§ MR. WHITEI beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether, as in the case of swine fever, he will appoint a Departmental Committee to review the experience gained since (say) 1890 respecting the etiology, pathology, and morbid anatomy of the diseases known as pleuro-pneumonia—contagious, transit, etc.; to supplement that experience by a series of experiments as to the bacteriology and life history of these diseases, and as to their communication, either directly or indirectly, from animal to animal; and to bring together the results of the work of foreign investigators?
*MR. LONGOur scientific knowledge respecting pleuro-pneumonia is much more extensive than in the case of swine fever, and I have no reason to believe that it would be materially increased by the appointment of a Departmental Committee, whose opportunities for investigation would be very small by reason of the fact that cases of the disease in this country are, happily, now so rare. In these circumstances I do not see my way to adopt the suggestion of the hon. Member.
§ DR. FARQUHARSONI beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether his scientific advisers have yet been able to trace the source of infection in the recent outbreak of pleuro-pneumonia in Essex and elsewhere; whether the lung affection was recent and acute, or chronic and encysted; where the affected animals were bred; and, what were their respective ages?
*MR. LONGIn the Rochford outbreak, three of the diseased animals were old encysted cases, and four were more recent ones, two being quite acute. One of the old cases was purchased in the Metropolitan market, and came from a dairy in the north of London, a second was purchased in Romford market, and came from a farm near that place; and the third was purchased in the Metropolitan market, and came from 1253 Leytonstone. In the Mile End outbreak, the case was an old encysted one, and the animal was purchased quite recently in the Metropolitan market. We do not know at present where the diseased animals were bred, nor can their ages be stated, but they were all cows that had had several calves. Inquiries are still in progress with regard to both outbreaks.