GASTRO-ENTERITIS OF UNGULATES.

Of the medical conditions which have been treated, by far the most frequent and fatal was acute gastro-enteritis, which prevailed during the hot days of middle and later summer, mainly among our western deer and moose, and was not altogether absent at times from the elk herd. From this disease alone, notwithstanding what we considered the most rational and painstaking adjustment of their diet and entire surroundings, treatment, etc., we lost our entire collection of moose; mainly within the thirty days preceding September 10th.

Up to and during the first week of intense summer heat, this herd, with the exceptions of horn development (which was somewhat deficient), gave every visible evidence of vigorous digestion, and abundance of good health and contentment in their installation. Their illness was first marked by want of cohesion, form, and color in the intestinal excretions, which contained much mucus-a condition seldom giving more than the slightest and most temporary response to the best-known disinfectants and astringents, and which invariably gravitated into acute and persistent diarrhea. The appetite and rumination alike diminished rapidly, and soon ceased entirely. Emaciation and weakness, with great apathy, quickly supervened, death usually being preceded by a period of coma. Such, in short, were the symptoms exhibited by all animals which were lost within the Park from this particular disease. The most desirable changes of diet known to us were made for these animals, including the limited and unlimited use of mixed browse, which, with the construction of special bathing-ponds, shower-baths, etc., while appearing to give unquestionable additions to their comfort, failed to give the animals that degree of safety for which we had so ardently hoped. While the western deer suffered from this disease, and exhibited the same symptoms, it may be noted that the onslaught of the malady was less rapidly fatal in its consequences among them, than we have noted as affecting the moose; the course having been approximately twelve to fifteen days in the deer, as against five to seven in the moose.

Post-mortem examination of all animals lost, after exhibiting the characteristic symptoms of this disease, revealed the one common condition of diffuse congestion and inflammation of the abomasum (true stomach), and to a somewhat lesser degree the entire digestive tract. The intestinal contents being in the preponderance of cases food in an imperfect state of digestion, mixed with sero-sanguineous fluid. It may be of interest to remark in this connection that, while there was evidence of intestinal atrophy in all cases, those of the deer were much more clearly atrophic than those of the moose, possibly because of more prolonged suffering; yet this may have to an extent antedated the actual illness, since I have noticed similar conditions, though in a lesser degree, while examining deer other than those which had suffered from this disease.

The essential element of contagion seemed entirely absent in this disease, since no single case appeared in our numerous species of European and Asiatic deer, although living under identical surroundings and conditions, attended by the same keepers, and at times in close proximity to ranges wherein animals had suffered. I would invite your closest attention to the report of these cases issued by our Pathologist, Harlow Brooks, M.D., who has had occasion to make special research in relation to this most important matter.

INFECTIVE COLITIS.

Second in importance to gastro-enteritis, only by reason of its having been confined to a lesser number of animals, but quite as fatal, I would report our experience with infective colitis due to the invasion of the Balantidium coli, whereby three orangutans and one chimpanzee were lost, and the sole remaining orang was seriously and possibly fatally infected.

The orangs ("Rajah," "Brunei," and "Sultan") and chimpanzee ("Zongo”), which had enjoyed exceedingly good health since their installation within the Park, were first noticed to be slightly indisposed upon the occasion of my visit on October 6th. Showing diarrhea on the morning of October 7th, they were removed to an isolated room in the Reptile House, and treatment outlined by regulation of diet to meet their altered requirements, and the administration of intestinal antiseptics and astringents. From the coincidence of four cases similar in type, we suspected they might have suffered a mild intestinal infection from the use, in small quantities, of Scott's Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil, which had been in stock for several months, yet seemed to be in a fair state of preservation.

With the exceptions of the cases of "Sultan" and "Zongo," whose cases although obstinate did in a measure yield temporarily to treatment, the disease progressed steadily. Owing to the nature and extent of the constant drain upon the system, and extremely poor appetite-which made adequate nourishment hard, indeed almost impossible to accomplish the animals emaciated rapidly. Several changes of treatment were thought advisable, and carefully made, including the free use of salol, xeroform, bismuth sub - nitrate, bismuth sub - gallate, opium, etc. All proving equally ineffectual, we called in consultation Dr. Van der Smissen, who has enjoyed much practice in the diseases of children of this part of the city. It having been thought advisable, irrigation of the colon of each was frequently and carefully made with sterilized normal salt solution along with the treatment already administered, but without appreciable result. The animals soon refused to take nourishment voluntarily, and the stomach rejected administered food such as peptonized milk, etc. Their death ensued within twenty-four hours of each other.

The post-mortem examinations made by Park Pathologist Harlow Brooks, M.D., at which I was present, were most interesting as showing the lesions of the entire colon incidental to the invasion of parasites known to science as Balantidii, a tropical infection which we at the time, and with much reason, thought had been introduced into the Park by the importation of this particular collection of apes.

The chimpanzee "Zongo" and orang "Sultan" gave temporary hope of ultimate success in treatment, and gained in fair measure a healthful state of digestion, which, however, soon broke down, and despite the most solicitous care and treatment, their intestinal discharges again swarmed with the infusoria. Emaciation was rapid and complete, death following despite our efforts, as in the cases above reported. Post-mortem lesions were in all respects identical to former cases.

The female orang named "Sally," who had been within the Park during the past two years but had been caged at times with the others, first showed emaciation and specific diarrhea on December 8th. The loss of flesh and prostration was very rapid, the appetite soon failing. As in the other cases, there was marked apathy from the outset. The treatment of quinine bisulphate enemata, so extensively used in human medicine in treating allied diseases and thoroughly administered to the animals "Zongo" and "Sultan," but without result was early replaced in the treatment of this case by high enemata of rice mucilage strongly impregnated with Merck's creoline and thirty grains xeroform. These injections were repeated twice daily, with the result that the animal showed marked improvement. After the first few treatments the parasites rapidly disappeared in number from the excretions, and such as appeared were without life. The patient improved rapidly in all respects, and remained under constant treatment, but showed a sudden exacerbation of symptoms upon December 26th, when the parasites again appeared in great numbers. For a second time the patient began to emaciate and grow apathetic. At present she is being carefully nursed and treated, and appears to be withstanding the disease much better than might be expected in view of the nature of her malady.

Every proper precaution as regards isolation, frequent and effectual disinfection, etc., was early put into effect, and to that I attribute the confinement of the disease to the animals named, since every evidence indicated its invasive nature. The probable error of our judgment in assuming this disease to have gained admission to the Park by reason of infection lurking in some one or more of these animals at the time of their purchase was recently shown. In the routine of affairs, Curator Ditmars on January 2, 1902, caused microscopic examination to be made of excreta from the giant tortoises which were imported last summer, and for a time located in quarters in immediate proximity to the orangs in question. This examination showed the material to be surcharged with infusorial organisms, with Balantidium coli in great abundance. Since the reptiles appear to enjoy good health, we are driven to the conclusion that the highly pathogenic organism, Balantidium coli, of the large apes, is really the non-pathogenic Balantidium of the tortoise, and experiments are now being carried forward to substantiate or disprove this assumption.

The scientific importance of these cases to those engaged in zoological work can scarcely be over-estimated, and will, in my opinion, fully warrant the most careful perusal of our pathologist's report relative thereto.

Our experience with this peculiar infection should make us very circumspect regarding the receiving of animals, especially from tropical countries, and introducing them into our collections without every effort being made to demonstrate the presence or absence of this disease, which beyond much doubt has the power, under favorable conditions, to destroy the entire primate collection.

That which I am inclined to regard as the third most important condition of our animals requiring special treatment was intestinal indigestion, mainly confined to the adult buffalo.

INTESTINAL CATARRH OF BUFFALO.

Within the past six months there have been under treatment one chronic and five sub-chronic cases of this troublesome disorder, all of which have been isolated and relieved, after longer or shorter periods of dieting and medication.

This condition proves particularly troublesome from the difficulty at times found in isolating such animals, in the selection of agents which they will take voluntarily in the food or water, and, above all, in the selection of those remedies which will, in non-toxic doses, pass through a stomach containing, as it oftentimes does, sixty gallons of food matter, and reach the diseased intestine in a state capable of exerting therapeutic action.

Of the many agents commonly administered in the domestic ruminant for combating like disturbances, the only one we have found to be of any real value whatsoever was tannigen (acetyltannin), through the use of which we have been enabled to successfully cope with these cases.

From the excellent health of our buffalo herd during the warm months of summer, and the number of these intestinal cases reported late in the autumn and early winter, along with the benefits at once derived by corraling and feeding exclusively upon dried herds-grass, I am convinced that the disturbance had its foundation in indigestion, pure and simple, from taking frozen grasses. Although the microscopic examination of the digestive refuse from time to time showed the presence of several kinds of small worms, their inconstancy in the actually suffering would tend to disprove their pathogenic nature.

The marked tendency of these cases to assume chronicity should, I think, at all times cause us to put the animals under treatment. Not only does the impaired digestion rapidly show