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259
[1910
they cease to thrive and as a consequence they are disposed ot for slaughter as second or
third rate quality, the bulk of which probably find their way to private slaughterhouses,
where no proper supervision is provided by the local authority.
Particulars of carcases or parts thereof and internal organs surrendered on account
of various diseases and affections will be found in Table " A " of this report, from which
it will be seen that of 1,691 oxen 10 were more or less affected with tuberculosis, or about
0.6 per cent., but only in one instance was the disease of such a generalised character as
to necessitate the destruction of the whole carcase.
It may be noticed that in my return of the number of animals all bovines are
classed together as oxen, whereas in the table mentioned 4 of the animals are classified as
cows; these as well as a few others of the total were young cows which had evidently not
been prolific milkers, and as a consequence had been fed up for the butcher, lactation having
ceased and the mammary gland shrunk almost to the condition of a clean heifer, such are
classed rather as heifers, or heifer-cows as they are sometimes described, as compared with
ordinary dairy cows that are worn out with age and long service.
An unusually large number of parasitic livers of sheep will be seen in the table
named, together with the carcases of 4 sheep and parts of 6 others due to emaciation or
other alteration, the primary cause of which was due to the parasitic affection. These were
all young animals from the west country where in the autumn of the year under consideration
thousands of sheep were disposed of at considerably less than their original cost as stores,
without any return for the grazing, owing to the epidemic form of the disease. You will
remember that you took special interest in the subject at the time and endeavoured to get
at the root or cause by communicating with and submitting specimens to Sir John
McFadgean, Professor of Veterinary Pathology, and S. Stockman, Esq., M.R.C.V.S., Chief
Veterinary Officer of the Board of Agriculture.
These parasitic diseases are not so serious from a public health standpoint as are
some other diseases and affections, but from a commercial standpoint are a very serious loss
to the farming and general community, in that so much waste is occasioned not only by
the loss of the organ directly involved, but by an immense loss in condition of the animals
affected, due to the obstruction of the natural function of those organs by the infesting
parasites and the cirrhotic condition followiing such infestation.
The animals above referred to, although being as previously stated young, were considerably
wanting in nutritive quality, but as they were slaughtered for the wholesale
market at Smithfield, the public of this Borough were not directly prejudiced thereby.
Further particulars as to abnormal affections in other animals will be found in the
table already referred to.
T 2