference to glanders. The series consisted of seven selected animals which were not clinically affected, but which had reacted to the mallein test. The tissues were scrutinised for naked-eye evidences of disease, and any affected parts were further submitted to microscopical and bacteriological examination, with a view to determine, if possible, (1) the presence or absence of the characteristic lesions of glanders, and (2) the extent of any curative process n such lesions.

Naked-eye Appearances.

No. I (1684).-Several minute greyish nodules in both lungs; large patch of fibroid induration in the right lung.

No.2 (S742).-No nodules or other lesions of glanders evident to the naked eye.

NO.3 (3623).-Several small dense nodules in lung-some greyish, some yellowish; large cretaceous nodule in left lung; chronic pneumonic consolida­tion of basal margin in both lungs.

NO.4 (48IS).-Two isolated nodules in lung under pleura.

REPORT.

NO.5 (155o).-A small isolated nodule in lung under pleura; large area of fibroid induration within the substance of the left lung. (A strongylus tubercle in this case very closely simulated a glanders nodule.)

No.6 (3319).-A large cretaceous nodule in right lung; a yellowish white nodule under thickened pleura; chronic pneumonic consolidation of basal margin in both lungs.

NO.7 (356).-No nodules or other lesion of glanders evident to the naked eye; extensive thickening of the pleura at parts; chronic pneumonic con­solidation of basal margin in both lungs.

Culture Experiments.

Cultures were made at the time of post-mortem examination from all the suspected tissues, and at the same time portions were reserved for inoculation purposes, and transmitted to Professor M'Fadyean.

The r.ultures gave negative results as regards the bacillus of glanders in all the cases of the series.

Microscopical Examinations.

The isolated nodules which were found presented under the microscope a condition of active transformation into fibroid tissue, and were all characteristic of glanders. In none of them was caseation detected.

The microscopical examination of the lung tissue showed marked fibrous tissue development in all the seven cases. The fibroid development was mainly located at points either around the finer bronchial tubes and arteries, or in the interlobular septa, and exhibited in all the cases foci of cell prolifera­tion more or less active. This diffuse form of fibrous proliferation is regarded as one of the most characteristic effects produced by the glanders virus acting in a chronic manner.

I conclude, therefore, from the microscopical and cultural examinations of these seven cases-first, that the lesions of glanders existed in them all; second, that no active glanders bacilli were present; and tltird, that the lesions were of a chronic nature, undergoing extinction by the process of fibroid trans­formation.

IV.-REPORT BY PRINCIPAL M'FADYEAN, ROYAL VETERINARY

COLLEGE, LONDON.

I beg to submit the following report regarding the result of my examination of the various pieces of lung from horses suspected of glanders which have been forwarded to me by Dr Buchanan since 14th March last.

I and 2.-0n the 15th of March last I received from Dr Buchanan two pieces of lung marked 1684, and three marked 5742. I was not able to detect in any of these pieces lesions characteristic of glanders, and my attempts to discover glanders bacilli in them by cultivation and experimental inoculation had entirely negative results.

3, 4, and 5.-0n the 29th of March last I received from Dr Buchanan four pieces of lung marked 3623, the same number marked 4815, and three marked 1550. Two of the pieces from 3623, and one piece each from the other two cases contained lesions, with the appearance of old glanders nodules, but cultivation and inoculation experiments failed to reveal the presence of glanders bacilli in any of the pieces.

REPORT.

6 and 7.-0n the 2nd of May, I received from Dr Buchanan five small pieces of lung and a piece of lymphatic gland marked 33 19, and two small pieces of lung marked 356. Although several of these pieces were diseased, none of them showed anything characteristic of glanders. and my cultivation and inoculation experiments with them indicated that none of them contained glanders bacilli.

PRINTED BY w. AND A. K. JOHNSTON, EDINBURGH AND LONDON.