UNUSUAL CASE OF CHRONIC RINDERPEST.                 371

failed to reproduce the disease. Curasson who had reported cases in support of
the existence of carriers came across two instances of negative results, one with
blood and the other with duodenal ulcers. Jacotot [1932] obtained consistently
negative results with the exception of a notable case in which the vaginal discharge
was infective. With reference to the negative results, Schern and Jacotot, both
think, though with varying degrees of emphasis, that these are due to the fact
that carriers are rarely encountered ordinarily.

In sifting the evidence that has been recorded on both sides of the question it
is apparent that the two views are in reality not contradictory but they refer to
facts appertaining to the different phases of the disease, for an animal may be a
" carrier " of the virus in one tissue and not in another, as will be amplified later,
or may have become entirely cleansed of the virus in one stage and not in
another.

                                              OUR EXPERIENCE.

Having seen the present position with regard to certain connected aspects,
our own case may now be considered. The subject of this case was a bull No. 288
of the Kumaun hills which died of chronic rinderpest 74 days after inoculation
with virus, and whose spleen was proved to be infective at the time of death. It
is believed that this is the first time that an attempt has been made to demonstrate
a " carrier " through the infectivity of the spleen. The above-case was encounter-
ed during routine post mortem examination and one was struck with the strange
presence of the typical lesions of rinderpest so long after the initial infection with the
virus. Some of the tissues were therefore collected with proper precautions and
stored in sterile glass ware (pipettes and petri-dishes) in the refrigerator with a view
to test their infectivity.

It may be stated in parenthesis that the breed to which this animal belongs
has been ascertained to be 18 times more susceptible than the Indian plains cattle
[Lingard, 1899] and of about one-sixth the susceptibily of European cattle. It is
known from experience that usually the mortality among these hill cattle varies
from 50 to 80 per cent. when infected with a virus of bovine origin but it is much
less when goat virus is used.

This bull was inoculated on 11th August 1931 as a routine virus producer with
a goat strain which was being maintained at this Institute by passaging alternately
through bulls and goats. The virus for inoculation into this animal was obtained on
the 4th day after injection from a goat (No. 147) which had shown a rise of temper-
ature of 106° on the third day after infection and died of rinderpest on the 15th
day. To show that the virus used was potent it may be mentioned that another
bull (No. 315), which was inoculated with blood from the same goat at the same