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THE SERVICE BUILDING.

Contains all the executive departments of the Zoological Park.

I

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE VETERINARIAN.

BY FRANK H. MILLER, V.S.

RESPECTFULLY beg to submit the following report relative to the animals of the New York Zoological Park under my care their general health, diseases, injuries, treatment, and feeding from the time of my appointment by the Executive Committee on the recommendation of Professor Osborn.

My first general inspection of all animals installed within the Park, made May 22, 1901, showed them to be in good health, the following cases excepted:

1. One buffalo bull. Sub-chronic intestinal catarrh.
2. One aged buffalo cow. Chronic intestinal catarrh.

3. One prong-horned antelope. (chronic).

4. One prong-horned antelope. 5. One prong-horned antelope. sternum.

Suppurating tendo-vaginitis

Severed tendons.

Fractured ribs and abscess on

6. One Ceram cassowary. Necrotic inflammation of throat. 7. One beaver (just admitted). Lacerated wounds and mangled foot.

Of the above cases, the following disposal was made:

Cases 1 and 2 (the Buffalo) were isolated from the herd and their diet regulated to suit their altered conditions, and the various tonic-astringents commonly used in domesticated ruminants administered, but with very indifferent results. I then concluded to use tannigen, which agent, probably by reason of its passing the multiplex stomach unchanged, exerted its highly satisfactory curative powers within the intestinal canal, speedily induced a normal activity, and the animals were again allowed to enter the herd.

Case No. 3, Suppurating tendo-vaginitis upon leg of Antelope, I treated by chloroforming the animal, opening the infected parts, cleansing the same with hydrogen peroxide, and dressing with iodoform, ether, and bandages. The patient showed satisfactory improvement under daily dressing by the keeper up to the eighth day, when gangrenous conditions appeared, and the animal was removed by chloroforming.

Case No. 4, Antelope with severed tendons, was, upon close examination, found to be inoperable, and the animal was removed from the herd by chloroforming.

Case No. 5, Antelope with fractured ribs and abscesses, received in fighting, was operated upon painlessly by the use of cocaine injections, the pockets drained and packed, after the removal of a segment of detached rib. Daily dressing of the wound was performed by the keeper under my direction, with the result that the abscesses healed rapidly. However, the injury to the sternum proved to be such as to deprive it of adequate nourishment, and necrosis slowly progressed, notwithstanding careful drainage and approved antiseptics, necessitating re-operation upon several occasions, owing to fistulæ being formed. Later it was considered more humane to destroy the animal; first, because of the certainty of long treatment being required; secondly, because of the very unthrifty appearance of the animal in an otherwise healthy herd. Chloroformed.

Case No. 6, Cassowary with necrotic throat, placed under treatment of artificial nourishment and frequent spraying of the throat with saturated solution of boric acid. Since the bird had entirely ceased to take food, and was aged, he rapidly sank, and died on the following day.

Case No. 7, Injured Beaver. Animal was operated on by local application of cocaine; one digit was amputated, and wounds curetted and packed with xeroform powder, and he was allowed to take the water in our beaver pond, with rapid and complete recovery.

The cases which have come under my immediate care since May 22, 1901, have in the main been such injuries and diseases (sporadic and enzootic) as naturally appear in the practice of the general practitioner of comparative medicine, somewhat augmented by reason of the changed conditions incidental to, and more or less inseparable from, the confinement of wild animals.

Even within this Park, conducted as it is with unlimited regard to expense and singleness of purpose to produce surroundings calculated to promote the life, freedom, and happiness of animals, conditions and injuries are oftentimes brought about by reason of the natural ferocity and agility of certain species, which only too frequently involve even our keepers in mishap. Space will not permit, and it would be quite foreign to the purpose of this report for me to enter into general details of all cases under observation. I will therefore briefly name the various cases which have occurred, and take up in greater detail such conditions, as from their particular mortality or liability to infect others must necessarily be considered of prime importance in forming our retrospect of past proceedings, and formulating lines of activity for the treatment and prevention of similar or allied conditions which may appear in future, particularly as to the proper mode of successfully applying our resources that they may be made readily available to the various kinds of animals under

our care.

The medical cases, which I name strictly in order of their importance rather than as to frequency among the animals, have been as follows:

Ist, Gastro-enteritis. 2d, Infective colitis.

3d, Intestinal catarrh. 4th, Tuberculosis.

5th, Intestinal parasites.

6th, Syngamus trachealis

(birds).

7th, Bird cholera.

8th, Verminous bronchitis.

9th, Sarcoptic mange.

10th, Gregarinosis (rabbits).

11th, Group paralysis.

12th, Pernicious anemia.

13th, Convulsions.

14th, Fish poisoning.

15th, Septicæmia.

16th, Rainey's corpuscles (elk).

17th, Hodgkins' disease.

18th, Subcutaneous parasites

(birds).

Injuries and conditions requiring surgical treatment may be

reported in their relative order of frequency, as follows:

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